 Poster: A snowHead
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| FlyingStantoni wrote: |
| will you have tele kit? |
I don't think that you are the only one who is asking this question. There are several people that I know of who would be very interested in the answer.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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gilleski,
Are slope-users going to be subjected to loud music 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Mitchell, Not to ;loud and only motown and soul if I have it my way  Kitty, We will get some but not to start with (got enough kit to deal with)! Tele ers more than welcome mind and we do have a tele event planned where the organisers will bring all the kit.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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gilleski, I haven't checked your price structure (so this may be moot) and I'm not overly experienced with indoor or plastic skiing, having only been a few times in my life (in spite of skiing for well over 20 years) but one thing that stuck out when I went to Gloucester last year was their pricing approach and the sense of community it generated.
You had the option to pay for 'all day' and it was competitive to the cost of a few hours. What this lent itself to was more a sense of 'community' and 'club' as we could take our time throughout the day - stop for coffees a number of times (spend more money) and not feel rushed to cram in as much skiing as possible in a relatively short amount of time. I have been to MK a couple of times and it seems to miss out on the sense of 'club' that Gloucester has.
Anyway, that's my unqualified tuppence worth, do with it what you want 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| gilleski wrote: |
| Tele ers more than welcome mind and we do have a tele event planned where the organisers will bring all the kit. |
Not even just a couple of pairs? (Please, please, etc.) You'd probably believe how inconvenient taking skis into work in London and thence onto Hemel is going to be...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| flowa wrote: |
| Gloucester.........You had the option to pay for 'all day' and it was competitive to the cost of a few hours. What this lent itself to was more a sense of 'community' and 'club' as we could take our time throughout the day - stop for coffees a number of times (spend more money) and not feel rushed to cram in as much skiing as possible in a relatively short amount of time. I have been to MK a couple of times and it seems to miss out on the sense of 'club' that Gloucester has. |
I considered the "Ladies & Gents who Lunch" at Cas (£30 inc lunch) until I found the skiing had to take place for 2 specified consecutive hours between 11 and 3. If they made it a longer period to include time for coffee as well as the lunch most would be unlikely to ski more than 2 hrs but would almost certainly stop for at least one coffee mid-ski and then do lunch afterwards and as Flowa says, ultimately spend more.
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Just had a brief visit to Hemel (thanks gilleski). I last visited when it was a dry slope a few weeks before it was closed for the diggers to move in. Have to say I can't quite believe the transformation that has taken place in the past 12 months. Even though it's a huge building and is still a very busy construction site, it does blend in well with the residential setting it's located in. The triple height glass wall which you see as soon as you enter the site is very impressive, and the rest of the exterior is nicely designed. This afternoon they seemed to be spreading some form of soil/mulch over the roof of the building prior to seeding it for grass (IIRC).
The building has a Tardis-like quality because it feels much more spacious inside than you'd guess from looking at the outside. The ground floor & entrance area will have some self-service machines for those who have pre-booked to print out their tickets without having to queue at check-in upstairs, as well as an information desk for people who have casual enquiries. Snow & Rock will also be located at this level, and they seem to have a lot of space, certainly much more than the S&R store that used to be at the old Hemel site. I didn't get to see the 1st floor where check-in and kit issue, changing rooms, etc will be located, but I'd guess it will be fairly spacious. Located on the third floor is the bar, "open air" terrace overlooking the slope, and a couple (or more?) of private meeting rooms all of which have panoramic views over the ski slope. Again, it feels spacious in there, especially with the full height windows over the slope. I can easily imagine the private meeting rooms being used for a snowHeads get-together at some point in the future...
The best part of the visit was to get onto the teaching and the main slope, complete with building site wellies (= cold feet), hard hat and hi-viz jacket. This is where it really does feel impressive. The teaching slope is very wide; at least twice as wide as the equivalent slope at MK I think. One of the things I really liked was the large amount of space behind the safety netting at the bottom of the teaching slope - this will allow complete beginners to walk around on skis getting used to them without fear of getting in the way of beginners sliding down the slope. Good design methinks, and I'd guess the result of input from an instructor who knows about teaching first-timers. The main slope also feels bigger than MK (despite being a similar size) because there are no central columns dividing the slope into two. I understand that the top of the main slope is a little bit steeper than MK, but I wasn't able to test this because I couldn't actually see the top of the slope: snow making is going full tilt (70 tons a day  ) so there was actually an indoor white-out I had a bit of a feel of the snow and it was unlike any artificial stuff I've seen before. The stuff which is made in the alps is fine, light and 'spikey', quite an abrasive snow, and the MK snow feels similar to this whenever I've seen it fresh. But at Hemel the snow felt quite soft and dense, and I'd guess when pisted (by the small and cute pistebasher - does it have a name yet?) it will make a lovely grippy surface. For me the success or failure of snowdomes depends on the quality of the snow, and too often I've been disappointed at Tamworth and MK. I sincerely hope that Hemel gets its act together on this; I'm encouraged by the fact that one of the staff has been out in Austria to learn about piste-bashing with the manufacturers of the pistebasher. Although it's only cosmetic, I liked the alpine scenes that adorn the walls of slope. That's a nice touch.
Overall I was very impressed with my visit. I can't quite believe how much transformation has taken place in 12 months. There still seems to be a lot of work to do outside the building (to finish the car park area, remove the site offices, etc), but the building itself looks to be only two or three weeks from completion. Can't wait to ski it!
PS - I should probably add a disclaimer that I will be doing some part-time teaching there.
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rob@rar, now all I need to know is when this virgin slope will feel the cut of a slick pair of edges 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| slikedges wrote: |
| rob@rar, now all I need to know is when this virgin slope will feel the cut of a slick pair of edges |
I'd guess some time in the first week of May will see the first public tracks, and maybe three weeks earlier for staff.
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rob@rar, nice 'trip report'  thanks.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Quote: |
Dare to dive
Posts: 9341
Location: Les Deux Alpesskimom, And here, as the most expensive in resort I'm €60 per hour for 1-4 people! ISTD too!
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Might be something to do with overheads? I think the general running etc costs more than a lift pass?
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Schuss in Boots, aye 
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Spyderman, who bagged first ever tracks?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Is that a fartbag I see before me? (Not on Spyderman, of course.)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| skimottaret wrote: |
| Spyderman, who bagged first ever tracks? |
PSG I think.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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It's been pisted, cop out!! Anyone bag first "variable" tracks?!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Yep, looks like PSG! 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Spyderman wrote: |
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Holy backseat turns batman
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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So will we be told in advance (ie soon) when the opening will be so we can organize a snowheads opening celebration there, asap?
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Opening is confirmed isn't it, 6th may?
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narc, Meghan Gillespie is more interested in her hair, unlike her Dad who doesnt have much left!
beanie1, 6th May is the opening date as you say.
PSG
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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It looks great! I may have a journey down to visit my sister and combine it with a session to bed in my new boots...
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May I ask those in the know - what's the tie up with the Ötztal region? I see the details are on the wall coverings and a banner of the website. Was a deal done with the Ötztal Tourist Board?
I've just returned from Sölden which although very popular with the Austrians, Germans, The Dutch, etc there was not that many Brits about. I wonder if this will drum up more British tourists for Sölden? I know that Obergurgl and Hochgurgl are already popular with the Brits
If it does mean more Brits, I'd better give the nod to my Sölden friend who has a great apartment hotel there (Appartmenthaus Kathrin - http://www.jaqueline-soelden.at/) as she was asking why they don't see so many Brits in Sölden
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Sleipnir wrote: |
| Was a deal done with the Ötztal Tourist Board? |
Yes, they are one of the sponsors of the Snow Centre.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I've made it along to a couple of the MK 'performance coaching' sessions in the past, which run early on a weekend morning before the slope opens to the public - and really quite enjoyed them (particularly the fact you have a near empty snowdome to yourself) - does anyone know if Hemel will be running similar sessions?
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abj, yes they will be running performance coaching sessions, although I don't know what the timings of this will be. You might also be interested in this which might be run along similar lines with some informal coaching if there's enough demand for it.
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You know it makes sense.
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abj, absolutely, performance coaching will be offered as well as a dedicated weekly ladies morning, 50+s and junior development sessions on wednesdays
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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skimottaret ... I don't quite fit the target audience for ladies mornings, 50s+ or juniors - so good to hear performance coaching will in there.
Do you know if we'll have one of those nice early morning before the doors open to the public like MK, so as to avoid the weekend crowds?
Also, do you know what sort of level will be required?
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Poster: A snowHead
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rob@rar, will take a look. Cheers.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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abj, all the lessons and sessions are explained on the website, but i dont know if the exact times have been determined. There is also a skill development session i think on a saturday. the coaching sessions are pretty fluid at the moment and best to ring them regarding your exact needs and where you "fit in, target audience wise  "
I think, but dont quote me on this, the early morning sessions before the general public will be limited to those who have taken out a membership.
as far as level is concerned once you are at the rec standard the "guided practice" and performance sessions are feasible.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Looks nice, with the scenery it's just like being back in Obergurgl, only back a couple of weeks. Hopefully, there'll be an umbrella bar serving gluwein, some enormous speakers pumping out the apres ski tunes or, some equivalent of the Nederhutte and maybe a wellness spa too.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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