 Poster: A snowHead
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I can vouch for the quality of Acer-made snow from experience in Ski Dubai. Early morning you can sometimes hit low mounds of fresh near the snowblowers which have been working overnight and it really is powder. Of course skiers, boarders and piste bashers quickly compact it - but it is good stuff.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
| The Tokyo SkiDome had a really good pacy - and very wide - descent, but it failed commercially |
Do we know why? Was it just too big to ever cover it's costs?
I did hear a tale that it was built at a time when young Japanese (who do tend to a herd mentality) were heavily into skiing - then the fad changed, something else became the 'must-do' thing and the slope became a virtually unused white elephant. Before becoming an IKEA. More 'herd mentality' in it's reincarnation, perhaps? Meatballs anyone. 
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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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This is what you can get if you 'large it'. The former Tokyo SSAWS dome, opened 1993 Dubaian, it was absolutely immense, but it was built by a Japanese property company (Mitsui Fudosan) and Japanese builders (Kajima, who usefully for me had a London office), lushing it in one of the greatest land value bubbles of history. London may currently be experiencing something similar. The investment was gigantic, but probably peanuts to Mitsui Fudosan.
Entering it was like going into a full-scale airport terminal. But, before the opening ceremony, I spent an hour just wandering around the monster and gazing up at its insane structure. Trying to comprehend the developer's mindset, it looked like a huge 'fuck you' trophy (in the most civilised and polite Japanese way). They probably knew it was a dubious enterprise, but the detail, services (top-class ski suit rental) and immaculate customer service aspiration were palpable.
Japanese skiing at that time (1993) was also in an extraordinary bubble. Hundreds of ski resorts across the south and north islands, ski magazines running to hundreds of colour pages, a whole street in Tokyo devoted to ski equipment/clothing retailing etc.
I reckon Westfield will take a harder and more objective business attitude and will want the London dome to guarantee a return.
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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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Dubai structure just looks awesome. Also the design of slopes are way better as you cant see the finish line due to turns. Integrate into a nice shopping mall and hotel make it a nice resort for families unlike japanese ski dome.
I am sure many lessons learn and this place will have the latest and greatest.
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Dubaian, Dubai is definitely the benchmark but with it being 7-8 years old, the Stratford will be better! I am sure lots of lessons learned. It is a long wait though. I would guess another 3 years.
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There's a basic design issue here as to whether a 'dog-leg' turn is built in (viz: the first UK public slope - Tamworth - and Ski Dubai) or whether skiers experience a straight fall-line for the full length of the slope.
This issue has also arisen with the design of most plastic ski slopes. One of the early major ones - Hillend, outside Edinburgh - had interesting turns, as did Sheffield Ski Village. However, from the perspective of learning/practising, a straight slope is probably best.
Any views on this? Hopefully the Westfield/Stratford architects will read them!
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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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Comedy Goldsmith, the story about the Dubai Dog Leg is that the developer's Senior Sheikh said - "In the Alps I cannot see the bottom of the Piste from the top - so I want it that way here." But true or not, a kinked run is a very good use of an available plot.
For learning, I'd say a nursery slope section which is wide, smooth, unobstructed and of gentle gradient is the optimum. Once on the main slope, even indoors, all users should be able to cope with a bend or two - they're not exactly hairpins. And surely the reason for learning/practising is to go out into the real world - in which bends and bumps prevail.
A straight slope can also encourage 'bombing it'. 
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Mon 29-07-13 11:01; edited 1 time in total
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| Mistress Panda wrote: |
| I reckon there must be mileage in a slope that runs off the top of Beachy Head, and goes all the way down like a helter skelter until you ultimately come out at the bottom in the sea, where you will be recovered by a speedboat and driven round to a convenient recovery point. Or perhaps just having a lift from the floating pontoon at the bottom. It would also mean much easier access for the emergency services when they need to pick people off the rocks at the bottom. That must be £10K a year saved, which is probably more profit than they'll make out of skiiers. |
Interesting, the BBC have picked up on this and seem to be backing my cliff idea if the money is there. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23375319
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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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This is definitely a good news. Let's just hope environmental groups will not voice their concerns here 
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Dubai does look nice, much better than the 3 I've been to in the UK. Dog leg? Why not go the whole hog and have the slope come back on itself somehow? Lift to the top!
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You know it makes sense.
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Believe it or not there are proposals which don't even need a lift to get back to the top - http://www.skitrac.com/
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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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| Okanagan wrote: |
| Believe it or not there are proposals which don't even need a lift to get back to the top - http://www.skitrac.com/ |
from the site
"Using new "Mag-lev" technology, the snow deck, with its 200 mm (8 in) snow cover will "float" on an electro-magnetic field without the need for wheels, thus ensuring frictionless, vibrationless, silent, and maintenance-free rotation. Drive power will be supplied by linear motor."
My race skis have a fair amount of steel in them; could get some interesting results with mag-lev!
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Poster: A snowHead
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| scooby_simon wrote: |
| Okanagan wrote: |
| Believe it or not there are proposals which don't even need a lift to get back to the top - http://www.skitrac.com/ |
from the site
"Using new "Mag-lev" technology, the snow deck, with its 200 mm (8 in) snow cover will "float" on an electro-magnetic field without the need for wheels, thus ensuring frictionless, vibrationless, silent, and maintenance-free rotation. Drive power will be supplied by linear motor."
My race skis have a fair amount of steel in them; could get some interesting results with mag-lev! |
 the equivalent of walking on water...........
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hilarious garbling of the Mail story [see link 6 postings above this one] by a site called "LastMinuteTravelDeals247" ...
http://www.lastminutetraveldeals247.com/a-cool-olympic-legacy-giant-indoor-ski-centre-in-east-london-will-be-biggest-in-uk/
| Quote: |
| The proclamation that Stratford is to get a possess indoor ski slope will come as acquire news to Londoners looking for novel ways to cool off in a heatwave. But a due growth during a Westfield selling centre in easterly London – that could cost adult to £200 million – won’t open to a open until 2015. |
| Quote: |
| Westfield Stratford City will contention a formulation focus to a London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) by a finish of a summer for a convenience captivate to be built on land subsequent to a selling centre. |
| Quote: |
Meanwhile, a Mayor told a Evening Standard that Eurostar was “missing a trick” by refusing to stop during Stratford International station.
The hire was used to run a high-speed sight use between a Olympic Stadium and London St Pancras. But Eurostar pronounced it had no skeleton to supplement a hire to a track as interlude ... [etc. etc.] |
Can anyone work out what happened there?
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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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Comedy Goldsmith, The DM has been posessed by the spirit of a Nigerian 419 scammer! Do they finish the article by asking for $2,495 to be wired to a western union account to help complete the Stratford Snowhouse and and offering to return with $4.7million and gods sweet blessings?
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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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Comedy Goldsmith, it's a SEO doorway with automatically generated text saturated with keywords. Remove the link please, don't help them earn the pagerank
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Whitters, seriously cool photos!
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