 Poster: A snowHead
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A "massive fire" is reported to have engulfed the Wycombe Summit artificial ski slope in Buckinghamshire, to the west of London.
The fire started in the kitchen of the slope's lodge, this morning 22 November.
This report from Bucks Free Press.
The lodge stands above Wycombe Summit's slopes, the longest of which is 300m. This is the major artificial ski centre in southern England.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Tue 22-11-05 14:50; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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That sound very bad news. With Swadlincote out of action others have started to use Wycombe regularly, and many buy kit from Terry at Ski Bartlett , and he's got a shop in the building. My family were there on Sunday for the day and had a very good bacon sandwich and lunch. It's always been the best slope for bacon, no more for a while I fear.
Keep us posted.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Tue 22-11-05 16:20; edited 1 time in total
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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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Foxy lives near by. Maybe he can give us an update?
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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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Jesus Christ, I'm sat here talking to you guys and the slope is only 800 yards from here. Heard sirens but that's nothing new around here. I'll keep you posted if I hear anything.
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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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saxabar, stael a digi camera and get yer @rse up the hill . . . info man, info! 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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No S***, the digi cam here is knackered!
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The Bucks Free Press report now has a picture - the entire building has gone in an enormous fire, looks like nothing left.
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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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Isn't there a plan to build a new indoor slope on this site!
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boredsurfin, Guess they will need one now!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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That's been bandied around now for a few years. Let's not jump to conclusions!
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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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Bang go our races this Sunday (or is bang the wrong word for this)...
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You know it makes sense.
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This is better that telly!!! "News as it Happens" 
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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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I work about 10 minutes away but didn't hear a thing.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I went up there this afternoon and yes the place is totalled, however looking at their website it appears that they hope to open to some extent asap
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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boredsurfin,
[b]Isn't there a plan to build a new indoor slope on this site![b]
Someone in the know tells me there are very firm plans for a snowdome in the south, although I can't say for certain that it's at Wycombe. If it is, how convenient!!
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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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The guys up there have been talking about a new build for a year or or two now. As mentioned above let's not jump to conclusions. No pun intended but there are going to be some very gutted people up there.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I'm not claiming expertise in this, but would they really build a snowdome on a natural slope? Unlikely I would have thought. It is also rumoured that dry slope business increases in areas near to snowdomes - possibly due to increased interest in skiing but high relative cost of doing it in a dome.
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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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Alan Craggs, structually it would be easier to build a snowdome on a natural slope as you wouldn't have to build a floor strong enough to take the weight of the snow, cheaper too as you wouldn't need so much building material
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The problem with building on the ground is you cannot bung a cinema and 30 retail spaces under the 'roof'. I also wonder if the slope cooling system is used as part of the environmental control system for the other parts. Is the heat extracted form the snow area used to heat the other zones ??
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I think it's highly unlikely that Wycombe Summit would gain planning permission for a substantial structure like a snowdome - the semi-rural location (green belt? not sure) is too sensitive. I imagine they've tried for permission already, as it was talked about several years ago.
Several snowdomes - such as Bottrop in Germany, and the new one near Auckland in New Zealand - are built on natural slopes. The one planned for Suffolk would use the natural slope of an existing quarry, as I understand it.
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Good job I didn't claim expertise then 
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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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Bucks Free Press is reporting Wycombe Summit "still on fire" this morning, with the fire service dampening down the smoldering remains of the building and the road closed to traffic. Click here.
There must be considerable concern as to why the building went up so dramatically. What was the fire extinguisher provision, and what caused the fire in the kitchen? If anyone can pick up a copy of the paper - which will report the incident in greater detail - please relay any interesting points.
This is what Wycombe Summit's website is saying this morning:
| Quote: |
| PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL ACTIVITIES ARE CURRENTLY SUSPENDED FOLLOWING A FIRE AT WYCOMBE SUMMIT ON 22ND NOVEMBER 2005. IT IS OUR INTENTION TO REOPEN THE SLOPE AND RESUME OPERATIONS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. PLEASE RETURN TO THIS SITE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS FOR AN UPDATE ON THE OPENING. APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE CAUSED BY THIS UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT. THANK-YOU AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU TO WYCOMBE SUMMIT AGAIN VERY SOON. |
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I guess not having a nearby fire hydrant when you are in a wooden building is not really a good idea, Christchurch dry slope has a convienient lake at the bottom of its slope which I guess could be used in an emergency as a source of water
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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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Last night the BBC were suggesting a small gas leak that got out of control.
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| David Goldsmith wrote: |
There must be considerable concern as to why the building went up so dramatically. What was the fire extinguisher provision, and what caused the fire in the kitchen? If anyone can pick up a copy of the paper - which will report the incident in greater detail - please relay any interesting points.
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If anybody gets the chance they should do a fire awareness course. I did one a few weeks ago, as part of fire warden training at work, and was amazed how quickly fire can spread. A tiny fire can easily turn into an inferno in a couple of minutes. Unless you catch the fire quickly, while it is still very small, then extinguishers are useless. In any event getting people out safely and letting the fire brigade deal with it ought to be the highest priority.
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You know it makes sense.
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Lager, our fire awareness training involved a lengthy description of the various extinguishers suited to various fires and the pretty much explicit instruction that should the situation arise then our priority was getting out rather than using the extinguishers! I was surprised to experience how difficult it was to put out even a very small fire.
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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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David Goldsmith, The only daily paper in the area 'The Herald' isn't carrying the story. Others are weekly (Friday), I'll put a post up then.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Sad, lovely building, being made of wood probably did not help the situation though.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Annehillskiing, As well as being the only slope in the area, it was the only half decent bar in the area. Wycombe is not renowned for its hospitality industry.
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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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Having worked in hotel's and commercial kitchens all my life, I can assure you that once a kitchen fire starts only the Fire Brigade can put it out! At a Heathrow hotel we had a small fryer in a breakfast kitchen catch alight and it was only 'contained' by the use of 15 extinguishers for the 4 minutes the fire brigade took to arrive. The aluminium extract hood melted and the ceramic wall tiles all popped and cracked in the heat. The damage in such a short time was incredible. So if Wycombe was a wooden building I am not surprised it was destroyed.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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The SnowboardClubUK site has an update on the situation at Wycombe, with photos of the little that remains of the building - click here
The good news is that the slopes and lifts are unaffected.
Portachalets are moving in ....
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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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Bucks Free Press have also filed an update to their earlier news: click here.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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... and the same paper has a follow-up on how the fire started, but with no clear indication of when the operation can resume:
Click here.
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FAQ
