 Poster: A snowHead
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Visiting abandoned ski areas has become a source of intrigue in some parts of the world, such as NE America, but London also offers one 'archaelogical ski site'.
Yesterday I was cycling back to base from an athletics stadium where my daughter was in an event, and decided to take the route via Alexandra Palace - which sits atop one of north London's larger hills. It's a massive building which has burned down twice - part-ruin, part-exhibition and event venue:
On the right of that shot is the mast that transmitted the world's first public TV transmission in 1936 (the BBC's first TV studios were below it).
About 100m from that tower, just beyond the ice rink carpark, is the site of an artificial ski slope that used to be the most popular in London. I guess it was built in the mid-1960s. I used to teach there in the mid-1970s. It must now have been derelict for over 20 years but the land is still fenced off, and I sneaked through a gap to find fragments of white Delta ski matting at my feet - triangular, moulded plastic pieces with integral 'bristles', which must be about 30 years old.
The land is now completely overgrown with trees and bushes, yet at one time there were hundreds of people taking ski lessons there, milling around in the bar, getting issued with equipment and the rest of it.
Very strange to walk around a ruined ski slope! I found the line of the old rope tow still intact, because the black underlay of the ski matting is still there, but you'd never dream there'd been a ski slope - it's like a hillside jungle.
If you're in the vicinity, go check it out. Look for the fenced-off jungle, and see if you can find some bits of ski slope. Alternatively, go to Val d'Isere.
Anyone else remember skiing at Ally Pally?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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David,
You've glimpsed the future circa 2180.
The planet has heated up to the extent that skiing has long since declined and virtually been forgotten. Strange metal tubes still stick up through the forest canopy in inaccessible parts of the world's mountains..........
Sometimes during summer ski Club work parties in the Pennines or the Lake District I feel that I'm contributing more to future archaeology than my future skiing enjoyment 
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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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David Goldsmith, I only skied there once, but a friend of mine at the time worked there (can't remember his name (Jimmy?), but he came from Blairgowrie). Sad to hear it's so distressed.
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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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Hilariously, despite the slope closing years and years before the internet even existed, you get the following if you click on these London information websites:
Alexandra Palace Ski Centre - LondonTown.com
Alexandra Palace Ski Centre - VisitLondon.com
Be careful what you read on the internet!
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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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Yes, indeed! I learned to ski there in 1972. I was given some very good advice before going on my first skiing holiday to Austria, that advice being "learn to ski on plastic and you can ski on anything". It was absolutely true. I think my instructor's name for the six week course was Colin. I ran into him later on, almost literally, in either Westerndorf or Mayrhofen. I remember well the walk up from the A/P tube station to the dry ski slope, with Gilbert O'Sullivan's song Claire running through my head, that being the hit of the moment.
After six weeks on nylon I was immediately graded 'Year 2" when I arrived for my first winter holiday and the A/P course was definitely money well spent. I won't say it was a joy to take on tumble on snow rather than on the bristles, but at least due to Colin's tuition I did a lot less falling over than I would have done otherwise.
Rob
Telford
Shropshire
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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RobDavis, not just skiing archaeology, but thread archaeology in this instance! Welcome to snowHeads. 
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I taught at Alexander Palace around that time .....Colin is a common name though......wonder if it was me that helped teach you lol
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Colinambulance, you said you weren't going to post anytime soon.
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