 Poster: A snowHead
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If you live within striking range of the Lake District and enjoy mountain sports as well as skiing, why not get more active and join the Lake District Ski Club? The Club are desperate to encourage enthusiastic families and new members with a passion for mountains, camaraderie and skiing. Surely out there in northern Snowhead land there must be other skiers, boarders or telemarkers who would love to help run their own little ski resort ?
So what can we offer ? A fixed grip Poma (360m) that services a high north east facing gulley on Raise, near Helvellyn. The skiing is steep and quite challenging with a number alternative runs when conditions are good. There is also excellent touring potential nearby and even some extreme decent possibilities, including Helvellyn ‘Direct’, the front face down to Red Tarn.
Members park at the Greenside leadmines from where the walk up to the tow takes about 50 minutes. In good conditions this is also a wonderful run back to the car.
Snow cover is variable but even this year the Club managed more than 10 days, some of which were very good indeed. In a really good season skiing is possible as early as October and as late as May – although not usually consecutively !
Lake District skiing is not only great fun but is also a really useful addition to Alpine trips and a great way to keep fit ! Queues are virtually unknown and the club enjoys a very comfortable modern hut that at 2,500’ is the highest of its kind in England. The tow is run for the benefit of members and operates whenever there is snow. Anyone is welcome to join the club which maintains a website at www.ldscsnowski.co.uk/ and a regularly updated answerphone to give you an accurate description of the latest conditions.
All equipment is operated by members to a very high standard and maintained throughout summer work parties which are also great fun.
Many members are outstanding skiers and have clocked up huge experience all over the world. Joining the club and becoming actively involved in it is a rewarding, even addictive experience and an excellent way of feeling ‘ownership’ of a small part of the beautiful Lake District.
Have I persuaded anyone yet ?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sounds great, bit I don't think my ageing body would manage 50 minutes uphill in ski boots carrying skis! Or even 5 really......
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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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I imagine most (all?) people carry their boots up in a backpack - Peter?
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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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Peter S, if I'm up that way when there is enough snow I'll give it a go. I have a feeling that's a rare combination though, and perhaps more so in the future.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Sounds really good Peter, just a bit too far in winter to make the trek on the days when the snow's good - from a wussy southerner....
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It is a big challenge to walk 50 minutes in ski boots carrying two pairs of skis (had agreed to split the weight down at the middle with the wife but she picked two set of poles ever since!). Haven't done such hardwork before as we always drive to the bottom of the slopes. Sounds interesting but don't think the club welcome members appraching retirement age. Also 10 skiing days in a season are bad. What chance do members, who have to work in weekdays, have?
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Tue 25-05-04 20:41; edited 1 time in total
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Wow saikee, 2 pairs of skies! Even Atlas only managed one sky.
I walk uphill to find good snow but I must admit I'd think twice before doing it with 2 sets of skis for 50 minutes (or even 25)! No problem with one set, though unless it was a mountain climb, rather than a walk. I'd need a loooong rest at the top.
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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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Peter S,
Had a look at your web. Very impressed by the work you guys are doing to it. I am not so sure that I am up to it at all. Is the place accessible in the summer? It is not bad for a trip by a motorbike. I might nip down one weekend to size up the difficulty. The OS map seems to indicate a "Greenside road" to the Mountain rescue kit and telephone point. Does your 50 minutes include walking up that road which could be just a track. I wonder if the track can be driven by a 4x4 to save a bit of hard work.
I don't know about the others but to ski what could only be described as a natural environment must appeal to some. Do snowheads always want the snow groomed perfectly and replenished artificially?
I take it the lift is powered by a diesel set. Do members carry fuel to feed the power generator? You know slavery has been abolished in the country many years ago.
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Oh, the skies have gone. Now my silly comment just looks silly.
Good photo on your website but I can't get any of the other pages (when I click Piste Map or members details etc). Is there a problem with the site or is it me?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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snowball,
Thanks for pointing out my spelling mistake. The nice touch of this web site is that it allows the poster to edit the text.
Didn't have any problem of access to the Lake District Ski Club site myself.
According to the web description the place should be around here.
The public domain multimap can be zoomed in and out by clicking either the + or - sign. For some reason the map insists on displaying its biggest size even when I specified a lower scale. The map becomes a lot clearer if one click about 4 bars from the + sign.
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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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Saikee
We welcome members of all ages. Our retired members are by far the most active in the Club, probably because they have the longest association with it and have the ability to ski during the week.
10 days isn’t great but it’s a lot better than zero. Sometimes the days spent skiing the local hills are more memorable than entire holidays abroad. This is because they tend to be disproportionately enjoyable.
Please don’t bring your motorbike !!. There is no right of access for motorised vehicles into the Helvellyn massif. The ethos of the club is very much geared towards the long walk in which is one of the reasons the skiing is so special and the Club so friendly. You have to earn your turns. I think that is a good philosophy and one that is close to origins of the sport itself.
The power system is a diesel electric generator. In the days of the rope tow the fuel used to be carried up but nowadays it is flown in by helicopter every 2 years or so.
Are there any other keen skiers within day range of the Lakes ? Do any Snowheads live in Cumbria, Lancashire, North Yorkshire, Durham, Tyneside, South Northumberland or Southern Scotland and want to get invloved in some top skiing on their doorstep ?
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Peter S, not quite skiing related, but back in late Jan/early Feb '87 (I think) I was on one of the outward bound training courses that seemed so prevalent back then. This was well before my first venture onto skis and I don't remember ever having seen so much snow. We were based at Brathay Hall and spent 2 days trekking out north from Rydal Water towards Helvellyn before returning to Grasmere. The snow was incredible and waist deep in some of the tarns - the views were incredible.
I remember that our group (we had to do our own map reading, with a guide to ensure we didn't come to too much harm) had to cross a very narrow ridge with a sheer drop on one side and a very steep drop on the other. Because of the snow and ice, we had to cross the ridge using poles to check for the firmer ground. Looking back it seems like a fun adventure, but at the time most of us were pretty scared to be honest. Only wish I'd skied all those years ago - the conditions were excellent.
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You know it makes sense.
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Mark, did it look like this. In which case it is 'Striding Edge".
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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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Ian, not sure it is - I don't think we'd have been brave enough to cross that. No, it looks much too long from memory. I took photos, but unfortunately it was all in another life and I haven't got them anymore, which is a shame. Thanks for looking for the image, though - the slope gradients certainly seem about right.
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Poster: A snowHead
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This looks great and I'd love to get involved, but it's too far for me to drive from the beautiful south 
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FAQ
