 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi - new on here
I’m 25, based in London and wanted to get into Dryslope ski racing (if it’s not too late for me). For a bit of context, I used to practice through gates weekly with my uni Snowsports club and competed in uni comps (BUDS, BUISC, Kings) over 4 years. But since moving back to London I’ve not been for around 2 years now.
In terms of my level, I did my BASI 2 some years ago so have a decent foundation, but when I did compete at uni I was well off the racers who had been part of a club since they were small etc.
Does anyone have any suggestions in terms of where might be good for me to get back into it all? At uni I did enjoy the more casual atmosphere - giving me a chance to improve but not necessarily have all the pressure of serious comps (although I did like competing).
My closest slope would be Sandown but after a cursory glance at the website it looks quite serious in terms of trials etc - is there somewhere I can go just to practice through some gates, get myself better over time, and maybe have a shot at a race in the future?
Thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@fallLine54, It seems a good idea to want to get back into the sport. 25 is certainly not too late to come back and have a good time. I didn't start dry slope racing until my mid 50's and still enjoy it 14 years later. Sadly I know almost nothing about the south of england so cannot reccomend a club to you. Is Aldershot near you? They seem to have a thriving race set up for adults.
May I suggest Snowsport England as a start https://www.snowsportengland.org.uk/region/lsersa/.
Good luck
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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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@fallLine54, Welcome.
If Sandown is your nearest, then Brentwood may be a bit of a struggle, but we have a thriving race club at all levels.
We have a Monday night "technique" session which is run by one of the club instructors, but is focused on skiing drills, not gates. This is a mix of adults and kids.
We have Saturday afternoons/early evening (approx 5-7pm) which is mainly kids but a few adults (mainly parents) and is more gates-focused.
There's also a Thursday evening session for the more experienced racers. Again mainly kids because they're better than most of the adults.
Finally, there's an annual 4-day trip to Landgraaf for intensive work on snow, nearly all gates-based, culminating in the club's "snow race" (our only one, unless it snows a lot in Essex!). This is a reasonable balance of adults and kids and very good for overall improvement - the "before" and "after" videos always make impressive viewing.
We run "club races" once a month which are very low key, really just a chance for people to get used to a more formal environment and do timed runs.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@fallLine54, We have a small (ish) club at Bowles Outdoor Centre. Training is on Friday evenings from 5:30 -- which may be difficult for you? Open to all ages, relaxed atmosphere etc. Bowles is just north of Crowborough.
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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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@johnE, thanks very much for the useful SSE link and inspiration 
@snowdave and @ski - both those sound fantastic but I think might be a struggle to get to - I’ll think I’ll give Sandown/Aldershot a ring / look in as a start!
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