 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
Will believe it only when the doors open though....  |
Same here!
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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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Would be great for us - 10 mins drive vs 70 mins to Castleford - and great for the north east (no real snow within 100 miles of the Wearside and Tyneside conurbations).
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I agree it would be great to get it. Not sure about your 100 miles though. Weardale Ski Club is just over 40 miles away. It may not the longest ski season - or even the most snow sure - but it is local.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Weren't they meant to be building one in Sunderland?
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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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Weren't they meant to be building one in Sunderland?
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Yes. As part of the Stadium Village development - that is that land on the former colliery now occupied by Sunderland AFC's football stadium (where I am a season ticket holder - my punishment for great times skiing). On there we also have the Aquatic Centre. That is good and has an Olympic size pool and excellent training facilities for the region's swimmers. I am not sure if the ski centre plan has been formally dropped but it has not been mentioned for many years. The public body that was mean to develop it no longer exists. I suspect the next Ice Age will bring us snow skiing before we see that ski centre built. We do have a dry slope at Silksworth. Although I regularly cycle past it and indeed first learned to ski at the old Hemel Hempstead dry slope I have never been tempted to stop cycling and go for a few runs down it.
I am retiring next year so hope to join the Weardale ski club for 2015/16 and do some local skiing.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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JohnMo, I tore my thumb ligaments at Silksworth, three weeks before my first skiing holiday, and have to confess I haven't been back.
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JohnMo I'm a Weardale member(!) but should perhaps have said 'Indoor fridge' instead of 'Real snow' 
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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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Hells Bells, you should come to Silksworth to one of the clubs (plug plug). I ventured back on the plastic this summer. My girls just laughed at me for being rubbish. I have retreated to carrying the kit again......
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JohnMo, ski ing on plastic certainty takes a bit of getting used to
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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chrisb, not sure I could fit anything more in at the moment.
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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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I don't really see this happening. My man on the inside (Teesider by origin) says the mayor is an egotistical idiot who loves nothing more than a good headline, but rarely follows up. Although he may be biased.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Just an update, things look to be moving forward with the Middlesbrough snowdome
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/middlesbrough-snow-centre-revealed-first-9742898
I've got to say that is a great location for the facility; a five minute walk from the train station, great road links (A66 is 0.5 miles away and the A19 3 miles away) a stones throw away from the Riverside Stadium which will have up to 25,000 fans attending every other weekend and it's on the doorstep of Middlesbrough College which has over 5000 students.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I really can't see this happening because of 2 factors: 1. Footfall - I don't believe that there is a large enough target audience despite the population in the NE. Also, will there be other facilities closely? Surely the success of Snozone is down to the other facilities within X Scape. You have to wonder why with such a huge population and other great facilities close-by that Chill Factore in Manchester has changed hands? 2. They will really struggle for instructors. Whilst I believe that they will maybe get some NE based instructors that are presently at SZ or Silksworth, it will be a problem for them. We are not blessed with an abundance of instructors in the NE unlike other areas.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I too really hope it happens. I think there are a good few people like me who often travel down to Castleford, and long for something closer.
Seems the council are right behind it as it is a multi leisure site. Fingers Crossed.
Peter
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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 don't wish to widdle on anyone's fireworks but I've lost count of the 'outline planning permissions' in place across the UK for indoor snow centres. Few of them have every come to fruition for one simple reason: lack of money.
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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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I was just about to post that too @mountainaddict, great news about the inclusion of the trampoline facility as well
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
The developers seem really keen for the slope to happen. I hope so - it would be fantastic for the North East, put Middlesbrough/Teesside on the map and boost the local economy.
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It certainly did wonders wonders for Castleford after years of industrial decline. The number of jobs created in the construction and ongoing running of developments like this make it a must IMO
We went to Xscape on Sunday (for a meal, crazy to ski at this time of year) and the car park was full. The place was heaving with people enjoying themselves. I hope Middlesbrough get this. Goodness knows the local population could use some good news
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The more snow domes in the UK the better, this one seems like it could be a great regeneration project too, so long as they make sure there are some good transport links!
Now come on Westfield, what's happening in Stratford?
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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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| so long as they make sure there are some good transport links |
Access would be excellent - the slope would be adjacent to the A66 dual carriageway, which is linked to the A19 dual carriageway. The A19 is a major north-south road that is a good alternative to the A1. It also links directly to the A1.
It would also be only a few mins walk from Middlesbrough train station.
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It would also be only a few mins walk from Middlesbrough train station.
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That I think is really important, although perhaps I'm in the minority as I tend to get the train everywhere rather than driving!
But it makes it much easier for more people, which can only be a good thing 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Developers were on local TV tonight to say that funding is all but in place & the planning application is being submitted  .
If it comes off, it could open in 2019.
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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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@mountainaddict, I just cant see how a snow dome would make any money in the North East. The catchment population just is not big enough. All the other activities may make a profit but once people look at the cost for an hour I really wonder how viable it would be?
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You know it makes sense.
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| I just cant see how a snow dome would make any money in the North East. The catchment population just is not big enough. |
The potential profitability is for the developer to determine - one presumes that they will have done their sums/market research??
In terms of catchment, surely the big plus point in its favour would be that it would be unique between Castleford and Glasgow? According to the Office of National Statistics, the population of North East England (in 2011) was 2.61m. However, that covers the counties of Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Durham and the former Cleveland - all of which would be within easy striking distance of the slope. The figure does not include North Yorkshire - another 600k population - although some of them would be nearer to the existing slopes at Castleford and potentially Manchester.
Is that not enough to make it a goer 
Thanks for the link Andybag.
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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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| chrisb wrote: |
| @mountainaddict, I just cant see how a snow dome would make any money in the North East. The catchment population just is not big enough. All the other activities may make a profit but once people look at the cost for an hour I really wonder how viable it would be? |
In that case, I would have thought that Castleford Xscape couldn't possibly be even close to viable, since their catchment population is way smaller (particularly now there is ChillFactore just over the pennines)?
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Poster: A snowHead
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@alex_heney, Xscape has a massive catchment area with Leeds, Bradford, Doncaster, Huddersfield, Halifax, Wakefield...and even Barnsley, closer than the nearest conurbations to the Tees Valley area
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Frosty the Snowman, People I know as far south/ east as Hull/ Sheffield/ Derby/ Nottingham/ Leicester and as far north as Tyneside use Xscape. I recall speaking to a guy I know who worked on the development a few years ago and he said at that time that their catchment area at that time (pre-Chillfactore) was circa 8 million people. I guess that might have dropped to say 6 million now but even so its still got to be more viable than Teeside I'd say which is 3 million at best?
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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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But why would the catchment area for a Middlesborough snowdome be only "Teeside"?
I would expect it to include all of Durham and Northumberland and the towns and cities that would be part of those if they weren't separated out. Probably also parts of North Yorkshire would find that closer than Castleford.
I don't understand why people from Derby/Nottingham/Leicester use Castleford rather than Tamworth mind.
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@alex_heney, Friends of friends in east mids say that they use Casvegas because its much better than Tamworth and worth the travel.
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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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Being based in Warwickshire, Tamworth is by far the closest 'dome to us - but the only time I go there is for my BASI revalidation. We have however so far this summer done multiple visits to Chill Factore (with more planned), a few to Hemel and one to Castleford. Usually do one trip a year to Breahead too, but not this year.
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@alex_heney, The only snow dome in the country that is viable is Hemel. The rest run at a loss so I am led to understand. You need 7 million catchment to make them work, so the population is just not big enough for one in Middlesborough I would have thought
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I wish they'd build one nearer to Hampshire. I have to go to Hemel (which is very expensive!) or Milton Keynes.
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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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@HoneyBunny, They keep talking about building one in Swindon, but I doubt it will ever happen. Bizarrely, it seems to me that the North and Midlands are far better served for indoor ski slopes than the more South.
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Land too expensive in the south: make more money by building houses on it instead.
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FAQ
Yes Mallon has a big ego, but at least he tries stuff. It is difficult to explain how far the Teesside are has been left behind. It was dominated by steel foundries, heavy engineering and chemical plants, most of which has been eradicated.
