Snow domes bad, dry slopes good?

A snowHead

@swskier, ah so you don't compete then, just go to coaching sessions? If you only go up Mondays we probably haven't crossed paths because it's the one day I never go up due to my daughters having dance classes.

A snowHead

Thanks all! A weekend trip to Gloucester in the summer sounds like it could be on the cards - and an extra 100m over Hemel would feel massive given you lose about 30% at Hemel just getting up to "speed" and slowing down.

I'm one of those weird people who reached a reasonable standard entirely at Hemel, as we lived a mile or so away from the Snow Centre, before visiting the mountains for real. Had a private lesson late morning on my first day out in the mountains proper. Within a run or two, the instructor was baffled by how I could ski, but why so slowly? He said he'd never heard of snow domes with real snow and was fascinated, and appalled at the length! First thing he taught me was that it was okay to go more than about 15mph! It ruined Hemel for me though, when I went back the lift time:ski time ratio was just no good after that - much worse value for money Laughing

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Wax your skis before you come and don't scrape

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I think I'll go for rentals to be on the safe side (I do similar at Hemel, as well, for reasons of less faff as well as people standing on them in the queues there) - unless there's a really good reason I should bring my proper skis?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

The centre skis don't tend to get waxed, I personally find they don't glide very well and pick up on dry or dirty patches, fine for beginners as they don't want them picking up much speed anyway but if you are intermediate or above it makes it a much better experience if they are waxed. They will put down paraffin wax on mats for you to walk over sometimes but I wax my skis every 5-6 hours of skiing I do up there, probably 8-10 hours for daughter. They are good until the bases start to go like a matt dull grey instead of black. I have some cheap 166 sports direct volkls I used to use up there, composite core like the centre skis I don't mind lending you then if you don't want to risk damaging yours.

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@Glosterwolf, yes took part in the summer race league this year, so we may have crossed paths. I'm up there teaching on Saturdays too, but not every week, and only once in the last 4 or 5 months.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@swskier, I only missed the first and last one so it's likely. I was up there when it snowed a few weeks ago. The slope was lovely to ski on in the afternoon. Went to the top of the hill after and skied down the golf course with some of the instructors and my daughter. I think I was the only one not on SL skis though so it was very slow, my daughter had to practically skate down because she had 110 6m radius skis on and weighs about 25 kg, no momentum Laughing

. Went up again on my own the day after and skied down the steeper side from the top all the way down to the club house without stopping, had to jump a drainage trench I didn't know about about half way down. Wasn't much fun really but at least I can say I've done it snowHead

After all it is free

You could ski between the two slopes, the middle lift was broken at the time anyway. Don't know if these pics will work.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/JF8w4bsvzVzRX7YeA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/NvB53cTZwm3uAoJS8

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Snow domes bad, dry slopes good?

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