 Poster: A snowHead
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Season tickets are now on sale at Yad Moss, Allenheads and to retuning Members at Weardale and the Lake District ski club.
Yad Moss Ski Club, North Pennines
http://yadmoss.co.uk/
Allenheads Ski Club, North Pennines http://ski-allenheads.co.uk/
Lake District Ski Club, Helvellyn Massif http://www.ldscsnowski.co.uk/
Weardale Ski Club, North Pennines http://www.skiweardale.com
These are the four clubs that still offer dedicated facilities for snow skiing in northern England. As recently as 1980 there were perhaps 8 others. Their viability is totally dependent on natural snow cover.
How do the facilities compare and what do they offer?
The first thing to say about English snow skiing is that it is reliably unreliable. The second thing is that when they do get good conditions they can offer a surprising amount of variety for a ‘non skiing’ country. All the clubs are run by committees of local volunteers on a not for profit basis and they all offer fun, cheap skiing within a couple of hours of all the big northern cities.
They all started out with home made rope tows but three of them now have purpose designed Pomas or retractable button lifts. Allenheads is alone in providing ski hire to its Members. Non of the clubs offer ski lessons, conditions are just not reliable enough.
Raise is the ‘Chamonix’ of England  . It has the highest and steepest runs and the most dramatic mountain scenery. It also has the most reliable snow holding. Some years the snow can get very deep indeed in ‘Savages gulley’. The Lake District Ski Club is also one of the longest established ski clubs in the UK and one of the first to develop a ski tow in 1950.
Weardale, Yad Moss and Allenheads are all located further east in the North Pennines. The Pennine hills together with the Cheviots are exposed to the North Sea and are the snowiest part of England.
With its extensive network of runs and its integrated lift system (two overlapping button lifts ) Weardale is the ‘Three Valleys’ of English skiing  . It also has the longest lift served runs (800m) and the largest Membership, drawn from across the North East.
Yad Moss is the youngest snow ski area having only been established since 1980. It has the longest and fastest ski lift in England (600m at 3m/s) and is the most accessible of the higher ski areas, in terms of ease of car access and parking.
Allenheads is the Alpbach of the Pennines. Small, low and family friendly. However it offers surprisingly reliable skiing on a north facing slope with short grass and shelter from trees. It’s the most suitable of all the areas for beginners and novices. Access is straight from the village and the pub is a short walk from the rope tow. Skiing in Allendale dates back to at least 1880!
Raise appeals to adventurous who thrive on the 60 minute walk up from the car park and the long ski back down. The ski tow is sited on a north east facing side near Sticks Pass and the ‘Dodds, which offer some of the best ski touring opportunities in the Lake District. Nearby Helvellyn can offer some truly extreme skiing in big snow winters.
Both Weardale and Yad Moss have piste grooming machines which can greatly improve the quality of their skiing in moderate snow cover and above.
Season ticket memberships are a similar price at each of the clubs but only Yad Moss and Raise sell day tickets to non Members. Last season a day ticket at Yad Moss cost £20 for an adult and £10 for a child.
All four clubs offer opportunities for enthusiastic Members to get stuck in managing and developing real ski infrastructure……..All four are also someway along the ‘Eccentricity Spectrum’ ……..but fortunately non of them take themselves too seriously 
Let’s hope for more good home made snowsports this year.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Tremendous and can’t wait for the first carves and cruisers on the greatest turns available to man and women in the world perhaps let alone Britain.
I’ve been lucky enough to see Mr Peter S ski first hand telemark power turns through ice,mmoss and powder in one carve/stride. Know one not even Candice Thovex could outski this man on any terrain and it seems to be that the locals of the Pennines have a similar level of competence to master the terrain with style. Alston is also a very nice ski resort town close to the action with a steam railway and cobbles.
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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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Good post.
Can you summarize their heights and km of trails.
* Allenheads = small and snowy
* Raise = steep and high
* Weardale = big and long
* Yad Moss = fast and easy
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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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Fingers crossed for a great season!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hadn't realised that Another World had stopped doing skiing, although it's quite a number of years since I went up there.
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Good read.
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Thankyou for that most heartening of information kittenski, there’s so many piste miles to be ridden it’s a head spin of what resort to choose when it’s all groomed and shiny to perfection (snow not dew). I can’t wait to hear the first sounds of the piste bashers firing on all cylinders clearing the mountains of Pennine snow. The fearsome Helm wind will dump untolds more and the local farmers will be very busy ploughing the roads.
All the best piste maps of middle Britains resorts, show full snow coverage runs to be enjoyed. Blacks and gulley runs where it would be possible to paraglide fast with skis down are opened up.
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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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| Quote: |
| First significant fall of snow up at Great Dun Fell today |
And Weardale webcams showed a nice covering today 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I've just renewed my Allenheads pass. Don't think I've actually been over there in the past three or four years but it's worth it just to feel I'm doing my bit, as it were.
That is a very nice write up PeterS You've inspired me to try and visit the other spots this year. I know Yad Moss quite well but haven't been over to raise or Weardale - Mostly down to laziness if I'm honest.
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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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Weardale
There has been some snow overnight but cover still looks thin. We are planning to run the tows tomorrow (Fri 1st Dec) from about 0930. Hopefully the ground will be frozen enough to make it skiable though it is unlikely to be great.
The road has been ploughed but likely to be icy so winter tyres essential.
Please note members only as we are not accepting day members anymore.
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Good luck to Weardale
Just too thin at Yad Moss. We need some more.
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You know it makes sense.
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The season has started at Weardale
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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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Got to be keen to ski that, rock skis essential!
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Poster: A snowHead
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@stevew, not (m)any rocks, hence why it works so well on grassland! I believe (and Peter may know more) that working parties remove rocks/stones by hand over the years!
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 1-12-23 13:07; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Peter S, brilliant post, thanks. Does anyone know of any skiing in the Brecon Beacons? I guess touring only? There must be a thread on this somewhere ...
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I am a fairly enthusiastic skier, quite frankly I couldn't put skis on in that condition.
But each to his/her own.
Could be the start of a base though.
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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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| kitenski wrote: |
The season has started at Weardale
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So frustrated. I had to come to London last night. Otherwise I would have been there. Skiing Weardale can sometimes be, shall we say, a challenge. Looks like one of those days. Great fun.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Weardale having a second day on Saturday as well. Good stuff.
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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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A day for the connoisseurs today. You needed very good balance skills. I fell quite a lot
We’re running again tomorrow. It was snowing as we left.
https://yadmoss.co.uk/opening-times/
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Anyone ski on Sunday?
I did 23 uplifts on Saturday for 11.4 miles/8900 ft vert
If we can ski on that Peter, we can ski on anything!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Good going for the Pennines @Whitegoldsbrother 
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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, @Peter S,
Cheers
Yeah my quads were knackered on Saturday night tough going. I had two falls, one was a ski release and one into a peat hag!
Drive home was epic too, hartside was clear but Shap down to Kendal was snowmageddon.
Hopefully we can do it again Thursday.
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You know it makes sense.
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Any word on Raise skiing? The tow must've been buried...
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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Cheers @kitenski.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Raise are running their tow as well tomorrow. First day of the season there.
The streamer off the Irish Sea was very narrow. It didn’t get north of Dunmail Raise. We had an extra couple of inches at Yad Moss but it was Ulvetston, Kendal, Ambleside Grasmere that got whacked.
Yad Moss was just highest enough to reach the snow level last night.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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gutted I couldn't make it, cleared the diary then the Mrs announced she was out in the office all day so I had to look after the dog!
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Look at that! Hope everyone has a great day on the 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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@Peter S,
Are there any plans to run tomorrow?
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FAQ
