Cost of skiing at Xscape...

A snowHead

What a rip-off!

Got about 20 runs in (max) in an hours skiing yesterday for £21. That's over £1 per run down the slope - about 20 seconds of ski time for £1!!!

Won't be going back - well not until i've won the lottery anyway.

Really enjoyed it while i was actually skiing (first time on skis in 7 years and can still parrallel turn, short swing etc Very Happy

) but i think i'll be sticking with hillend in the lead up to our ski holiday in february.

What's worse is it's £18/hour for kids. That's a rip off and it wasn't surprising that what is a brilliant facility only had about 6 or 7 under 16s using it on a sunday afternoon. Shame. How are kids meant to get into sports like skiing when it costs so much to get started in this country.

A snowHead

Skiing for 2 hours cuts down your costs though. Only £31 then, but I agree it is still very expensive.

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

I went to Xscape in leeds a couple of months ago for their Fresh Trax session. Paid £25 for 3 hours including a free coffee. Or you could do 2 hours for £20. There were only about 4 other people there, i thought it was pretty good value for money.

They also do Family Sessions - 2 adults, 2 children - £40 in total for 2 hours. That's pretty good as well.

Their standard hourly rates are pricey, but the timed sessions are much better value. http://www.xscape.co.uk/snow/castleford/whats-inside/snowslope/activities-and-prices/skiing-and-snowboarding-prices/

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"They also do Family Sessions - 2 adults, 2 children - £40 in total for 2 hours. That's pretty good as well."

that is much better value, but is still 50p per 20 seconds of ski time.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

shoogly, as already said try the fresh trax morning session it works out at under £9 an hour, a much better deal if you can make it along at that time. I'm guessing your close to Edinburgh since you mention skiing at Hillend till your Holiday in Feb, so once the snow arrives why not get yourself up the M90 and on to Glenshee?

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If possible, go during off peak hours which are Mon-Fri before 5pm, excluding school & bank holidays. Adult/junior prices per hour off peak are £16/13 or for two hour sessions £25/£20, which probably compares favourably with a weeks ski holiday in £/hour, but a piste is a lot longer (and more fun) than Xscape.

I'm off to Xscape this Friday for a session before I hit the slopes in Tignes next month.

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I had a rant about this yesterday on another thread but will repeat as I was a bit hacked off!

Paid £31 for 2 hours, this included all equipment hire so the price isn't beneficial really for those who have their own boots or skis etc.

They closed off half the main slope for most of it for slalom and toboganning, which meant a narrow slope for everyone else. Shouldn't the price for recreational users therefore be halved as surely they are making money from the slalom and tobagonning too??

The recreational standard they insist on isn't really adhered to! There were some people there who looked like their first days on skis, literally strapping them on and letting themselves go with no control and falling dangerously close to people! One guy I noticed didn't know how to stop at the bottom and went right up the snow hill (thank god it was there!) which broke his fall, both legs in the air and skis coming off.

Whilst a hassle to get to, I preferred my experience at Tamworth

After all it is free

winterhighland, will defo be up to glenshee if there's snow before we go, and the nevis range.

tomsk, that'd be easy if i didn't have to work!

the only benefit from hi costs was the relatively quiet slope - but still damn expensive, especially for those just starting out in the sport.

and the cost of their lessons is mental as well.

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Has it always been that expensive or have they had to put their prices up due to recent increases in electricity costs? Must use a fair bit of juice to keep these places so cold...

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What's the "right" price for a couple of hours at Xscape?

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laundryman,

£15 if it included coaching.

Ah, that'd be Monday nights at Cas then Twisted Evil

You know it makes sense.

I'd got back more regularly if it was £10 - £12.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

No more than £10 per hour feels about right to me. And I wouldn't want to be nickel 'n dimed on things like £1 every time you want revisit your locker to add/remove a layer of clothing. If it was less than £10 per hour and I had an indoor slope close to me I would be a regular visitor, probably at least every couple of weeks throughout the year.

A snowHead

you been to Monday nights recently Marc? Not managed it myself for months Sad

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

If you think that's a rip off, try going over to Laangraf in Holland. They do a special deal where you pay €25 and ski for 4 hours in the evenings between 8 and 12 on a slope that is 450 metres long ovwr twicw as wide as MK, has a snowpark, bar on the piste and is nowhere near as busy as MK on a Sunday.

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shoogly, I was there yesterday as well. Well actually it was my three kids all under 16 skied from 1:15 for two hours and cost £76. SCGB memebrship gave us 10% off. Still an outrageous price as they took their own clothing. They should have a price for those who bring their own gear. How many times over will the clothing be paid for as part of the compulsory inclusion to the price? As for it not being busy correct it looked like it was empty when they started although by 3pm it was getting a little busier. Note the fact that the slope appears clear is due soley to the uplift of the one poma that was working. A good point is that the beginners are on a seperate slpe unlike the last time I was at snowdome in Milton Keynes. Sad

Correction. Its actually £5 to hire the clothing so not included in the price

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Go midweek if you can, you can ski for 2 hours (its usualy quiet midweek) between 11 and 3 for £25 and you get a apres meal and drink.

Great value I think

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After all it is free

I went last Monday morning £32 for an hour for me and 2 kids - I thought that was good value.

It can be expensive I admit, but for the odd fix now and again I'm happy to pay. I hate artifical slopes as IMO they are nothing like real snow, and while it sometimes snow around here, never in the summer

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These indoor places are a waste of time IMO. Get to the top, 7 seconds later at the bottom you are left wondering if you actually care about repeating the experience. Plus I'm pretty sure it cost me £20 for the hour.

the only use they could possibly have had is for absolute beginners, but at those prices a days learning would cost as much as an average week pass in the alps. Meh.

When I went to the castleford one I was just reminded about how badly I wanted to be in the Alps.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Granted I wouldn't want to spend a day there, but for a summer fix, or to check I can recall what to do prior to holiday it cannot be beaten in my view.

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shoogly, You'd go back if you win the lottery! I like a man/woman with wild aspirations! Toofy Grin

FenlandSkier, the ski tests were really good value, but it still cost our family of 4 nearly £200 for the day, by the time we ate, skied etc(too old for kids rates). Not too pricey when I go by myself though.

You know it makes sense.

pam w, I was told to get a helmet after skiing through the bumps they had once. Not sure if it is a rule - or a criticism of my technique Cool

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

shoogly, You have to watch out for Xscape's special offers by e-mail. I went in July and got 2 hours for the price of one hour. She made a mistake on the computer, however, and gave me 3 hours skiing for the price of one hour - £16 + £1 locker charge (non refundable) = £17. Three hours skiing for £17 - not bad, although I only stayed for 2½ hours.

A snowHead

Xscape at Milton keynes do a over 40's session on a Tue am, two hours for £25 including a bit of coaching with coffee and biscuits and locker included. Or just go off peak, 2 hours for £25. And then you can try the Indoor Wind Tunnel at www.airkix.com. A great day out!!

A snowHead

At Tamworth, the morning club (3 hours plus coffee) is about 15 quid each if you are members. We've got some vouchers, so if some Snowheads want to do a Mon, Wed, Fri morning we could get you in at members' prices. This only applies outside school holidays - more expensive at half term and in school holidays.

I have seen the rule on recreational standard enforced there by the instructors to good effect (after I was up-ended by a bloke who thought it would be good to have his mate, who was pretty poor, teaching him how to ski). Don't know what the skis are like, as I've only ever used my own skis there.

Anyway, the offer's there if people want to take it up. We have quite a lot of vouchers as joint members - I think 8 between us.

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

The skis were ok - did the job. They were Salomon somethingorothers.

The boots however...

I was meant to be collecting my new boots through at Ellis Brigham, but when i got there they never had them in my size (my mistake). I had left my old boots at home so used the Xscape boots. They were terrible. I could almost lift my whole foot out of them even when the buckles were done up full. I know they are intended for beginners, but how the hell can people learn to ski properly in boots that fit so poorly. Can't think how bad it would be for people with narrower feet than me either.

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I learnt to Ski at Xscape in MK and I have to say, while it was expensive, I found the level of tuition good and the equipment was OK.

Granted, the Snowdome is nothing like the experience of being on the slopes, but as a place to learn it wasn't bad and I appreciated having the opportunity to get a leg up before we went on our first trip.

Having said that, I haven't tried recreational skiing yet - am doing that on the 10th Dec, so will have to see how that goes, but I agree, it is very expensive.

Oh and has anyone spotted Super Peak, new to this year - you have to pay an additional £2 at peak times between 1st Dec and 28th Feb!! now that really is a rip off!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

skiben, I ski at Tamworth quite regularly. I find it is particularly useful for practising a specific technique or doing specific exercises and drills. Sure, if I want to I can be at the bottom in 7 seconds, but why? Why not use the slope for doing something to improve your skiing? So, we had a lesson from one of the race trainers there, and we have practised lots of different drills during the Summer. Some of these are done slowly, so it takes longer to get to the bottom. Some are fast. All are helpful to some degree or other. This Summer I've focused on getting better at using the uphill/inner ski edge, and it has worked - I am doing it better. There are other things such as edge control exercises I can practise too. Sometimes I just practise being very smooth at edge transitions. When the slope is relatively empty, then I practise big sweeping carved turns. There are lots of things you can do.

If you just want to go straight down, it is boring and waste of time. So that's not why I go there.

Plus where else would you go if you wanted to ski all Summer?

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I don't know how x-scape (Braehead) makes money with the price of their lessons. If they priced them a bit less i.e. in line with the two dry slopes in Glasgow they would have a far higher uptake. I know an instructor at Braehead and he has told me they are supposed to have 3 instructors on duty any hour during the day, but due to lack of demand they normally only have one.

snowHead

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Sage, That sounds different from the Xscape's further south, from my experience their lessons are always fully booked despite the price

After all it is free

MK XScape do 4 hours, 7 - 11pm, on a Thurs evening for £35, I recall. That works out around 15p per minute, much cheaper than the 35p per min rate if you go for just one hour.

The problem with MK is not the price, it's the length of the slope. It is at least 100 meters too short. At 180 meters or so, you never get the chance to work up a sweat and warm up. That means you get cold after about 90 mins and that takes all the fun out of it.

At Braehead XSCAPE my daughter timed it. Exactly five minutes for complete circuit with only 10 - 15 seconds of that on the slope. Thats between 2 and three minutes actual skiing every hour. The cost for an hour at peak time is £18 for a junior. Crying or Very sad

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kosciosco, It's maybe the combination of X-scape charging Southern prices and two very healthy ski clubs (with dry slopes) in Glasgow, which between them have nearly 2,000 members. It will be interesting if the Scottish resorts get a good winter as X-scape will be in competition with them also.

garywilk, I was just thinking that the last time I was there, how long the tow took and how quick the run after. Sad

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Cost of skiing at Xscape...

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