 Poster: A snowHead
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Was thinking of making a visit to Sheffield dry slope so was wondering what I should expect as I have never skied on plastic.
Can you ski the same as on snow?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Um, no.
Firstly, if yo uhave your own skis DO NOT take them.
Secondly, if you fall, clench your hands like fists - no thumbs/fingers sticking out.
Thirdly, even if it is warm, make sure your arms and legs are covered.
...then go have fun!
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brian
brian
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Renry, same techniques but it doesn't feel that much like snow. easiski described it as like skiing on slow ice, which I think sums it up quite well.
It's pretty horrible when it's warm and dry but it's good fun when it's cold and wet.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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At least the ride is a tad bit longer then Xscape though !
But which would you guys choose?
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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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Renry, I'm not terribly thrilled by either. I'd rather do something appropriate for the season, like biking.
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It's not so bad if they have a decent water sprinkler system (which I think most do these days).
It tends to highlight any holes in your technique so is good for brushing up on things that you can generally get away with on snow.
Always been a bit wary of plastic though since I melted the bases of a pair of new skis one summer many years ago (before sprinklers were generally in use).
BTW, does any one happen to know what dry slopes are the longest in the UK these days - used to be Hillend in Edinburgh (it's got a different name these days but I can't remember it)?
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I have a dedicated pair of dry slope skis (hillend uses snowflex I believe), but strangely they have little scratching on the bases - far less than my 'scottish' skis anyway...
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Plastic is much much slower and less tolerant of mistakes. So it's good for technique, but a lot less fun than the real thing. Indoor snow is much better, except for the wallet!
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brian
brian
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roga, Hillend aka Midlothian Snowsports Centre is still the longest artificial slope in Europe. Don't think it's the biggest by area though. There's a huge new one on a slagheap in Northern France.
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brian
brian
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skibomb, Hillend is mainly dendix apart from the "jumps" area at the skiers' right of the tow slope, which is snowflex.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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brian, That'll be the one at Noeux-les-Mines just south of Calais. It is also the longest now at 320m with Hillend the longest in the UK.
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Renry, SSV has two different surfaces. The fun park/moguls are snowflex, and the "main slope" (which is shorter) is dendix. Personally I prefer the snowflex when I'm on my board and the dendix when on skis.
Either way, I'd rather do Castleford.
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brian
brian
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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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Renry, I've done a fair bit on outdoor plastic in the last two years, and had one session indoors at MK. I'd take outdoors plastic any day. To me indoors is cold, gloomy and a tad claustrophobic - i'll take the outdoors whenever possible. Hot and dry on plastic can be a bit unpleasant though, and if there's no misting on the slope you can burn the bases of the skis, as Wear The Fox Hat and roga said - I did a fair bit of damage to mine one Sat pm at So'ton a couple of months ago. You do need to sharpen the edges regularly though - after about every 3 hours of slope time - and just after they've been sharpened you notice them go off after about 3 runs.
My slalom skis have only ever been on plastic, and for a year there was little discernable damage to them (far less than would have been the case on snow). The last year though has seen a fair few grooves appearing. The worst thing about plastic though is that it rips almost any PTEX patch out of the base in no time flat. Apparently about the only thing that will stay in is araldite.
Wherever you go the runs are going to be short though, indoors or outdoors, so you do need to have some objective to your skiing...technique improvement is pretty much the main purpose of skiing in England, and finding some poles or cones to ski around transforms the whole experience and gives you immediate and direct feedback when you get it right (or wrong).
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Poster: A snowHead
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It was including the elbow. I used to love that slope when I lived in Edinburgh. I notice on the midlothian website they've changed it to say longest in Britian.
Great slope that one.
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brian
brian
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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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brian, Was never quite sure what it was. Fact is that so far the stuff hasnt scratched my skis at all./ Less so than skking on real snow anyway 
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Dry slope is slower, less forgiving, harder on skis if your're lardy, cheaper, outdoors. Most of what has been said is true but as a by-product it definitely helps your snow skiing.
MK is often busy, chopped up, indoors, remote from the watchers, expensive and very easy to ski on unless your're into rails.
We don't use the dry slope as an alternative to snow though; its a way of having fun in very gentle slalom races. We meet friends, have a beer, watch the kids (occasionally have a go ourselves). etc. etc.
In some ways there is a bit of disappointment that Hemel is destined to become a snow dome sometime soon.
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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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easiski, I agree that it's annoying when half the XScape slope is lost to toboganning parties and the jumps bit. They should at least do a discounted rate - like if only half the slope is open you shoudl only have to pay half the rate. Seems fair to me.
I've not yet had the pleasure of having to sort out a bunch of yobs yet. I love to have a go and get my Victor Meldrew head on!
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The one thing that gets me about X' is that its the same price weather you have your own equipment or you use theirs. I dont so much mind the £25 (off peak mind) for 2 hours and a decent apres meal and drink included.
Im sure next time we need a fix we will give SSV a try but will certainly use their skis.
Thanks.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Overheard conversation in lift queue between posh mother and daughter:
Mother: "My ski instructor suggested that we go to the indoor snow slope at Milton Keynes"
Daughter: "Oh goody mummy, when can we go?"
Mother: "We'll go when all the state school children have gone back to school"
Daughter: "Who on earth goes to state school, mummy?"
Aaaaaahhhhhhh! If you go to Milton Keynes, go in school holidays to avoid people like this 
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Xscape have a lot to learn about encouraging a regular (non immediate-local trade) but there are enough suckers like me who will go once or twice a year over the summer for a fix even if they
- have to pay some ridiculous booking premium,
- shell out more each time they want to access a locker
- are unable to access any information in advance about whether half the slope is shut for sledging etc/ half the lift capacity is down
But hey - beats the beach when its 30 deg + outside ,
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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roga, sheffield is pretty long - I think it may be the second longest. Not 100% though. Bracknell has a chairlift and shefield may also.
fatbob, Get yourself onto the "proper" stuff and forget the fridge. Disgraceful business practices shouldn't be encouraged.
I was furious that, as a Grade 1 I had to sign to say I could turn under control, but they didn't throw off the yobbos who couldn't even plough, let alone turn. I spoke to the staff member at the top and she wasn't willing to do anything about it, however I could complain to the manager (at the expense of missing more of my very expensive time). Bloody cheek! I also complained about so much of the slope being closed (it was supposed to be a ski test - how can you test skis when you can barely ski?) Again, get off the slope and go and find the manager ...
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I prefer being outdoors, but as Hemel is turning into a snowdome next year, I guess I'll have to like being indoors. MK has improved dramatically in the last year, in particular snow quality. It is now being run by some people who are actually skiers, rather than just accountants. So things are improving. I think they have taken the complaints on board.
easiski, I know exactly what you mean about the standard of the patroling. I turned up for a fresh tracks session at MK. Supposed to be for good skiers only. Turned out to be full of people who could hardly use the drag lift. I can't say anything bad about MK at the moment as they've kindly given me full permission to instruct at Megamum's birthday bash. Maybe it was a case of you not speaking to the right people or their people's training not allowing for common sense thinking. Of course a grade 1 should be allowed to teach their family on the slope.
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You know it makes sense.
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Renry, I'd take indoor snow anyday.
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brian
brian
Guest
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easiski, plus their advertising:
- "longest snow slope in the uk"
- "now you don't even have to leave the country"
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Poster: A snowHead
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Spyderman, I wasn't looking to teach - I just went to a snowheads/ellis brigham ski test. But it certainly wasn't worth it - on top of the £30 to ski I had to pay loads to park, then for a locker, and then I couldn't actually test skis properly for at least half the session. The people on "lookout" at the top of the slope are responsible for getting rid of those who don't meet the standards - they refused to do so (I think they were frightened of the yobs).
I don't have a problem with plastic, and we (Snowskisnow and I may try to get another snowheads meet off the ground at Gloucester again at the end of May. We've had fun the last 2 years - but not many takers!
If everyone goes to the snowdomes, the plastic slopes will disappear altogether, then, instead of having skiing relatively handy (30 miles or so), some people would have to travel a very long way indeed. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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easiski, Sorry, I was referring to a previous post of yours, where you were stopped from teaching a relative and had to resort to crafty hints & tips.
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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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| easiski wrote: |
| roga, sheffield is pretty long - I think it may be the second longest. Not 100% though. Bracknell has a chairlift and shefield may also. |
I think since the closure of Wycombe it is the second longest. No chairlift though, just 2 t-bars.
The freestyle arena up at SSV is snoflex but the main slope is dendix that is in drastic need of replacement, and has been for a few years now. I first worked up there 5 years ago and it seemed to be just about due for replacement then. Since all the plans for Snow Mountain were set up they seem to have let the main dry slope side of things fall by the wayside a bit.
I would definately use the slope skis rather than your own aswell due to the state of the dendix.
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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 have a plan - take mobile phone to MK, ask at desk for number for manager, then if trouble on slope stand at top with phone and in very loud voice demand the manager come!
Personally, I think there should be more snowdomes - one closer to Brighton so we don't have a 2 or 3 hour schlep to MK. The nearest outdoor carpet slopes is too expensive really for what you get. I think the cost of MK, provided the slope is pretty much open, is reasonable - it's the cost of getting there that bumps it up. ANd parking was only a couple of quid or so when we went last year. It costs more than that to park in Brighton for a couple of hours.
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Despite being within 30 mins of MK snowdome, I hardly use it for the reasons mentioned above. It's way too expensive (with no discount for regular users as far as I'm aware), the lifts are dog slow and often break down, half the slope is often closed for kids parties etc. But most worringly of all, the standard of skiers on it is appalling. There are often total beginners hurtling down it totally unsupervised and none of the staff do anything about it. Pathetic really. It could be really quite good if it was well managed. At the moment it just seems to cater for a chavs day out and small kids!
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| uktrailmonster wrote: |
| At the moment it just seems to cater for a chavs day out |
Well, don't tell these people 
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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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| maggi wrote: |
| uktrailmonster wrote: |
| At the moment it just seems to cater for a chavs day out |
Well, don't tell these people |
Also don't tell the British Children's Ski Team or the England Alpine Ski Team, 'cos if you did they might stop using the place.
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Renry, I love skiing on plastic & ski all year - but I think of it as different to skiing on snow - I use it to improve my ski technique and learn stuff like freestyle. The dry slope in norwich is huge & able to offer lots of different classes and social events. Skiing now is a very familiar experience, whereas before it really was something I occasionally did, but now, it would feel really strange not skiing - I think I am trying to say that everything gets refined, from the way you view your technique, to the clothes & equipment you use.
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