 Poster: A snowHead
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The Alpincenter indoor snow piste at Bottrop, Germany, has boosted its facilities to include a 500-seater beer and buffet hall - surely one of the world's larger apres-ski venues! The 640m long snow run - built in 2001 - is the world's longest, with a 113m vertical. It snakes down a natural hillside like a very long shed...
The snowdome's pricing policy is an interesting contrast to the UK's domes. Food, drink and instruction are included in the price, which is as low as 19.90 Euros after 7pm. There are good family deals. Here's Bottrop Alpincenter's website, for those interested. It's located not far from Essen, Dortmund and Dusseldorf.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Wow! Nearly 4 times as long as MK - that's quite impressive.
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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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And, look at those tasteful wooden beams. By comparison MK is like a giant meat locker 
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I don't think the pricing policy can be that unusual. When I lived in Belgium I went to a nearby indoor slope most weeks, called Snow Valley. The price for an hour lesson, with kit hire worked out at about 10 quid for an hour. If you brought your own kit, or didn't have lessons, it was even less than that. That was back in 2000. It wasn't as if they weren't making money on it either. When I went over again in 2001 they had extended the slope at the top and it was still about the same price. Quite why we can't do it like that in Britain is a puzzle.
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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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My understanding is that land prices and planning policies in the UK explain quite a lot. You simply can't just plonk a snowdome (or a hotel, or a cinema etc) down on a piece of cheap land and open the turnstiles.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Fri 3-12-04 16:41; edited 1 time in total
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stanton, do they have a chairlift at the Alpincenter? What about the other places - what kind of lifts do they use?
P.S. I've done a search and this page has a photo of the SnowWorld snowdome at Landgraaf, Holland, with a chairlift visible. Apparently the pitch of this slope is good enough for slalom.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Fri 3-12-04 16:38; edited 1 time in total
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| Lager wrote: |
| Quite why we can't do it like that in Britain is a puzzle. |
I can't speak for the snowdomes abroad, but having been to MK 4 times this year, only once did it approach anything loosely described as busy, and that seemed to be because of the construction of a half pipe, that effectively shoved everyone onto one slope.
Anyone have any vague, or even accurate info on the cost of running snowdomes? Set aside construction costs and land purchase.
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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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On that specific point, I suspect the Germans and Dutch have got it right with these longer runs. To sustain interest and return trade you probably need a run that will take people a few minutes to enjoy before catching the lift.
And, as the Germans have clearly discovered, you need to build a bit of an oompah social scene to go with it, along with ski boot dancing and a lederhosen dress code.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I believe I should go there and test that place out.
Anyone else want to come along?
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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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Maybe a snowHeads summer ski trip...??? 
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Sounds like a plan.
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You know it makes sense.
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Anyone else interested? Is it worth getting some costs together??
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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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Wear The Fox Hat, would we be an entourage and would you be providing Ferrero Rocher? 
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Poster: A snowHead
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It could be arranged...
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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 think the concept or approach is different here than over in the UK .
We uses these centres to learn new snowsports.
A few years back a group of us in the middle of the summer used to go down to Snowworld in Zoetermeer during the lunchhour. We'd take a few lessons over a period of time to learn snowboarding or some people may want to learn Telemarking or vica versa.
Its way,way cheaper to learn in these centres than take a lesson at resorts and the Dutch are tighter than the Scotts with money, thats why they built so many over here 
The centre here in DenHaag www.deuithof.nl has alot of alternative sports you can do as well , Speed Skating, Climbing .
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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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stanton, those links about Bottrop are really good, with some interesting photos. It seems to be in a very industrial and ugly landscape. What do all those factories in Bottrop make?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Looks top drawer! What a place.
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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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Bottrop is in the "Ruhr" this(was) Germany's industrial heartland. There alot of Steel, Chemical Plants etc arounf there. The Slope it built on an old peat mine .
The towns are good fun , good nightlife in places like Dusseldorf.
In the Winter at weekends most Dutch & Germans from the Ruhr/Westphalia "Sauerland" to Ski just east of Obehausen . We dont use the Snow halls (no point)
http://www.willingen.de
Only people living south of Frankfurt head to the Alps for the weekend. In the North we go to Sauerland or Nearby Osnabrück.
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