Steepest Artificial Ski Slope?

A snowHead

Anybody know what / where is the world's steepest indoor and / or outdoor artificial ski slope?

A snowHead

"The Face" at Hillend is a good pitch

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

map

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II, Agreed, I understood it was officially too steep for dendix, hence the difficulty edging on that top pitch

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Whitegold, yep, I'd reckon on Hillend...although my experience elsewhere is limited geographically and to pre 1987...

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WTF, IDIOT, Artifical slopes are for Losers(Retards in this case)

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Smallzookeeper, what is your problem with artificial slopes?

For your information, I have worked with many youngsters and adults who have learning difficulties, deprived backgrounds, behavioural problems, Downs Syndrome etc. A large number of these clients will never have the chance to ski on snow let alone go abroad.

Some of these clients have sampled the delights of ski-ing and boarding on an artificial slope, gaining a form of independence they've never before experienced.

As for me, none of my family skied but I lived near an artificial slope as a child. I gained my love for ski-ing sliding on an artificial slope and when I could, went on school ski trips etc. I am now a BASI instructor and have worked in America and Italy in past years. I'm still as addicted to sliding now as I was the first day I ever skied. All because I had an artificial slope near me when I was a child.

Evil or Very Mad

After all it is free

Snowaddict, Well said!! If you live in areas such as Norfolk which have few hills and certainly no snow it is the only place to go if you want to ski.
My son learnt on the dry slope at age 6 and did not ski on snow until he was 10.
He's now 18 the British junior champ at 4 of the 5 events and ranked inside the top 30 in the world for Juniors in Downhill, Super Combined & Super G (top 15). Not bad for a retard!!!

We also do the same with disabled etc at the NSC getting lottery funding to do it.

Smallzookeeper. Come and ski at the Norfolk ski club in Norwich and check out our fun park/ 1/4 pipe. We are not retards and Dry slopes are not for losers. Have you actually ever skied on one??

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snowaddict, Plugboy, I suspect that SMALLZOOKEEPER was just responding to Whitegold, that being his normal response to almost anyting.

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plasticaddict, Great to hear, i skied at Ackers Trust in B'ham a couple of times, it made me want to ski more but only on real snow, it compounded my need to ski and get into the mountains.

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Most of the top uk skiers and snowboarders started out on dendix, dendix is far superior for learning technique because it is much much harder to use, your technique has to be perfect. I had never been on snow when I did my first season abroad and but I pretty much lived at the dryslope, I was far better and at a much more advanced level than any of the new seasonaires and kept up with the back to back seasonaires from day one.
As far as I am concerned, that's all down to artificial slopes. People who poopoo dryslopes are usually just too scared of them... And surely retard is a completely non pc and wholey offensive term you small minded, thoughtless tw@.

You know it makes sense.

I wouldn't poo poo dryslopes but am scared of them - heard some horror stories about Ackers in B'ham. I learnt to ski on artificial snow indoors and have to say it gave me a great headstart when hitting the real stuff on the mountains.

Don't know anything about THE FACE but nice work on the Ordnance survey map. Gold star for effort and your geography degree is in the post.

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

I have only been to ackers once, it was a good laugh. there was a snowboard comp there one day, it has to be the shoddiest slope ive EVER been to but you always get a good tight knit scene at dryslopes. I miss my home slope very much and the people who used to ride and ski there, Wycombe summit has bred some top skiers and snowboarders over the years.
Hemel used to be pretty damn steep for a dryslope, welwyn is pretty sharp too, they dont have sprinklers either... bit of a board burner...

A snowHead

On the higher detail map, Hillend's upper Dendex looks to be fixed to a slope of somewhere between 1:3 and 1:2 i.e 33% to 50% gradient. I suppose little things like this can help to explain a lot of the difference between Scottish skiers and British ones. Toofy Grin

A snowHead

moffatross, Yes, measuring on the map it seems to be about 1:2 in places. I did ski it once many years ago when I was up for the Festival, and liked it.

I presume you meant the Scottish and the English? Or has Scotland left the Union while I wasn't looking?

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

Bigpantsjayke, Agreed. I learned tons from extensive dry slope racing and coaching in my youth. It made my technique rock solid (as commented by loads of instructors, guides etc years later). Having said that I haven't been near a dry slope for 10 years.

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Just saw a programme on television yesterday about the building of the indoor ski slope in Dubai. There they have what they claim is the world's only indoor black run, a 400 metre slope with over 60 metre drop (which is less than 10° or 15%, if my maths is correct). But I don't know whether it starts with a steeper drop and then levels off. Anyone been there?

The top section at Hillend is certainly steep enough for most folk.

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The "Face" at Hillend has to be the steepest and scareist part of any slope in the UK. As a "plastic spastic" from years ago i have skied on most of the Uk slopes in my time. "Blah Blah" i hear you say. For someone to mock skiers who ski on plastic i think he should shut up, as he hides behind a forum name and wont identify himself so he can be mocked. If us skiers who started in the late 70s when the plastic slopes took off could have the use of the indoor slopes we have now, we would wip all todays racers. Rapid gates, carver skis, try doing a slalom on 205s around poles that did not move if you hit them and see how good you are.

As Frankie said we were "WELL HARD"!!!!!

After all it is free

I reckon if all you skiers who started in the late 70s had use of indoor snow then I doubt you would be half as good as you say you are. You don't get better by making life easier.

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google earth:

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very interesting II, I am sure. But what/where is it?

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You know it makes sense.

Here are a couple of pictures of the Hillend slope. The second one gives some impression of the steepness.

First a general view from the bottom ...

The long view flattens out the slope but this picture from the top shows the steepness better - the couple of skiers look as though they are gingerly testing their way, having just come across from the top of the chairlift.

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

Hillend...I had no idea where that was.

I have a sudden urge for a trip to edinburgh!

A snowHead

The face is great, really narrow and steep.

I also had an amazing experience there in October - whilst standing at the top an owl silently swooped over my head at a little over arm's distance and pounced on a fieldmouse about 5 metres infront of me.

A snowHead

Racing at hillend possibly one of life's scariest experiences Shocked

Had the start marshals in stitches when stood in the gate (who decided they needed a start ramp ffs - it's steep enough) and they said "go" to which I replied "do I have to? I really don't want to die!" Toofy Grin

I particularly like the way it's so narrow that if your line is slightly wrong going round some gates you end up on the grass

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

They used to start our uni races a bit lower so we missed off the really steep bit at the top. I guess because there were lots of people who'd never raced before.

Is it one of the few slopes where you can have a GS race on plastic?

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beanie1, it is indeed - that was VERY scary!
Like you I'd previously done uni racing there from lower down - had forgotten how steep the top was Shocked

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The have a GS at Pontypool each year as part of the Celtic Cup series.

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Okanagan, they do - much shorter than the hillend one tho, only usually about 6 or 7 gates I think - quite good fun - tho I hate GS! Very Happy

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There used to be GS races at Llandudno too.

After all it is free

Who can forget the legendary Hemel Super-G either? Run as some fun after the qualifier or GP, it was three or four gates at most? Smile

vivski - expected to see you at Rossendale this weekend. Looks like entries are going to be way down, unless they get an awful lot of late entries.

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Okanagan, alas the pre-wedding racing ban is now in effect Crying or Very sad

have to say I was sorely tempted when I saw the entry list - still trying to resist the urge to press the enter button Very Happy

Probably going to wander up to watch at some point tho.

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Steepest Artificial Ski Slope?

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