 Poster: A snowHead
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Just watching a repeat of 'Snow' on BBC4 and seen the chap who made the indoor snow. It made me decide to ask something that I've been wondering. All these domes are refridgerated so once the snow is made does it ever melt? Do they run the snow machines occasionally to top up the surface? Do they ever de-frost them and refill them etc.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Megamum, They certainly run the snow making machines, I was skiing in MK once when they turned them on, it was bl**dy cold!
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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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cannons were on when I was in landgraaf, not the nicest of feelings all the chemicals burning your eyes out.
I thought landgraaf was too small and pretty boring, didnt know that was one of the bigger ones  Makes me think what's the point in them.
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Megamum, The Hemel Snow Centre, runs at -2C when it's open to the public, it's chilled further at night to -6C in order to make snow. The snowat Hemel is made just using water, no additives, it's forced from the nozzles under high pressure using compressed air, which gives at a very fine powder snow texture, rather than shaved ice or what feels like frozen sand in some older domes. It's groomed before the snow is made to remove any spoilt snow or ice, which is pushed out into a melt area outside. The snow guns can make about 70 tonnes in 24 hours, so about 25 tonnes overnight at maximum. It's then groomed again in the morning prior to skiing. Snow isn't made every night, just as and when needed.
You'll see on the 6th just how good the snow is. 
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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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Spyderman, what are the uptracks like for the lifts? At Braehead they are barely covered, one of the many reasons I don't bother going.
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arv, There is a mean 50cm of snow over the entire area. I know what you mean though, but Hemel has a black depth indicator line on the walls set at 50cm above the metal glycol trays. The tow tracks are next to the walls and the line isn't visible, so more than 50cm of snow.
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Spyderman, i heard they had a glycol leak recently after some big fat instructor fell over and exposed some pipes. apparently the ice layer has yet to form around the pipes???
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The snow at Tamworth, whilst perfectly ski-able, always seemed a little crusty to me. Plus it gets icy patches on a busy day. I guess this is what Spyderman means about older domes. However, I've experienced far worse conditions out in the mountains, especially with artificial snow.
Looking forward to seeing how Hemel compares.
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Spyderman, nothing to do with me this time... I asked PSG about drilling and glycol training and he was pretty non chalant about it as they have 50cm but after the first leak the lifties are getting all anal about drilling just like MK... but they dont seem to know what they are doing.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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skimottaret, I was there when the Instructor fell over. It was very soon after it opened, snow levels were still not what they should be. It was about 40m from the top, there seemed to be a bit of a gunbarrel developing down the middle, I skied it and felt metal at one point, went back up the lift, then saw the guy hit the same patch, it stopped one of his skis dead and he fell. The area was cordoned off and as the top of the metal channels were showing through. It was about 9pm, so only a couple of hours before it could be pisted. I know they've made a lot more snow since then and they're still doing so to ensure a really good base. I'm not aware of any glycol leaks though. I was there yesterday morning and there is for sure a noticeable amount more snow in there and conditions were really good. There was a race club using a lane yesterday, they were drilling no problem.
All part of the learning curve, to get snow levels and maintenance right.
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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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Spyderman, is the snow surface there "soft" like real snow? (You know what I mean). The reason I ask is that, Tamworth, although the oldest snowdome I think, absolutely has the hardest surface I've ever skied on, it really does hurt when you fall down like when I broke my wrist boarding there last summer. It's like concrete with a bit of crumbly snow on the top.
I'm sure the snow surface at Hemel is much better by the sounds of it. Real snow on a mountain has a bit of give to it (unless it's a boilerplate morning), I've convinced I wouldn't have broken my arm had I fallen in the same way on a mountain that day, probably would have just sprained it. I don't know why the surface there is so hard, do you know why it is?
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skimottaret, We have not had a leak here yet?? we had a low area of snow, but no Glycol leaking. No we are begining to make snow again the levels are up.
On drilling gates I just want every coach to understand how we do it here (using the marker on the drill etc).
Sure the Glycol leak story is wishfull thinking by one or two people!!
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You know it makes sense.
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VolklAttivaS5, IMHO it's a different league to Tamworth and considerably better than MK. If anything I found it just a little too soft for race training last Monday night but given I prefer boilerplate that's probably a good thing for everyone else.
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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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gilleski, I stand corrected, sorry about that, didnt mean to spread rumours 
had heard that you had a leak when I was coaching this weekend at "the other place". It came up in conversation and wasnt anything malicious but they are being very insistent that anyone who drills is FULLY kitted out with goggles, rubber gloves, full rubber suit, shovel and clamps in case of of hitting a pipe when drilling. We were just chatting about what is done at other indoor centres and it was mentioned that you guys had your first leak recentley and were tightening up your policy. Turns out to be rubbish, sorry again for spreading an unfounded rumour.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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skimottaret, No problem. I think we will want to make sure that anyone drilling knows what they are doing, so keep that team quite small. However, at the moment no plan to get people in protective clothing. If we encounter any problems then we will have to look at this in the future.
PSG
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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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So if the snow at Hemel is so nice and soft, do they ever just whack loads on and not groom it to have some powder sessions?
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Sideshow_Bob, Spyderman, thanks.
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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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| el nombre wrote: |
| So if the snow at Hemel is so nice and soft, do they ever just whack loads on and not groom it to have some powder sessions? |
No. I saw the snow when it was first being laid, prior to being bashed, and it was too dense to make a nice powder. It would be extremely heavy going - the opposite of champagne powder!
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rob@rar, More like Chantilly Powder then. 
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| Spyderman wrote: |
| rob@rar, More like Chantilly Powder then. |
More like elephant snot!
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Braehead snow has been scheisse for a while now, thick frozen crud at the sides, sheet ice in the middle and 80% of the time the top half has at least one or two kickers on it (which seem to be always blocked off) and the bottom half is about 30% closed for sledging.
No use to piste skiers wanting to practice technique at all, and as arv says the uptracks just scrape the wax off your skis.
No piste control, any idiot can show up and take to the main slope and nothing is done about it, the staff just seem disinterested ?
Actually ( in case you hadn't guessed) I really hate it now, it's a shame because it is a good facility - if it was well run. I was in Xscape for a meal and the cinema on Saturday and there were about 3 people on the slope at 6pm, as there seems to have been at most times for months now. I cannot believe it's making money at present?
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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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robboj, There are races at Braehead on the 6th, 7th and 28th of June. They will need to remove the kickers in advance so I would hope that the slope is more usable around these dates.
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Jonny luv plums, what did you expect, man? A life-size replica of the Eiger and a 150-pax cable car? Landgraaf's main slope is over half a kilometre long. It's ridiculously huge.
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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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| robboj wrote: |
Braehead snow has been scheisse for a while now, thick frozen crud at the sides, sheet ice in the middle and 80% of the time the top half has at least one or two kickers on it (which seem to be always blocked off) and the bottom half is about 30% closed for sledging.
No use to piste skiers wanting to practice technique at all, and as arv says the uptracks just scrape the wax off your skis.
No piste control, any idiot can show up and take to the main slope and nothing is done about it, the staff just seem disinterested ?
Actually ( in case you hadn't guessed) I really hate it now, it's a shame because it is a good facility - if it was well run. I was in Xscape for a meal and the cinema on Saturday and there were about 3 people on the slope at 6pm, as there seems to hve been at most times for months now. I cannot believe it's making money at present? |
neither can i
i booked a level 1 snowboarding lesson on the 7th of may at 4pm...1 instructor for 2 punters and we were the only people on the slope
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