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Is Castleford allways this bad? (Old man Rant)

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
We usually go to the other end of the M62 but for family reasons we went to Castleford and had a 3 hr session in the morning followed in the afternoon having a group of (birthday party) Children on the other activities.

The main slope was a joke as the terrain features were out both sides but closed, The ice sliding and sledging further restricted the lower slope, (as did santa but we had better let him off or i will not get any pressies? and his two elves were very attractive)

There was only one lift running and one run took over 25mins to get through the lift queue. There was simply chaos at the one lift as three lines merged with the instructor line not being supervised. The first 2 hours was busy with people that had not paid and only at 11 did a new lifty come on and throw them all off. There were a good number of people on who were completely unable to turn but were not asked to leave despite wiping out others on a number of occasions.

The "snow" was poor in comparrison with Chill factor and the lower 1/4-1/3 of the slope was littered with ice 'boulders' comming up from below. I watched several nasty falls on these. The coverage at the top of the slope was poor and badly groomed (we were there at opening time so it was not wear)

The afternoon activities were at best a joke, up to 70 people trying to sledge in a small area with one disinterested member of staff, a fairly simmilar problem with the ice slide. Compared to CF's childrens activities it seemed a total rip off.

CF has been far busier on many occasions but they generaly seem to have the staff to manage the situation

Were we just unlucky? is this normal, am I just a grumpy old bugg@r?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Castleford appears to have a different set of priorities - I think it's run by the general management of the Xscape entertainments centre. I've heard comment that they feel ordinary skiers don't bring in enough money to warrant much attention. The toboggan/ice slide/Santa are a "pack 'em in, take the cash quick" opportunity. The freestyle side of things seems to be what they consider the prime purpose of the slope. Look at their promo video - the guy who goes there to learn to ski succeeds in negotiating a piece of kit at the end of his first day - suggesting this is what novices should be working towards. In the summer they advertised something to the effect "since we know you all love it so much, there will be freestyle kit out on the slope all day every day". Gee thanks! The tubing slide is a permanent feature & they usually have the toboggan area fenced off, perhaps with an hour or so free of it weekday mornings, so you find there is a limited choice of route around the rails/ramps on the upper section and the lower easier gradient section ends up as just a collecting funnel leading to the lift queue. MK, run by the same company, is similar. Don't know if you'll have seen it but 2(?) years ago a group of us went there in June for Megamum's birthday. There was a couple who were a total disaster, clearly gung-ho first-timers who'd have made good Kamikaze pilots. We commented to each other that we thought they'd come to grief and skied only when they were below, not above us. After a while the woman did indeed have a serious accident colliding with a rail at the bottom and left with a badly fractured leg. I have never seen a challenge to people who do not meet stated minimum standards and I simply won't go there if it's busy. Having said that, 2 weeks ago at CFe there was a handful of "unguided missiles" who ought to have been challenged too and I don't think they were.
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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?
Butterfly, Thanks for that. That pretty much describes the experience we had and we left feeling that skiing was very much the poor relation of the other activities in the complex.
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Hmm A very interesting report and comment. The snow was perfect - soft and evenly groomed throughout - and with plenty of wide open space during the Ellis Brigham test of 19 September. May have been a lucky day. Any other recent skiers at Castleford care to advise?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I've only been once and it wasn't particularly busy, but out of all of the indoor slopes I've been to, Cas had the worst snow in my opinion. Very heavy and potatoey with a few icy patches in between. For snow, Hemel Hempstead and Chill Factore win hands down. Plus both have the best lift facilities. I have a soft spot for Tamworth. It's my nearest, has the friendliest staff, the bend adds interest and the fact that it was the first one. But the lifts take forever and the snow is always hardpacked and icy.

One thing I noticed at Chill Factore was a few people, both boarders and skiers, who didn't seem to be in total control, yet not part of a lesson group. Don't think I've seen this at Tamworth very often, they usually get 'policed' off the slope.

Indoor slopes are by far the busiest skiing conditions I've ever witnessed, the pistes out in the Alps don't not even come close by comparison, yet I sill never feel in danger of being hit by anyone, I just keep out of everyone else's way.
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queen bodecia wrote:
One thing I noticed at Chill Factore was a few people, both boarders and skiers, who didn't seem to be in total control, yet not part of a lesson group. Don't think I've seen this at Tamworth very often, they usually get 'policed' off the slope. ................. Indoor slopes are by far the busiest skiing conditions I've ever witnessed, the pistes out in the Alps don't not even come close by comparison, yet I sill never feel in danger of being hit by anyone, I just keep out of everyone else's way

You're an experienced skier though, able to ski fast while in total control, so anyone who's out of control behind you stays behind you. As you know, I am in total control but only at a fairly slow speed. This puts me at risk from those who are out of control and descending rapidly towards me.

I wonder if the "piste patrol" team, being usually pretty young, are a bit scared of challenging people for fear of their reaction. Anyone know what their training in this is? Do they realise the establishment could be sued if an injury was caused due to their negligence in allowing a person who was clearly out of control to continue? At Tamworth there are usually beginner lessons at the bottom of the slope as opposed to on a separate slope - I wonder if the instructors taking these lessons have a more heightened awareness of people skiing out of control towards their learners and therefore do something about it.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I had a similar experience at Castleford 2 weeks ago. Literally only the middle third of the slope was available for skiing, with rails, jumps etc down both sides set up (but closed). We weren't informed this was the case when we booked on line, or collected our passes. Only one lift was open, despite an ever lengthening queue, and the snow was in awful condition - not just icey, but bare patches all the way down.
Its a faff for us, but I think the extra half hour journey to Chill Factore from now on will probably be worth the effort.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
ajpaul, Friends of mine went last autumn having booked by phone. On arrival they discovered there was a freestyle competition taking place during the public session - nothing had been said on the phone about this. They had paid for 2 hours each but left after only half an hour. They complained verbally but were told no refund was possible.

After passing the SnoZone's level 4 I was told to do gentle practice to reinforce what I'd learned before taking level 5. I decided to do this. It was summertime and midweek. I rang the booking office first thing in the morning, explained what I'd been told and asked if the proposed session for early pm that day would be suitably quiet and was assured it would. Yeah right! There was a massive mound, the size of a transit van, right by the mid-station. A junior race-training session had just ended and the quite large group of kids were now free to play using either their slalom course on one side or the ramps/rails on the other side of the slope. The fairly narrow course round the two sides of the huge mound had become very slick and polished during their training session. One descent from the top was enough for me and I decided to go from the middle and just practise on the lower section but found from that access point I couldn't see kids approaching rapidly from above and they couldn't see me, so I had to blindly join what had become an icy motorway. I left and later wrote to complain. I got a terse reply saying it says in the small print that sections of the slope are sometimes closed for other purposes & if I didn't feel competent to deal with conditions I might encounter, I could always book more lessons rolling eyes.

The last time I went we'd booked and paid online for a 10.00-12.00 "FreshTrax" session in April or May this year. When we arrived we found a queue. Unadvertised, the centre had decided the slope wouldn't open until 10.00 and the booking office wouldn't open till 10.00 either, so it was impossible to get on the slope until about 10.20 by the time we had paid and got skis. We asked for our 2-hours to start from 10.30 and at first they were reluctant because FreshTrax is only available 9-12 or 10-12. Eventually they grudgingly gave in and hand altered our passes. The duty instructor told us he was fed up with this - he'd had total beginners booked in for a 10.00 lesson when this had happened other days and they couldn't get kitted out and on the slope before 10.30. He said the pay-desk staff were nothing to do with the snowslope and the opening hours were dictated by the general management.

They need to wake up and get their act together imho.
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Can't say I don't recognise some themes that are the same at any indoor slope although it has to be said that Hemel are better at not cluttering the slope with features and while management are reasonably on the ball, uplift isn't always managed perfectly.
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Snowdomes during the winter = a total sh!tshow

Why do people want to pay to queue for 10-20mins for a 10sec run?
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I was at Castleford a few weeks back. I didn't think the snow was very good. It seemed a strange consistency? Like mashed potatoes strangely enough.

There was a real icy section down the middle of the slope as well.

The place was full of people who looked very nervous coming down from the top very slowly - I guess everyone has to start somewhere though right? It didn't help me too much mind, I am only just a step up from those guys myself and them suddenly stopping in the middle of the slope made it a bit hairy for me on several occasions!
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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.
It's too far and too expensive to make it worth my while travelling to Castleford and risking most of the slope being unusable. Save your money for the real stuff in the winter. If you want to ski in the summer get a cheap weekend deal to a glacier resort.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
kevindonkleywood, Butterfly, Thanks for the warnings. I usually go to Tamworth, but have been thinking of trying somewhere else.
It will definitely be either Hemel or Manchester, not Castleford!
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I don't think Cas started off like this, but it does appear a common theme, as the 'standard' users come less & less they have to think of new ways to increase revenue....
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
kitenski, it didn't, snow quality was quite good when it first opened, and during a hot summer I had a few visits there to cool off.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I live slap bang in the middle, betwenn Xscape MK and Hemel I'd say Hemel is infinatly better than MK.The snow is great, the staff happy, friendly and helpful. The only problem so far is that the snow does seem to get rutty and badly churned up very quickly but still slides well.MK is the complete oposite, the staff dont talk to you, unless your times up and they tell you to get out, the snow is very icy at the top and sticky at the bottom and no one seems th bo that happy to be there...
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
narc wrote:
Snowdomes during the winter = a total sh!tshow

Why do people want to pay to queue for 10-20mins for a 10sec run?

Because we're desperate! Skullie
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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?
Helen Beaumont wrote:
kitenski, it didn't, snow quality was quite good when it first opened, and during a hot summer I had a few visits there to cool off.


yeh I know, I did some slalom there with the Eagles ski club a few years back now.....
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kevindonkleywood, Similar problem at Braehead - here is a post about that with some reply from the management http://www.snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=58114
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Quote:

I have never seen a challenge to people who do not meet stated minimum standards


I saw a father and son combo get kicked off the slope at MK by the instructor teaching my kids in Snocubs. The son was probably early teens and was a danger to himself, never mind anyone else - he couldn't even shuffle forwards without ski's flying all over. Dad was not impressed that he wasn't allowed to teach his own son - I was relieved he wasn't going to be anywhere near my kids.
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Hi there
Had 2 hours at Castleford on the 27th Nov. The main bug was that it got a bit busyish around 12 - 12.30 where a lesson was progressed from the weeny slopes to the main slope. Some guys asked the lifties if they'd open the 2nd drag but they didn't bother. TBH it only lasted about 15 mins. The minor bug were a couple of flying fleas [i.e. kids] who if you'd seen them on the piste would have got well away from since the main technique was hurtle in massive snowplough from top to bottom...fun for them I guess...

Have been there twice now, and am a bit peeved that so much of the sides of the slope is given over to the tricks stuff, yet was roped off...The snow seemed mostly ok - maybe a bit churned up porridge at the edges at the bottom, but otherwise ok. Certainly not icy.

The lifties were ok - when some older teens did a couple of the jumps without helmets the main liftie was firm but nice, and the lads calmed down.

I had a nice 2 hours - first time I have been genuinely happy in months. Given the choice between Castleford or Silksworth, I'd probably go for the former, even though Silksworth is nearer. The place offers something approaching decent snow in an indoor dome, and has reasonable changing facilities, and somewhere to eat.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
double post sorry!


Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Mon 7-12-09 22:12; edited 1 time in total
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
kevindonkleywood wrote:
MarjMJ, Ah but if you go to Silksworth you get the joy of scraping the green sludge off your boots and the bottom half of your legs (and thats a free activity no charge) Toofy Grin and dendex that should be on Antiques roadshow!

I would reccomend stretching the drive to the other end of the M62 though, its only another 45mins, at least once.

Here is hoping that they get the new Sunderland dome through planning and built ASAP
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I goto leeds a lot and its getting worse as you get nearer winter which would be expected. That said i have been on the slopes mid week with myself and couple of other for ages before anyone else appears. I dont like the build up of clutter they have now but it makes them more money so not a lots going to happen on that front.

The lifts are iffy to say the least and as for the que jumping ankle biters, I have told them to wait in line many times. why do they think they can just wander to the front??

A nice shiny new dome in Sunderland woud be just the ticket, nice long slope with little turn a dedicated kids bit away from main slope ala ChillF would be good.


However we are where we are so Castleford will need to do in the meantime.
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Quote:

Here is hoping that they get the new Sunderland dome through planning and built ASAP


True. Haven't been to Silksworth for years. Might think about Chill Factor when it gets nearer the end of the season.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
We went to Castleford last weekend for the first time and were pleasantly surprised. No queue for the tickets (to be fair some guy ran over and gave us 2 adult tickets due to some of his party not turning up so we skiied for free!) and no queue for the skis and boots. We expected it to be much busier. We booked for an hour and we probably managed about 10-12 runs in that time and never queued for the lift more than about 3 minutes (both lifts were open) and we had a fab time (snow was a bit slush puppy though). However, we have a friend who's 5 year old is in a club there and he says it gets horrific after xmas so maybe we just hit on a quiet time?
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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.
I'm sorry to hear about all the bad experiences people have had at SnoZone Castleford.

I have worked as a part time instructor there for the past few years and i am aware that it does get very busy during the winter season, thus making for large queues and a busy slope. I cant speak on behalf of SnoZone but i do assure you that i, and my colleagues, do our best to make the customer happy at all times.

snowHead
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Ski Bat, there certainly are some great instructors there - Alan & Matt both gave me lots of encouragement. I hope to go over again sometime for a mid-week morning but I just wish the general management would get a bit more "switched-on". All I want is to be able to get straight forward honest answers to genuine questions about what "obstacles" are planned to be on the slope and what events are on so that I can plan to go when it's likely to be fairly clear and quiet-ish. Doesn't seem to be too big an ask really but past experience is the phone team appear tell you what they think you want to hear as they don't actually have the answers to such queries.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Worst thing about Cas is that they never kick off anyone that can't use the Poma, just turn it off for them everytime they need to get on, regardless of their own rules stating you need to be confident enough to use them to go on the slope in the first place.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I wonder why nobody from the management of Cas or indeed Snozone overall is interested enough to come on here and engage in meaningful debate.
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