 Poster: A snowHead
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I went to hemel yesterday, could'nt believe how poor the snow conditions were.When I first went there just after it first opened it was fantastic,what has happened?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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skidmarks, on busy days the snow gets quite sugary. If it's quiet the snow holds up much better.
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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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skidmarks, Nothing has changed apart from the number of people using it. As the snow gets worked it takes on moisture and goes sugary as rob says. First thing in the morning it's perfect, it's purely the huge numbers of people using it at the moment. It's still better than up the road though.
Can't wait for summertime again.
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it's just as busy at chill factor,but the snow there is much better
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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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rob@rar, Spyderman, can you explain "sugary"? What difference does it make to the skiing? (Genuine novice question!)
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skidmarks, I was there Wednesday evening too, it was rough, choppy and bumpy, covered in loons flying down the slope (junior race team practice). Although I'm not a very experienced skier, it felt just like a real piste only shorter 
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skidmarks, Wednesday's at Hemel are very busy from first thing in the morning, it's Ladies morning, plus a few Uni's use the slope on Wednesdays. There was also race training yesterday.
From what I've heard about operating figures, Hemel is the busiest slope in the country now.
Butterfly, When the snow is worked by skis, the skis melts the snow slightly as they move over the snow through friction. This moisture is absorbed by the snow and the texture changes from a light talcum powder consistency to that of granular sugar. It makes it heavier to ski as there's more resistance, plus as the snow gets moved around as it's skied bumps tend to form towards the edges of the slope and a harder icier line down the centre, where the snow has been scraped away, leaving the lower harder base layer. The slope is cooled from -4c to -6c every night, it's pisted, sometimes more snow is made, then it has to be left for 5-6 hours without any traffic, in order for the snow to consolidate and release it's moisture content for the dehumidifying system to deal with it.
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Sorry but I have been to a lot busy ski evenings but it was truly terrible 
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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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skidmarks, It's a fridge...
Butterfly, Literally, like skiing in a big bag of wet sugar.
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I was there on late Tuesday evening, 2 weeks ago I think.
I would not comment about the snow quality.
BUT
It was extremely bumpy almost everywhere, as
Spyderman, said lots of bumps and moguls on the sides and only a narrow icy flattish line in the middle.
Absolutely horrible. Most of the people were skiing the narrow line only.
Looking from the bottom, the left side of the piste, easily more than 1/3 or even close to half of the width of the slope
had sort of "boardercross" line formed between large bumps and moguls, even with some kind of fence separating this from the "narrow icy line in the middle".
Almost no one was using this part of the slope.
I would go back there but only in the mornings.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Tom W, after Easter I'm sure it will be much, much quieter, so the snow should stay in much better shape until the end of the day.
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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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I think as soon as Easter is out of the way, slope usage will tail off and snow quality will improve greatly, even better than when it first opened I think, because the techs have learnt so much about snow husbandry.
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I enjoyed lots of early mornings in MK so yes, I will be back in Hamel to check how it is in the morning. At the end of the day it is much closer to drive there.
For me it seemed liked 80% of the slope was waisted to average skier by moguls and bumps.
It was like the end of the home run in a busy resort on a warm day with lots of loose snow. Totally no fun. Unless you enjoy bumps.
How long it will take to groom the slope during the day? is it really not possible?
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
Most of the people were skiing the narrow line only.
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I'm always amazed at this. The stuff at the sides is quite soft and a lot easier to turn in than the icy bit down the middle. It also helps your confidence when you get some fresh snow in resort 
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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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| Tom W wrote: |
| How long it will take to groom the slope during the day? is it really not possible? |
You need to let the snow 'rest' after grooming it so it bonds together. If you start to ski on it straight after it's groomed it will cut up even more quickly so defeating the purpose of grooming it.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Tom W wrote: |
How long it will take to groom the slope during the day? is it really not possible? |
It's not the time in grooming the snow, it's the 5-6 hours after it's groomed for the snow to consolidate. The pistebasher works the snow very hard, so in effect makes it even wetter. if you walked up the slope after it's been bashed, you'd sink to your knees. The 5-6 hours rest time, allows the snow to lose it's excess moisture, which is dealt with by the dehumidifying system.
It really is the victim of it's own success, if nobody used it the snow would be perfect.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Spyderman, anyone would think we'd rehearsed this 
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| sbirring wrote: |
| Quote: |
Most of the people were skiing the narrow line only.
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I'm always amazed at this. The stuff at the sides is quite soft and a lot easier to turn in than the icy bit down the middle. It also helps your confidence when you get some fresh snow in resort |
They've tried to deal with that issue by placing vertically set netting at the top to alter the start point of users, so that everyone doesn't always ski down the middle. It doesn't help inexperienced skiers though, as they really need to be using the entire width.
Snowboarders setting off scraping the snow off down the middle doesn't help either.
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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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| Tom W wrote: |
| Totally no fun. Unless you enjoy bumps. |
Did somebody call?
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sbirring, I prefer soft snow but only if not too bumpy.
I imagine my next time in Hamel will be on quiet morning sometime in May and I know I will love it. 
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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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Linds, I have to agree was there last thursday as well early ish snow was quite good 
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Hemel also doesnt help itself by allowing groups of about 30 kids in a "ski team" take over the place during public hours
If they do they should explain etiquette to them and that novices shouldnt use the left lift and mess it up all evening
They had a great technique of standing on the publics ski tails so they couldnt move while all their mates shot to the front of the lift queue
The orange hatted ones are the worst, I had to threaten physical violance at one point and they have trashed the tails of my new ski's. Took two friends that day and they were so disgusted they vowed never to go to Hemel again. Slope patrol couldnt give a dam
Oh and the slope was in appaling condition, but as others have said you just ski the slough at the sides (dodging the snowboarders sitting in the middle of the slope)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The smart solution would be to rip out all that nasty snow and put down some upturned brushes that "feel exactly like the real thing" and they'll be able to tear the roof off and let the sunshine in - I predict it's the future.
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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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Bode Swiller, 
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Bode Swiller, and you get a much better class of face rash from upturned brushes!!
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You know it makes sense.
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Glad its not just me that found it heavy going. I went the other week and it was so crowded and the snow so poor it just wasnt any fun.
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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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I'm surprised skiing in a large cold shed could be disribed as fun anyway...if anything poor snow coniditons could only make it less tedious
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Poster: A snowHead
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oh it certainly was'nt tedious.,just very frustraing to pay all that money and ski in what can only be described as bulgarian.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| papasmurf wrote: |
| ... make it less tedious |
Yes, i agree...
Please arrange to extend the site by 4 kilometers, install a series of cliffs-drops, chutes and a small forest, and also arrange constant dumps of fresh champagne powder snow all over the site, except for on the pristine boilerplate ice racecourse. Oh, and that ski/boarder cross course seemed popular at Vancouver, one of those please, varied weekly, leading into an award winning terrain park. For this i'm willing to pay tuppence ha'penny an hour (assuming unlimited Gluhwein and MY BRAIN MEDICATION is included in the price)...
Go on, chop-chop! I'm a customer y'know.
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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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I've often wondered if it would be possible to simulate powder/a snowstorm in a fridge... snow cannons on the roof, pumping out snow for two hours or so before it opens, leave them on all day to keep the softness coming... Not gonna be powder, but at least it would be soft and get nicely bumped up... probably too expensive though I imagine?
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clarky999, the snow is nothing like powder, too high a water content. But at least a couple of days a week at Hemel there's a bit of soft snow from when the cannons have been running overnight. If the cannons are running flat out when you're there the visibility get very poor - not quite whiteout, but you can't se the top of the slope from the bottom. I've also seen indoor clouds on a couple of occasions.
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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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Lol yeah I know it'll never be powder, but a foot or two of soft snow is still gonna be more fun, not too fussed about visibility lol it's not like you're gonna fall off a cliff. I realise it's never going to happen though!
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The snow making is so good they simulate sping snow now it's mid-March
Seriously though, the icer snow at chillfactore works much better imo - it doesn't get cut up or turn to sugery mush as quickly.
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it's not a case of" i'm the customer" it's a issue of the snow and lumps are not very good.
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| skidmarks wrote: |
| it's not a case of" i'm the customer" it's a issue of the snow and lumps are not very good. |
A lot of people seem to like the lumps as they add a bit of interest to an otherwise short, flat slope. The snow is what it is because the amount of traffic it does or doesn't get. I see the same sugary texture and piles of soft snow from time to time in the Alps (mainly on busy pistes, when it's a bit warm and if it's not snowed for a couple of weeks). If you want to avoid the slope which is a bit cut-up it's best to visit at the start of the day and to avoid busy times. First thing in the morning the snow is very, very good.
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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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I've been up there a few times on my teles... the bumps and 'mature' snow make it much more fun
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| Quote: |
Hemel also doesnt help itself by allowing groups of about 30 kids in a "ski team" take over the place during public hours
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I was at MK last night (snow conditions sound similar) and was similarly annoyed by kids taking over the small bit of slope left, the rest having been fenced off for sledging. I did resort to physical violence as none of them had grasped the concept of queuing to use the lift
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