 Poster: A snowHead
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Removed
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 20-03-09 13:06; edited 2 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The "scar" of the Merthyr slope was still visible last time I drove up the A470. Maybe building on a South West facing slope wasn't a good idea? They were unfortunate to suffer several mild winters in succession though.
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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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Alan, I remember seeing a promotional leaflet for the Merthyr scheme. From memory it promised snow for three or more months per winter. Mild winters or not, this scheme surely never had a snowball-in-hell's chance of succeeding. But it's certainly generated lots of entertainment!
Despite the SW-facing slope, I seem to remember the promoters saying that the site had some sort of special snow-holding microclimate.
I wonder who bankrolled the whole thing?
I remember Alan Hole, a leading light in UK artificial skiing, telling me that snowmaking had been experimented with at other Welsh sites but I don't know where they were. Cairngorm's had no success with it, as far as I know. The Lecht is apparently just easterly and dry enough to achieve the right temperature/humidity balance.
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As far as I know Cairngorm has never got round to actually trying snowmaking although studies were apparently undertaken a few years back. Another study, taking into account advances in tecnology, may happen at some point in the not too distant future, Nevis range is also apparently looking into viablity of snowmaking.
I believe modern snowmaking equipment is less reliant on the temperature/humidity balance that's mentioned above so may well now be viable in more Scottish ski areas.
I'm fascinated by the Mar Lodge fiasco, probably something that again would be more viable with modern equipment. I seem to recall seeing a copy of one of their leaflets in the book Dave mentions above (Skisters). I wonder if the equipment is still on the hill rusting away even now!
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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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The Lecht now has 17 snow cannons 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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It's interesting to compare Scotland to the Australian state of Tasmania. They have similar geography and climates, but neither skiing nor snowmaking have really taken off there.
By contast the Australian mainland has higher mountains and snow making saved most resorts after this years disasterous ski season, when very little natural snow fell.
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i just searched Merthyr slope on google, and the first result i got was snowheads 
i do want to see more about it though.
anyone know of any online info about the place?
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| george_1 wrote: |
i just searched Merthyr slope on google, and the first result i got was snowheads
i do want to see more about it though.
anyone know of any online info about the place? |
What info do you want to know? I skied there a couple of times. I doubt there's much info available online about it as it closed many years ago.
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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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rob@rar, i just wanted to have a gander at a few pictures of it, pretty much because I'm bored, and my wage hasnt gone in so i can't pay for the eosb yet!!
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| george_1 wrote: |
| rob@rar, i just wanted to have a gander at a few pictures of it, pretty much because I'm bored, and my wage hasnt gone in so i can't pay for the EoSB yet!! |
Not much to look at really; typical dry ski slope with drag lift to one side a couple of buildings at the bottom, no landscaping or tree planting to soften the impact of it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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ahh.
pretty boring then really.
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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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| rob@rar wrote: |
| Not much to look at really; typical dry ski slope with drag lift to one side a couple of buildings at the bottom, no landscaping or tree planting to soften the impact of it. |
It didn't last long enough for them to try any tree planting or landscaping.
I believe the whole thing was a scam, and that the developer walked off with rather a lot of the money, without ever actually paying for the Dendix 
You can still see the shape of the slope on the hillside though.
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| alex_heney wrote: |
| I believe the whole thing was a scam, |
Yes, that's my understanding as well. The developers took advantage of lots of grants and business loans that were available and put in place an enterprise with almost no chance of success.
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You know it makes sense.
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There are the 'plus temps' snowmaking systems that have failed more because of a lack of public interest = cash than technically. Snowline machines made by some big French industrial freezer company made snow successfully (ish, I believe) at Wycombe dry slope four or five years back but they decided not to fork out for one after the free trial ran out (again, I believe). The French company, Frigofrance, is still going strong and got the conteract for ther snowmaking in Moscow's first indoor snow hall, which should have opened in January but I think they're now saying June.
Then there's Diggerland in Kent which is still going at weekends, with the Snow Magic machines that (Once again, I believe), originate in Japan but were sold by a US company that used to opewrate Tenney Mountaijn in New Hampshire, but doesn't any longer. Having just tried the link for the first time in a few years I must highly recommend the superb audio. Could Snowheads do something similar? www.thesnowpark.co.uk
I asked Cairngorm about snowmaking once and they said no way on environmental grounds. Remember how long the funicular permission took?
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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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Have a look at this thread for snow making on Cairngorm
http://www.winterhighland.info/forum/read.php?2,57667
There is a trial planed for possibly this year or next. Snowmaking was broached in 2000ish with CML, but they said they couldn't do it without the weather data to know if it would be financially and practically feasible and that would take up to 10 years to collect. Shame they didn't start collecting the data then as we would now have 7 years of data to go on.
Glenshee and Lecht are succesfull with their rather outdated and limited area fan gun system - in fact Tosh at the Lecht bought 5 (I think) more guns for this season. In 2003 the lecht had its best season, the other resorts their worst - why 'cos it was cold but dry so the lecht was able to make snow to keep a reasonable number of its runs open.
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Poster: A snowHead
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More about the Mar Lodge development at http://www.highland-instinct.co.uk/skiresorts/other/ml/index.php
The development took place in 1963 and was ready for the 1963/64 winter which stands today as the worst on record since permanent mechanised uplift started at Glencoe and Glenshee in 56/57 and 57/58 respectively. Glenshee managed to run the new Sunnyside T-bar just 7 days in the 63/64 season.
The following winter was colder, but relatively snowless. A combination of dryness and resultant lack of water helped ensure the water supply stream froze.
A development that failed due to bad lack in terms of timing, it might have been very different had it opened a year earlier and taken in the mega winter of 62/63 or indeed if had opened just a couple of years later.
Unfortunate because if had got through the first few years over time improving technology should have increased viability. Had it succeeded Scottish Snowsports might have gone off a different direction (for better or worse - who knows) as the elevation involved would have meant being able to bring ski runs down below the treeline. Indeed it may well be easier to maintain machine made snow pistes below rather than above the tree line in the East Highlands, with natural snow getting into forest tracks is the hard bit, but when a good cover does build on forest roads/tracks, the cover can persist for weeks where as it's gone on open ground at similar altitude, the trees helping protect the snowpack from the worst of solar warming, wind scouring and driving rain.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
Indeed it may well be easier to maintain machine made snow pistes below rather than above the tree line in the East Highlands, with natural snow getting into forest tracks is the hard bit, but when a good cover does build on forest roads/tracks, the cover can persist for weeks where as it's gone on open ground at similar altitude, the trees helping protect the snowpack from the worst of solar warming, wind scouring and driving rain.
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Indeed, which is why the Clashindarroch forest has such a good snowholding record for Xcountry skiing, averaging 44days per year for the main trails and over 60days for a long ribbon of snow along the outside edge of the forest. Yet the Clash is not much over 300m asl.
One problem we have had the last couple of years is with the snow falling on warm ground so it has melted faster than usual, and last year was particularly poor with only 27 days of skiable snow.
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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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Very interesting that
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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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| Yoda wrote: |
| The "scar" of the Merthyr slope was still visible last time I drove up the A470. |
The words 'scar' amd 'Merthyr' seem to go so well together....... 
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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.
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| Quote: |
As far as I know Cairngorm has never got round to actually trying snowmaking
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Roga i can remember a snow making machine at the top of the old Car Park tow, before it was extended up to the Sheiling. It used to make a terrific shrieking noise and cough out a bit of ice !
I have also heard that snow making has been tried in the Kirkland gulley on Cross Fell and that there may still be some piping from that left, but I carn't confirm that.
There is a very interesting history of skiing in Britain waiting to be written. 
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[deleted - just spotted I'd made the same points above]
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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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To date this season we have just passed the point where for example modern low energy ratnik air water guns could have notched up 700hours of operation at the mid-station on CairnGorm.
Maybe failed British Snowmaking needs to be re-addressed?
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S is for Successful British snowmaking this winter, as provided by nature. I see that yesterday was reckoned by one Winterhighland poster to have been the best day on Cairngorm since they'd first skied there in 1972:
http://www.winterhighland.info/forum/read.php?2,108531,page=61
What the hill needs right now is some uplift. Not much need for snowmaking! It's going to be insane at half-term and Easter
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Its unsuccessfull snowmaking again. Colin mentioned on his blog that the water tank he was planning on using to try out the snow gun they've borrowed is burried under more than 20ft of snow at the moment. He is hoping to try it later when they have time to dig out the cistern. They are likely to be too busy digging out the train and the road again at the moment.
They went back to 1 way road operation briefly this week, but are back to two way on the down road as the link road is blocked again.
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