 Poster: A snowHead
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Ski Rossendale, the long-established plastic ski slope in Rawtenstall, Lancashire, has attracted four potential buyers following the local authority's decision to sell the facility.
This report from Lancashire Telegraph.
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The third option is from a firm “which includes highly experienced snow sports and sports consultants”.
They plan to convert the attraction into an outdoor sports leisure facility, combining holiday chalet properties, a bar, restaurant and club house.
They would also develop a small indoor snow facility for teaching and children’s parties along with an outdoor artificial snow slope and fun park. |
No names are attached to the four bidders in the report. Can anyone identify them?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sounds like the sort of thing John Nike have at Bracknell. Let's hope they don't fit that horrible plastic loop stuff.
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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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arrghhhh....;lots of snow at rossendale today and the leisure trust have closed it due to snow on the roads!!?? how crazy is that? checked out the roads and they are okay, just park at the bottom of the hill and walk up. No wonder the slope is struggling. Can anyone out there HELP. 
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Holiday chalet properties.... in Rawtenstall? Jeez, who'd be desperate enough to go stay in a chalet there?
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| They would also develop ... an outdoor artificial snow slope |
Forgive me for being thick but isn't there one already there? Also what's the old Rossendale Ski Club clubhouse being used for these days?
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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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chalet used for kids parties along with 'alpine cafe'. its really sooooo sad to see the slope being run down in this way. Looks like the leisure trust have used the money the slope makes (yes even now it still makes a small profit - and it used to make a lot) to prop up its portfolio. You know its in such a lovely location, today snow on all the hills around, i'd much rather be skiing her than in a fridge (no offence chill - i come to you as well). sigh... 
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herr prentler, i bet rossendale is being run by folk who know nothing about skiing or running a business. My experience is that the dry slopes way overprice themselves. For most of the day they have 75%+ of the hire ski's in the hire shop. Thats a failing business model. Drop prices, variable pricing, offers, get the punters through the door and they will create an atmosphere attracting other folk, they will all spend in the retail and cafe etc. You also needs lots of groups, clubs, special times eg 'families only', 'nervous improvers'.
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Well Ski rossendale are offering locals 10 1hr ski or snowboard lessons for £50 and its about £60ish for none locals. Since the opening of the chill factor its been on a steady decline.
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It's a shame it's in decline. As a kid I used to go once a week on a Monday evening for lessons there. I remember one of the best sessions was when we had loads of snow and could ski down the side of the tow where there was no matting.
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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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Oh dear.
I haven't used Rossendale, although it's near.
I do seem to recall that Bromley went through a similar sale and the result was a deterioration. The slope didn't seem to be maintained as well and the equipment was knackered.
Other private slopes in the south also seemed to suffer from poor matting and a motley collection of worn out skis. By contrast Welwyn Garden City had a nice slope and halfway decent kit with a good range of activities which were reasonably priced. Do they still do race traing there ?
I did get a bit miffed with them when they shut the slope owing to adverse weather conditions. By the Dendix of Welwyn , I sat down, yea I wept as I remembered Morzine.
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thirty06, I think Bromley was passed between family members so change in management rather than sale.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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i noticed that Edinburgh council managed to clear the roads to Hillend, well done! Actually the Rossendale matting is not that bad. It recently hosted the English National Schools championship which went really well and also a 'king of the kicker' freestyle competition on the funpark. The best bit about Rossendale is the thriving kids club on Saturday mornings. Its £8 a session (hire included) and the instruction is brill. After 18 months intstruction my kids can trounce me on the hill. Anyone know how much the indoor slopes charge for kids clubs?
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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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/Pedantic mode on
That would be Midlothian Council then?
Pedantic mode off/
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aye bonny lad.....or lass. 
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You know it makes sense.
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The good news is rossendale open today - a hill with snow and a poma lift - brilliant!! followed by hot chocolate, cream and marshmallows mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
happy today! 
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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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herrprentler, Might see about going up on saturday if I can't find an open tow in Hayfield - according to the website, it's kids clubs till 1pm then early closing at 4 due to racing on saturday
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Poster: A snowHead
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nbt, the race is cancelled so should be open later than 4pm. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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herrprentler, ta, currently in discussions as to whether we should stay local (rope tows running in Hayfield) or go for a daring raid on Raise...
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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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ah...where is the tow in Hayfield? and any idea how much? thanks
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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I had my first ski lessons at rossendale 24 years ago. remember helping out on a school trip when i was a 6th former and seeing a 12 year old midget go down from top to bottom go over the edge and smack in to the fence ( said he could ski)
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pitched up at rossendale today - amazing - no sign of dendex. just fresh snow all over the slope! It snowed a lot of the day. Sky sports were there - apparently because the Blackpool v Man utd game was off. Kids club in the morning and open skiing in the afternoon. There is a large field next to the slope so we all went 'off piste!' - about a foot of powder. The forecast looks good for Sunday. 
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Kind of wish I'd gone, we hit Hayfield and while it was fun, it's a very short tow compare to the poma @ rossendale, and the rain has done terrible things to the snow - it might be gone tomorrow
cheap though, I gave them a tenner and they gave me a fiver of it back - that's for two of us!
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sorry to say nbt but there was no rain up at rossendale today - just snow and a bit off sleet. The only thing was things starting to ice up after 5pm.
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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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anyone know if there is a webcam for Rossendale slope -
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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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really helpful - gives an idea of the weather.
some time ago we had to ski in fog - could only see half way down the slope - pretty scary!!
i wonder why rossendale don't set up a cam? 
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Scooby_Simon, I'd love to pop in, but I moved from AL5 to LA7, so it's a bit of a trip.
As I say, Rossendale is close and it's part of the race circuit up here. The story in the paper keeps talking about profit. Quite honestly, I don't see that as a sensible target. As sports facilities go, ski slopes have a very low user density comapred to things like football pitches and swimming pools. They have fairly expensive upkeep compared to other open air surfaces and the costs need to be high to reflect this. If you try to add a profit on top, you have the risk that people won't find it value for money.
It might be better if they find a bid that proposes a not for profit set up with snowsports retail and servicing outlets on site to provide basic running costs in the form of rent. Or even non associated trades if they don't imapct too much.
Talk of ski villages associated with a dry slope is twee and impractical. By all means site a slope in an existing holiday village, but to try to build a holiday experience around a dry slope seems unwise.
With the best will in the world, dry slopes and snowdomes aren't really all that attractive. Once facilites are up to a basic aesthetic standard, you might as well leave them there. I doubt that anyone has changed slope because they found the lodge more attractive elsewhere. You go to the nearest unless the surface, equipment, price or service are unacceptable, then you go to the next nearest.
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You know it makes sense.
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Just to inform you fully that the only reason Ross was closed last Wednesday is as the local police instructed us to do so.
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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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okay, thanks for that, but would it be possible to keep your website and answerphone up to date, its pretty frustrating at the moment. cheers.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I took a group of Scouts there in the summer, most had lessons as they hadn't skied before. We were charged £10.00 a head for two hours instruction, which was pretty cheap and the instructors were great. The ones who could ski got free use of the two slopes. However they need to use a bit more moss and weedkiller on the slopes as whenever you hit a green patch, you just stopped.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We will ensure that the website is updated - it was updated several times last week on the front page regarding the conditions (i.e. open / open without car parking etc).
Unfortunately we cannot update the voicemail as it is hosted by a third party company.
It is also worth you adding us on fb (skiross) where we post regular updates regarding offers, events etc.
Any feedback you can give is more than helpful at the moment and we will try to take any suggestions on board.
Thanks
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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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okay, here is a challenge for all the snowheads out there.
Can you help Ski Rossendale to survive and even flourish in these hard times?
It sounds like they need two things (apart from a miracle or a benevolent lottery winner)
1 - your ideas, make em sensible and achievable - post them in this thread
2 - how about as visit from you? just one for starters, every little would help.
On that note - what do folk think of organising a special 'snowheads' day for a special price? How about a voucher code skiross? just for us snowheads.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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idea - you have to have a very good website that is kept bang up to date and kept interesting. Chill factore are pretty good at this.
idea - is it value for money?
idea - does it looked cared for?
idea - do the staff go that extra mile to make you want to come back?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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It's worth going to Rossendale just for the Full Breakfast. 
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are we in an idea vacuum? i thought snowheads to be a forum for ski enthusiasts .................
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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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disappointing response to a genuine ask for help snowheads:cry:
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FAQ
