 Poster: A snowHead
|
| Mr Technique wrote: |
| mr_big_ad, you should hire this woman to do your investor pitch. |
i can believe that bitch stole my idea! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| Mr Technique wrote: |
This is nonsense. snowHeads is full of nutters who'll hike 3 hours up Ben Nevis in July just to ski 50m of whatever has magically survived in a cold North-facing shadow somewhere. |
It is also full of many who are so far up their own ars** that they could lick their own tonsils and those that "have all the gear but no idea"
It could work technically but financially is a different matter, ive driven over the pennines in summer and it has been snowin on the top of Englands highest motorway!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
[quote="leedsunited"]
| Mr Technique wrote: |
It is also full of many who are so far up their own ars** that they could lick their own tonsils and those that "have all the gear but no idea"
|
I think I'm "all the gear and no idea" but I'm also full of poo-poo so maybe both apply.
So where do place yourself?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Quote: |
It is also full of many who are so far up their own ars** that they could lick their own tonsils and those that "have all the gear but no idea"
|
Bit random...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| mr_big_ad wrote: |
| Monium wrote: |
| mr_big_ad wrote: |
| Monium wrote: |
| See how ridiculous I sound? You sound the same to us. |
do you wannt hear about my fanless data centre cooling design and my electricity generating solar thermal collector? |
Fanless data centre cooling and solar panels already exist. These products are a good idea. Your idea is not a good product. |
you are clearly an overly negative person, from what i wrote, you could not have established that my plans were not radicaly improvement on currect technology!
remember the hoover, who thought that could be improved on? one man, James Dyson, we meet up on wedneday evenings for a drink and i supply him with great ideas, trouble is, he doesn't ski! |
There are people whose job it is to improve those products. I know several of them, and I can guarantee you that you aren't even in the same league as those guys. They have genuinely brilliant ideas, and come up with stuff that is actually vaguely possible, and in many cases quite sensible. If your idea was vaguely plausible, a bank would lend you money to do it, and you would do it. Instead we are having a right little giggle on the internet, apologies but that giggle is at your expense.
You couldn't be much more wrong about the negativity, just when I see someone who is either dicking around on the internet, or about to waste thousands of pounds of money that could be much better spent on a business idea that might actually work, I call a spade a spade. When I see someone with a really good idea, I check they have covered all the bases, and then give them encouragement and support for a good idea.
Your idea is cack. Sorry. Nobody, so far, in the entire thread, has suggested this will actually work financially. You could probably make it worth it if you are prepared to throw thousands down the toilet every single season, but otherwise it's simply not viable.
I very much doubt that you provide great ideas to James Dyson. He probably lets you ramble on like a drunk tramp in the pub, then laughs to himself about how many of those ideas are complete drivel, and how many of his ideas (whilst not many are really original) make him rather a lot of money.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you want to ski Scotland is OK, on the right day. If you want a holiday go somewhere else, Scots are miserable, and the weather is even worse than Ireland. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This thread started out as a fun bit of speculation, and somehow people with deadly serious expressions on their faces and buckets of poo-poo at the ready are trying to make out it was a real life business plan. Sorry folks, this is a fun thread, I think you came through the wrong door.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
[quote="betterinblack"]
| leedsunited wrote: |
| Mr Technique wrote: |
It is also full of many who are so far up their own ars** that they could lick their own tonsils and those that "have all the gear but no idea"
|
I think I'm "all the gear and no idea" but I'm also full of poo-poo so maybe both apply.
So where do place yourself? |
I, er, didn't say that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Since the development of the any temp snow machine I thought the same thing. It is possible to to develop a small ski resort(s) in England. Scottish sites could be made more reliable but thats a seperate thred, this post is about England. Why? Because a lot of people live in England and for most people Scotland for the day or weekend is too far away. People passionate about their sport wish to maintain it in the best possible conditions in between ski holidays to mountains a long long way away. Snow is always the preferred way to maintain during a season and being outdoors is the preferred option also.
Before I go any further I just want to clarify something that most Brits seem to mis-understand. We don't have any ski resorts in Britain, the Scottish "ski resorts" are not ski resorts, they are ski centres. Ski centres are smaller than ski resorts but serve as centres for day tripers and weekenders. This isn't something unique to Scotland, you will find that most countries / states in Europe, North America have proper ski centres that serve for this purpose. We as Brits have got into the habit of calling ski centres ski resorts to avoid the confusion between outdoor snow centres (in mountains), indoor snow centres and dry slope centres that are abundant here in the UK. The idea / proposal headlining this post is for a ski centre. Another important point to mention is that almost all Brits compare a ski environment to the main Alps in Europe which is foolish, it sets a very unrealistic standard that they expect all ski environments should live up to when most don't. There are many many smaller mountain ranges that most people, unless relatively local have no awareness of.
Separate to the original proposal. This is how I would do it, at least initially. The snowmachines are around 3mil according to posts. The relatively recent hemel snowdome, which is tiny, cost £27million. I still believe there is a lot of potential for dryslopes. In Japan they have for a long time been using their own dryslope material, similar to snowflex but developed long before it. They have several very long and wide slopes in existing ski resorts. The matting is green so as to blend into the environment out of season. During season the matting is covered in snow both from nature and machine. They have all year skiing. My concept is a little less ambitious. You could take a modern dryslope (not dentex) and simply lay the snow on top during season. The snow, when packed, last a long time. Its cheap to make and can be topped up. There is a small centre in Essex where they use manmade snow outdoors for skiing. It could be done on a bigger scale with a more efficient machine like the one mentioned in this post. Even out of season comps could be covered in snow, much like the events that happen in London where real snow is used. Hey presto, you have perfectly decant snow skiing, potentially available to near or even in any reasonably sized population that would be cheaper to run and build than a snowdome plus its real snow during season, but all year skiing regardless. Ticked prices cheaper than snowdome but more than existing dryslopes without a snow facility. After this the possibility to take it a stage further. Site specific centres i.e a centre that only caters for freestyle, i.e jumps and half pipe etc, a centre just for skiercross, a centre just for mogul etc, allows the utilisation of a small site to take a category of the sport to full standard with the relevent training. But initially, its very possible to get a multi purpose dryslope to contain a range of terrain, for different standards and styles in a compact space.
This is a more realistic proposal to start with.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Ideas and innovation are a great thing, something the UK used to be good at, I commend mr_big_ad for at least trying to present his ideas here, as this is a snow forum. Whilst the majority of critism has been constructive some has just been downright rude...
Keep the idea's coming.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
mrpugster, In total agreement, where is MR BIG anyway?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
out and about raising funds 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
mr_big_ad, I'm off for a walk up there in the next couple of weeks to check it out. Church Stretton offers a few possibilities too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
There's a lot of snow cannon talk on the Yad Moss Facebook page at the moment, obviously all just talk but interesting none-the-less...
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| ryan110398 wrote: |
| Cross fell is the source of the Tyne (also the Tees I think) and as such plays an important emotional part in the geography of the North East. Lots of angry Geordies will cut up rough about all of this. |
Yes the Tees does start on Cross Fell, but, speaking as a Teesider myself, saying that Cross Fell plays any 'emotional part on the geography of the North East' is bollox. The few northeasterners who give a toss about their landscape and heritage would probably point to the coastline and industrial heritage as far more important.
I agree however that environmental concerns would be one of the very many reasons why this project would never get off the ground.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
More likely to than a 2000m Dutch mountain 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I want mr_big_ad to keep trying - friend of ours has property in Blencairn, would make a handy ski-lodge if he can ever work out how to get any snow to stick to the hill once the wind starts blowing up there. More power to you mr_big_ad, you crazy dreamer you!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I definitely think something can be done in the UK with the technology.
The best results/experience would be at Cross Fell. But the economics/ecological impact are clearly a concern.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Quote: |
| Cross fell is a designated conservation area and I think evening grazing is restricted/prohibited on the fell tops. Even sheep are banned for Christ sake, to protect the very few occurrences of this landscape and flora in England. |
The idea that almost any part of the British landscape is 'Natural' is a bit far fetched. 9000 years of deforestation, grazing and agriculture is responsible for what we have today.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cross Fell is littered with scars from mining, it's far from being as nature intended. The nature reserve stops short of the area I had suggested would be utilised. It stops at tees head I believe.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
mr_big_ad, well I think you're awesome! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
mr_big_ad, Mynydd Rheola, Vale of Neath? It ticks all the right boxes as a summer MTB resort......
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
Innerleithen anyone?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
mr_big_ad, It's great that you are still pushing this. Keep up the good work/trolling. It's entertaining stuff if nothing else.
I'd be interested to know whether you are really trying to push this forward as a valid proposal (i.e. investing time and money in developing a business plan/feasability study) or just messing about on the internet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
I genuinely believe there is a Market for something like this. Snow domes cost millions to build, are very limited and are very expensive to attend.
The vacuum snow maker can produce a ski slope the equivalent size of the snow dome slopes in a couple of days. But to offer an experience that is better than a snowdome, the artificial slope should be located somewhere where skiing on natural snow is also available.
I would certainly invest the time in putting together a coated business proposal, cash I do not have. Not that it would cost much.
What I could do with is some help gathering visitor numbers from ski domes and dry ski slopes in the north of England.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
mr_big_ad, have you read Jamie Johnson's piece on building a new piste from the current Cairngorm base station down to Glenmore? Jamie would be the man to consult if you are seriously considering this
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
I havent, but i can see the benefit of having a snow AND wind resistant slope in amongst the trees.
have you got a link?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The trouble with the UK is that due to the moderating effect of the Atlantic, we do not have a long warm growing season, as such the tree line barely extends beyond 650m in the mountainous areas. So not a great deal of natural snowfall occours where it is likely to hang around 
It would nearly always be pure man made snow being skiied on. Good for logistic reasons like providing an access run or wind-secure slopes, but not ideal for a complete "ski centre"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
If ever there was a development like this, it wouldn't be a bad idea to include re-forestation, up to treeline, not only for the site intended but for a far wider area that would go towards softening up the enviro-mentalists.
Trees act as wind and sun shield. They help maintain snow longer. They arn't essential for skiing though. In terms of the north English hills, it would help improve the ambience of the area to bring it back into nature, even if the skiing may be % above treeline.
It's not so far fetched to have properly established centres that are smaller than this proposal. Check the Czech Republic for similar terrain, heights, verts & climate as England and the remainder, Scotland. They have small resort centres there so its plausable to have the same in England.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
