Hi,

I am moving back to the UK, its been a few years, I will miss my runs up to
the local ski centers in Southern PA. My question is about dry slopes, I am
moving to the Guildford area and I know there are 2 dry slopes with in 10 or
so minutes from my new house. A tiny one in Guildford and a bigger one in
Aldershot. If anyone knows of these slopes could they give me their
impressions, the websites are pretty basic to say the least.

I have skied on Dry Slopes before but never been on a board on one. I know
it is going to be horrible but how bad is it? should I just not even bother.
I like to freeride but would be happy to mess about with little kickers and
rails if they have them, the 300 foot long road width run might get old
pretty fast with out some diversion.

Boards I have 3 of them, My orginal K2 JuJu 151 which is short for me but
fun on the east coast when the conditions don't really require floatation
just a sense of humour, less board to hit people with on a crowded slope
during a holiday week end. Its a soft board but as it was my first I am very
attached to it. My bigger mountain board is a 160 Incline...great board!
rode it for the first time this year in CO..it was recommended to me by
people on this group last season. Now I don't think I will be taking the
Donek on a dry slope!!!!! Finally I have a pretty awful Liquid 159 which was
my old big mountain board (I got it in a panic for $50 when I realised that
my chances of floating in powder on my trusty 151 were 0. It is very stiff
but with a pair of mid/high end bindings on it is actually fine. It needs a
little repair it is starting to delam up by the front side nose. My thoughts
were to rent a board for the first few times at the Dry Slope as I am bound
to damage the thing with all that falling I will be doing, but after that I
intend to patch up this liquid board and make it my Dry Slope board..how
quikly will it rub away to nothing snowboarding on carpet? Waxing? I will
mount my old K2 Free Ride bindings on it, they are old don't have ratchets
but they are solid and I guess that my hand will be warm enough in May in
england out of my gloves, Does the carpet rip thru bindings too?. And boots
I have a nice pair of Solomans Dialogue and an older pair of Vans...should I
expect the boots to get pretty scuffed up?

Any thoughts on Dry Slopes would be welcome, I am depressed about missing
out real snow but being able to board in summer would be great. I have for
the record been to a Snow Dome (tamworth) before, I also have folks up near
castleford and sheffield so I will visit the slopes there at some point. So
please don't tell me to go their instead they are about 3 hours in a car
away from my home.

I will still be doing my annual winter holidays to the real stuff, I will
probably go twice a year now infact, so don't feel that sorry for me.

Any info and thoughts woudl be great.

TIA

Tommy Holmes