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#31
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Odd
On Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:46:32 -0000, "MoonMan"
wrote: Ace wrote: On Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:58:39 -0000, "MoonMan" wrote: Ace wrote: Hemel Hempstead for me. At least it's still there No it's not. It was just a dry slope when I took a course there. and Actually quite good snow too! If you say so. At ukp23 per hour it'd bloody well have to be. Milton keynes is a similar price, and the snow is crap Went there a few times when it first opened, as I lived locally. And yes, it was crap, but the best that was available at the time. I'm glad to hear that the more modern ones are better, although not, AFAICT, any cheaper. -- Ace Ski Club of Great Britain http://www.skiclub.co.uk/ All opinions expressed are those of the poster and in no way reflect those of the Ski Club or its members |
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#32
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Odd
On Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:14:33 -0000, "Paul S" PAULatSONIFEXdotCOdotUK
wrote: Ahh, memories come flooding back of Skew Bridge dry ski slope in the Northamptonshire mountains. Couldn't believe how slippy the real stuff was when we went to Italy (Macugnaga?) the following winter. Yes, that was my impression - incredibly slippery and my first run on real snow was down a busy track from the top station of the Gornegrat railway in Zermatt. My confidence took rather a tumble. -- -Pip |
#33
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Odd
Ace wrote:
Went there a few times when it first opened, as I lived locally. And yes, it was crap, but the best that was available at the time. I'm glad to hear that the more modern ones are better, although not, AFAICT, any cheaper. It depends if you pay standard prices or go for one of the (many) offers. Castleford is AFAIK around 25 quid an hour but I've never paid anywhere near that except for lessons. I paid 28 quid for three hours on Sunday evening. Cheers, Ollie |
#34
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Odd
On 24 Feb 2010 15:03:12 GMT, Ollie Clark squeezed out the following:
Ace wrote: Went there a few times when it first opened, as I lived locally. And yes, it was crap, but the best that was available at the time. I'm glad to hear that the more modern ones are better, although not, AFAICT, any cheaper. It depends if you pay standard prices or go for one of the (many) offers. Castleford is AFAIK around 25 quid an hour but I've never paid anywhere near that except for lessons. I paid 28 quid for three hours on Sunday evening. I think we pay around £20ish each for two hours and a lunch, at their wrinklies' sessions. -- Colin Irvine |
#35
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Odd
"Ollie Clark" wrote in message ... Ace wrote: Went there a few times when it first opened, as I lived locally. And yes, it was crap, but the best that was available at the time. I'm glad to hear that the more modern ones are better, although not, AFAICT, any cheaper. It depends if you pay standard prices or go for one of the (many) offers. Castleford is AFAIK around 25 quid an hour but I've never paid anywhere near that except for lessons. I paid 28 quid for three hours on Sunday evening. Cheers, Ollie Which, of course, would buy you a whole day's ski-pass in most of the Alpine areas... Odd, indeed. Roger www.mountainpassions.com - an Online Magazine with Altitude |
#36
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Odd
On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:28:01 +0100, "Roger Moss"
squeezed out the following: "Ollie Clark" wrote in message ... Ace wrote: Went there a few times when it first opened, as I lived locally. And yes, it was crap, but the best that was available at the time. I'm glad to hear that the more modern ones are better, although not, AFAICT, any cheaper. It depends if you pay standard prices or go for one of the (many) offers. Castleford is AFAIK around 25 quid an hour but I've never paid anywhere near that except for lessons. I paid 28 quid for three hours on Sunday evening. Cheers, Ollie Which, of course, would buy you a whole day's ski-pass in most of the Alpine areas... .... if you had the time and the money to get there. -- Colin Irvine |
#37
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Odd
Roger Moss wrote:
Which, of course, would buy you a whole day's ski-pass in most of the Alpine areas... Yes, which is great if you live 30 minutes away from an alpine area. Odd, indeed. Not really. Alpine areas get free snow (mostly) and the slopes were built for free hundreds of thousands of years ago. Indoor slopes have to make all their own snow, cool the building and build the slope themselves. I think what's odd is how alpine areas can justify charging so much! |
#38
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Odd
On 24 Feb 2010 17:19:15 GMT, Ollie Clark
wrote: Roger Moss wrote: Which, of course, would buy you a whole day's ski-pass in most of the Alpine areas... Yes, which is great if you live 30 minutes away from an alpine area. 30 minutes? Hah! Odd, indeed. Not really. Alpine areas get free snow (mostly) and the slopes were built for free hundreds of thousands of years ago. Indoor slopes have to make all their own snow, cool the building and build the slope themselves. I think what's odd is how alpine areas can justify charging so much! You don't think that the lift systems and the staff to man them might incur some significant costs as well then? Not to mention piste preparation, avalanche control, shuttle buses, piste patrol... -- Ace Ski Club of Great Britain http://www.skiclub.co.uk/ All opinions expressed are those of the poster and in no way reflect those of the Ski Club or its members |
#39
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Odd
Ace wrote:
On 24 Feb 2010 17:19:15 GMT, Ollie Clark wrote: Roger Moss wrote: Which, of course, would buy you a whole day's ski-pass in most of the Alpine areas... Yes, which is great if you live 30 minutes away from an alpine area. 30 minutes? Hah! Odd, indeed. Not really. Alpine areas get free snow (mostly) and the slopes were built for free hundreds of thousands of years ago. Indoor slopes have to make all their own snow, cool the building and build the slope themselves. I think what's odd is how alpine areas can justify charging so much! You don't think that the lift systems and the staff to man them might incur some significant costs as well then? Not to mention piste preparation, avalanche control, shuttle buses, piste patrol... Well yes, but indoor slopes also have to run lifts, pay operators, "piste patrol" as well; all admittedly on a smaller scale. But they also get fewer visitors. I don't think any of them are making huge profits. TBH alpine resorts and indoor slopes probably both charge as much as they can get away with. Everyone would probably agree that skiing in the alps would always be prefereable but it's not always practical for everyone. :-) |
#40
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Odd
"Ollie Clark" wrote in message ... Ace wrote: On 24 Feb 2010 17:19:15 GMT, Ollie Clark wrote: Roger Moss wrote: Which, of course, would buy you a whole day's ski-pass in most of the Alpine areas... Yes, which is great if you live 30 minutes away from an alpine area. 30 minutes? Hah! Odd, indeed. Not really. Alpine areas get free snow (mostly) and the slopes were built for free hundreds of thousands of years ago. Indoor slopes have to make all their own snow, cool the building and build the slope themselves. I think what's odd is how alpine areas can justify charging so much! You don't think that the lift systems and the staff to man them might incur some significant costs as well then? Not to mention piste preparation, avalanche control, shuttle buses, piste patrol... Well yes, but indoor slopes also have to run lifts, pay operators, "piste patrol" as well; all admittedly on a smaller scale. But they also get fewer visitors. I don't think any of them are making huge profits. TBH alpine resorts and indoor slopes probably both charge as much as they can get away with. Everyone would probably agree that skiing in the alps would always be prefereable but it's not always practical for everyone. :-) I can see a whole new thread unfolding here... It's like Ace says, and a whole lot more, operating cost-wise: Take snow-making, which isn't just there to compensate for poor cover - it's vital to lay a decent base for when the snow arrives and thus ensure a good start to the season. The water it consumes must often be pumped up the mountain to purpose-built reservoirs, and the power required (although system efficiency is improving) for snowmaking currently accounts for around 40% of the energy costs of many ski areas. More than lifts, in fact. Check out the price of installing and maintaining lift systems - real, mountain-sized ones, lots of them and spread over huge areas in hostile conditions. Throw in safety tests and inspections, while you're at it. All this stuff and more goes on in the background so you'll have a safe and enjoyable skiing experience. And it costs. I've skied with the pisteurs, emergency services, avalanche teams, etc., and seen first-hand just how big an investment their work requires. Final thought: the ski industry is hugely competitive, which tends to keep a lid on prices (get your pricing wrong and skiers will simply head elsewhere). Which is why indoor centres, seen from a mountain perspective, look over-priced for what they offer. IMHO, of course... Roger www.mountainpassions.com - an Online Magazine with Altitude |
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