Don't put the skis away just yet!

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Just when we were thinking that the season had ended lo and behold we have some fresh snow. As I write this there is only an inch or so of wet stuff on the tops but more is predicted so we may possibly perhaps conceivably get some more skiing in this week - watch the webcam tomorrow morning and the weather forecasts and if we do plan to open I will send out an update.

In the meantime Scott from Sunderland (Silksworth) Sports Complex has offered WSC the following "managers special offer" - to take it up you must show proof of current WSC membership.

Steve

We have a variety of Managers Specials, from 1st April to 1st September

Which may be of interest to your Club Members or could be extended further a field to Family Members, Schools or Youth Groups..which your members may be either employed or be volunteers.

School Group...six Ski or Snowboard Lessons for £162 a SAVING of £64.80, Youth Groups......six Ski or Snowboard Lessons £252 a SAVING of £216

 

Or as a Special Treat to Young People or even Adults, Silksworth Sports Complex has Activity Sessions, which consist of One Hour Skiing...One Hour   Snowboarding...and Forty Minutes on Snow Tubes..all this for £15 per person with a maximum of eight places per session and a saving of £10 per person.

Private Lesson....for complete Beginners or for the more Intermediate who would like to become more skilful, by booking a one hour Ski or Snowboard lesson, at a cost of £28.15 for the first person and then £7.50 for the Second, £5 for the Third and £2.50 for the Fourth, with a saving of £61.35 

 

Recreational Skiing and Snowboarding......for competent user a MASSIVE discount of £4.30 a 50% discount for both Adults and Juniors...£4.30 an hour or a Summer Pass for £25..to keep your Skiing and Snowboarding ability tuned for the forth coming Winter Season.

 

Tubing......we are offering a fun forty minute doughnut session for £35 for Birthday Parties of up to twelve Young People or Adults, with a saving of £10. 

 

Servicing......we can offer a variety of servicing or repairs at a competitive rate, however a Managers Special, we can offer a Base, Grind and Edge for £5 with a saving of £9.90 or  Base, Grind, Edge and Hot Wax for £10 with a saving of £8.30.

 

 

  All bookings must be paid and booked in advance with proof of Weardale Ski Club membership

skiing wednesday 10th March

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Sorry about the later than planned report - just got back from a meal out. F1 electric problem fixed and tows ran all day today. Still good cover though thinning in places. The snow was very good early on but softened at lunchtime and became heavy mid afternoon leading to an early finish about 2:30pm. Everywhere is still skiable and especially good today were No 1 gully and the main gully where the snow remained great even at the close of skiing. The critical factor seems to be how cold the temperature gets at night - the colder the night the longer the snow stays good the next day - forecast -6 c tonight at Swinhope and blue skies and sunshine predicted tomorrow so looking good.

We are planning to open tomorrow (Wednesday) from about 10:30am and day members are welcome but please complete the day membership form before travelling. The road is clear.

Hopefully the snow will last till the weekend but we are very short on tow operators. Will any trained tow operator that is available this weekend please contact us in advance.

Steve

Skiing Tuesday 9th March

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Good news + bad news. Good news is that there is still plenty of snow and sunshine forecast for tomorrow. The freezing temperatures at night are keeping the snow but it was very hard this morning according to reports and not sure how much it softened up in the sun - not a lot on Sunday. The bad news is that F1 tow has an electrical fault so will only be running if we get it fixed. I have had an offer of help from some electricians and hopefully we will get things going but no guarantees and if you are planning travelling from a distance perhaps think again! If we get F1 fixed we will be running from 10:30 or as soon as possible.I will update this message tomorrow night with progress!

Steve

Bikini clad skiers (wanted)

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Well you can put Spring back on hold, my pond has frozen over again. Temperatures plummeted last night and todays the conditions couldn't have been any different to yesterday with very hard, in places icy, snow first thing today that really rattled your fillings (Stuarts comments suggesting he has more fillings than most). The predicted sun shone all day making for a fantastic day again with it feeling warm enough for one brave person to ski in a T-shirt and most of us without jackets on. It would have been warm enough for bikini clad skiing but where were you all - come on ladies! Surprisingly the predicted thaw never came and the snow remained hard and fast all day, only softening in a few places which means the snow has lasted better than predicted. This means we will hopefully be opening at least Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week but please check the answerphone before travelling. Tomorrow and Tuesday we plan to open at 10am and are open to Day Members but ask you to please print off and comolete the Day Members form before arriving. The road is currently clear apart from some patches of ice. Please do not approach on the road from the Teesdale side as the top section is still tricky and there have been a number of incidents this season. The only safe approach is from Daddry Shield on the A689.

Steve

Snow report from Saturday 6th March

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Spring is officially here - the ice has finally melted on my pond ater 4 months! Similarly the snow is beginning to disappear at Swinhope and we seem to be nearing the end of what has been the most memorable spell of skiing that I have known in my 23 years here. There is still plenty of snow up there and skiing first thing today was good, especially on the pisted runs, but became heavy later on and we closed up at about 2:30pm. All runs however are still open including the gully and the runs over to the est though today were slower and harder work.

We are planning to run tomorrow from about 10am - members only. A very cold night is forecast tonight with temperatures down to -5 or -6c so the snow should be well frozen by the morning and wall to wall sunshine is predicted. Should make for some good skiing in the morning but if the snow gets heavy we may well close early again at a similar time to today. The road today was completely clear.

Tomorrow is our 42nd day skiing and will be my 20th day. A quick calculation show that works out at £1.25 a day skiing for me - I think you might agree pretty good value. Last Tuesday was such a perfect day I am sure we could have charged £50 a day and nobody would have complained. When compared to £35 for 2 hours in the snowdome.......

Steve

Skiing this weekend 6/7th March

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

There still seems to be plenty of snow left so we are planning to run the tow both on Saturday and Sunday from about 10am. The road is currently clear but snow is forecast and we have been caught out recently with changing weather and road conditions so still come prepared for all possibilities!

Please remember we are only open to members at weekends and can I please ask members to wear their membership cards visibly if possible to make checking easier.

I will send a report out tomorrow night on Saturdays conditions as Sunday looks the better day according to the Met Office (if you believe them!). Make the most of what has been a superb season. It has to end sometime and who knows this could be the last weekend.

Steve

Snow report Wednesday 3rd March

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Another very good days skiing today with approximately 60-70 people in attendance. The slopes were very nicely groomed though a bit of spindrift was picked up with the wind mid morming which slowed the runs down a little. There is still very wide cover and prospects are very good for the weekend. Unfortunately due to a shortage of Tow Operators (most of us have well and truly used up our brownie points and will be repaying them all summer!) we will not be running the tows tomorrow (Thursday) and possibly not on Friday. I am sorry to disappoint people but we really have been stretched to bursting with all the ski days this season (40 so far) and need to get more people trained up to help us in future years if this weather is to be repeated.

The answerphone (01388 527527) will be updated on Thursday evening so if there is a chance of skiing on Friday we will announce it on the message. We are planning to run both Saturday and Sunday.

Please note that our neighbours at Yad Moss are planning to open tomorrow so if you had planned a trip then pay them a visit. If you present your WSC card you will get reduced day membership there. However beginner snowboarders may struggle with their tow lift so it is not advised to attend unless you are competent using a fast drag lift.

Steve

Snow report tuesday 2nd March - EXQUISITE

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

I start the email with an apology. I am sorry for those of you who could not make it today as you missed what can only be described as an exquisite day at Swinhope. 2 or 3 inches of fresh and unforecast powder fell overnight to give superb conditions with fluffy light powder over an excellent firm base. The sun shone continuously from 10am until 5:15pm when we closed the last tow and with no wind at all conditions were as close to alpine as I have known. As further proof of how good the weather was not only did my wife Alison turn up but also Mike's wife Eileen - both I am sure won't mind being described as fair weather skiers! Queues were non existant, there were no stoppages or breakdowns and the only problem I encountered was finding a place on the sundeck to eat my lunch! Managed a total of 5400 meters of ascent and descent today according to my altimeter which ranks with a good day in the Alps.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) - we plan to open from 10am. The F1 pistes have been groomed to European standards tonight and those who make it up tomorrow can thank Wayne for that. We are open to Day Members midweek and thanks to all those who came today with completed forms - it makes our life so much easier.

The road Having put on the answerphone that the road was clear there was an unpredicted fall of snow overnight which made the road tricky and necessitated 4WD or chains in the morning. By afternoon it had cleared but this just shows how variable the road conditions can be so always come prepared. Someone will always offer you a lift if you cannot get up the road but please park with consideration for others at the bottom and don't block any gates or entrances. Hopefully tomorrow the road will be clear but the above serves as a warning.

Parking - there is limited parking at the car park so please try and park at an angle close to other cars or dig in well off the road. Please Please do not obstruct the gate which is our only access to the fell for emergencies. We have placed cones there to ward people off but still didnt stop someone trying to park there today. The same goes for other gates.

Steve