Snow update

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Despite the recent snowfall unfortunately conditions are not good enough to open on Wednesday - the snow cover is rather poor and wet and looks like it will deteriorate overnight. They have fared a bit better further west and Yad Moss plan to open tomorrow and Raise has very good cover and are definitely planning to open. Our time will come!

Steve

Snow update and AGM report

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We have had several cm of snow in Weardale and it was looking reasonably promising at one stage but sadly the snow has been replaced by rain and is rapidly dwindling and very heavy so there is no prospect of skiing today sadly.

I am away for a week or so so there will be no emails from me but please look at the website, facebook or ring the answerphone if there is the possibility of skiing and they will be updated.

The AGM was a great success with about 50 members and 2 fabulous presentations by Anto Baird and Kevin Moore. Thanks to all who turned up and to Anto and Kevin for the interesting talks/films/slide shows.

Steve

WSC AGM Monday 7th November

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A final reminder that we are holding the Weardale Ski Club AGM on Monday 7th November at The Honest Lawyer, Croxdale, Durham commencing at 8pm. All are welcome and please note that we will be trialling using the downstairs room this year which will make it less formal and also enable easier access to the bar!

We hope to keep the business element brief and leave more time for the social side which includes films from Anto Baird and Kevin Moore covering "a sailing and skiing trip to South Georgia" and "back country skiing in Japan".

We are also encouraging members to bring along old items of ski/board kit and clothing that they no longer want with the view to selling or swapping them.

Hopefully will see many of you there on Monday.

Snow is forecast this weekend and we are all ready for it though it sounds likely to be very thin, wet and windy but at least it is a start. Don't build up your hopes for any skiing this weekend.

Steve

Work party Sun 30 Oct + AGM Mon 7 Nov

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Hi Everyone,

We are holding our final work party of the year this Sunday to get the hangars back on ready for the start of the season which is not far away hopefully - they have already had snow in Scotland. As well as servicing and replacing the hangars we have a few other jobs to be done including removal of old snow fencing, grass cutting etc. The more people we get then the quicker we will be so if you can spare a few hours then please join us. There will be opportunities to train potential tow operators on the day so if you would like this training let me know when you arrive and we will fit it in through the day. We are hoping to start early at 9am but happy for people to attend later if necessary.

Our AGM is booked for the Honest Lawyer, Croxdale, Durham on Monday 7th November at 8pm and all are welcome. We plan to keep the business side of the evening very short and have lined up 2 excellent speakers who are giving talk/slide show/film presentations entitled "Sailing and skiing trip to South Georgia" and "Backcountry skiing in Japan". As well as this we plan to offer offer members the chance to sell or swap items of ski/board equipment and clothing so if you have anything that you no longer use bring it along and hopefully you can find a new home for things. This is especially helpful for those with young children who grow out of skis, boots, salopettes etc very quickly.

Steve

Work party report

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Firstly a big thanks to all those who turned out for today's work party in such awful weather in the morning. You all deserve a medal. The weather did improve and by afternoon it was beautiful.

We had a very good turnout with 15-20 people there and I am sorry I didn't catch everyone's name - please can you reply to this email if you were there just so we have a record of who turned up. I gather one person was hoping to be shown how to operate the tows but due to servicing the running gear on the tows today we were unable to run them until we had finished by which time you had left - if you contact me then I will add you to my list and ensure we get you some training.

We got a lot of work done today, mainly repairing fencing, clearing a lot of old fencing off the slopes, servicing the running gear along with a few other jobs.

The road up to Swinhope is beautiful tarmac and looks like a motorway now all the way up. The only issue is where the car park is at the very top where there is a drop of about 6-8" in places where they have built up the road surface but not the car park so be careful if you do not have 4wd using the top car park for turning etc.

We are nearly ready for the season now, the last job being to service the hangars and put them back on.

Bring on the snow.

Steve

Work party Sunday 16th

The Weardale Ski Club ltd

If any of you can spare a few hours on Sunday we are having a work party to try and tidy up the fell for the coming season and repair some of the damaged fencing amongst other jobs. The more hands we have the sooner we will have the slopes ready. We generally start the work parties at @ 10am meeting at the car park.

In preparation for the forthcoming fantastic season you may also note that we have had the road up to the slopes re-surfaced to cope with the expected surge in traffic!

Membership renewals are going very well but existing members have only 2 weeks left to renew membership without incurring the £10 late fee.

Steve

Work Party, AGM and Membership

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Hi Everyone,

Winter is approaching and they have already had snow in the Cairngorms. Membership is going very well and we currently have over 500 members who have joined and we will close membership once we reach 750 so do not delay if you intend to join. New members are now welcome and existing members have until the end of this month to rejoin and avoid paying the £10 joining/late fee. There have been very few problems with the on-line renewal process and most cases it has been due to change of email address - please use the email address you used last year to rejoin and the same log in details.

Work Party - we are planning another work party next Sunday (16th Oct) to finish off some fence repairs, complete the grass cutting, clear the fells etc and the more hands the quicker it will be. It will also be an ideal opportunity to train up a few more assistant tow operators so those of you who have expressed an interest and have not yet had training are more than welcome to attend. We will meet as usual at 10am at the car park.

AGM - save the date for your diary - Monday 7th Nov. Details wil be sent out later but we are planning a brief AGM followed by hopefully 2 films/slide shows and also either a "Swap Shop" for old ski equipment/clothing or possible and "Auction" of old ski equipment/clothing - it will depend on how much old kit members wish to try and offload. If you have equipment that you want to sell, donate, auction then please let me know so that we have some idea of numbers and more details will be emailed out nearer the 7th.

Steve

Work party

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We had a successful work party today and managed to complete the snow fencing on F2 so we now have a complete new fence all the way from the bottom of F1 to the top of F2. Thanks today to Paul, Graham X 2, Sophie, Dave, Norman in addition to the 6 board members who turned up.

All is set for the winter now and just need to get the hangars back on the tow lines.

Membership renewal is also going very well - thanks once again for everyone who continues to support WSC. Membership cards will be posted out over the next couple of weeks.

Steve

Work party Sun 11th Sept

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A gentle reminder for those who were thinking of attending the work party tomorrow - you will all be welcome and the weather looks promising. If enough volunteers turn up we should get F2 snow fencing completed and a few other outstanding jobs done.

We plan to start the work party at 10am meeting at the bottom garage.

Despite the good forecast it is always worth bringing warm clothes and good footwear as the ground is never dry and the weather always a few degrees cooler there than in the valley bottoms.

Steve

WSC membership renewal + Work Party Sun 11 Sept

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Hello everyone,

Winter is approaching and 1st September sees membership opening for the coming season. All current members will get an email (sent to the main contact when you joined) from sportident over the next week or so with links to the membership renewal. Current members are guaranteed a place this year if they renew by 30th September after which time we will open up to non members and it will be on a first come first served basis until we reach our full membership level. If you do not receive an email from sportident in the next week or so please check your spam box as some email accounts filter out bulk emails. Prices are the same as last year proving fantastic value and the cards are sponsored by Snow + Rock this year and they are offering members 15% discount with the card in addition to the other benefits of membership. Thanks to Paul from Pennyprint who produced the cards.

The next work party is Sunday 11th September where we hope to get the snow fencing completed as well as other jobs. The more help we get the more likely it will get finished for the season so please try and attend if possible. For those who expressed a wish in learning to become a tow operator we will try and arrange some training on that day also. Non members welcome and attendance at a work party gets you priority admission to the club! Work parties start at 10am and finish around 4pm but feel free to attend all or part of the day.

Steve

Work party report

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We had a successful work party today. Only 7 people but it is the quality that counts and we  had plenty. Rolba + KB fixed, security cameras installed, fencing moved up the fell and old fencing removed and the team worked really hard to replace a large section of the top of F2 towline fence in cool, wet and blustery conditions. Thanks to John, Ed, Ivan, Judy, Steve and Hugh.

We will be holding a few more work parties in September and will announce dates as soon as agreed.

Steve

Work Party Thurs 11th Aug

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We are holding a small work party on Thursday 11th August to try and get the fencing done on F2 so if anyone fancies a day or half a day helping out you will be more than welcome. We need to fix the Rolba before starting but hope to be ready for the usual time of 10am start. If you plan to attend please can you reply and let me know so I have some idea of numbers (no need to reply if you cannot make it). So far only have 5 or 6 people attending so a few more would be great.

Steve

Discount offers at LD Mountain Centre and Mountain Warehouse

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Hi Everyone,

Hope you are having a great summer and not yet thinking about next ski season? We do however have 2 excellent offers for WSC members that may be well worth looking at.

Mountain Warehouse in Richmond are having a special discount evening next Tuesday 2nd August, 4pm - 8pm. They will give customers who spend over £100 a reduction of 10%, 15% discount on any purchase over £100 and purchases over £150 receive 20%. (This doesn't quite make sense to me but it is the info I have been given!)

LD Mountain Centre in Newcastle are offering all members 20% of RRP on outdoor equipment and clothing for the next 6 weeks.

Please remember to take your WSC membership card when you attend to get the discounts.

We are planning formal work parties in September and I will send out details later in the summer but are also planning a couple of smaller less formal work parties in August to try and get some of the fencing completed. No dates in mind yet but I will send out an email as soon as we agree a couple of dates.

Steve

Successful work party

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A very successful work party was held today with about 30 people turning up and a huge thank you to all of them. Included were several young children, one member with her arm in a plaster after breaking it and having undergone surgery a week ago and one person in a leg brace. Despite the handicaps we got a lot of work done and a significant amount of fencing before hailstones and worsening weather cut the day short (the sunshine I promised arrived after everyone had left!).

We had a great BBQ thanks to John and Catherine our masterchefs. Photos are on the WSC Facebook site if you want to see - https://www.facebook.com/groups/49959985138/.

Next formal work party is 10th September but we will be having a few more informal ones over the summer as we have taken a lot of posts and rails ready to be turned into new fencing so I will email out when we plan to attend, which might be short notice, and perhaps if we can get a small groups of about 6 people we should be able to get a lot done.

Thanks once again to all who braved conditions today.

Steve

BBQ and work party Sun 10 July Help needed!

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Hi everyone. A final reminder and plea for help this weekend. I have had a very poor response from members with very few offering to come an help. If any of you can spare a few hurs on Sunday to help as we have a massive load of fence posts, rails etc to load and unload and a lot of fencing to get done. The weather promises to be good and there is a BBQ as well so what more could you want? 

For the sake of new members, we are a voluntary run club and all the work tends to be done by a very small number of people. If you want to see WSC continue as the premier English Ski Club (personal opinion only) and offer fantastic facilities then we need more members to help out. 

If the work does not get done then please do not moan to me next year if lifts don't run properly or the snow gets blown off the runs or the bridges crumble or the grass does not get cut or the machines break down ..............

If after reading this you decide to join us please let me know so we have an idea of numbers for the BBQ.

Steve

WSC BBQ and work party Sunday 10 July

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A reminder to all members that next sunday 10th July we are holding a BBQ at the ski lodge to which you are all welcome. We are running it in conjunction with a work party to which you are also invited but feel free to attend just for the social BBQ if you wish. We will provide food and drink for a small charge to cover costs.We have masterchef John de Muschamp for the day so there is a guarantee of great food.

Please let me know if you might be coming just so that we have an idea of numbers - we will not hold you to it if you book then do not turn up. Work party starts at 10am and BBQ 12:30-2pm (ish)

On Saturday the 9th The Weardale Medical Practice, of which I am the senior partner, are holding a charity walk and treasure hunt in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust which is our charity of the year. I am taking part with Team Incredible Hulks though will be doing it on crutches as my leg is still in a full length splint. If you feel like sponsoring us please look at the justgiving website below. I know this is not ski related but it is such a good cause.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Weardale-Practice1

Steve

BBQ + Work Party Sun 10 July

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Hi Everyone,

We are holding a BBQ on Sunday 10th July alongside a work party and need as many hands as possible to get the fencing on F2 sorted. The work party will start at 9:30-10am and the BBQ around 12:30. We will provide food, drinks and plates at the BBQ so all you need to do is bring yourselves and some loose change to pay for the food. Suggest wear old work clothes rather than party dresses as we do expect a bit of work from you!

 We have had 2 work parties already this summer that have been rather poorly attended but thanks to those who did turn up. For all those new members this is a great opportunity to get to know other members and see what goes on at these work parties. We are a club owned and run by you the members and all the work is voluntary so unless we get volunteers the work won't get done.

Steve

Work party Saturday 18 June

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Hi everyone. The second work party of the summer is taking place this Saturday starting 9:30-10am. All are welcome and the more the merrier. The last work party was poorly attended by members with only 2 or 3 non committee members turning up so this Saturday is the chance to redeem yourselves. Thanks to those who did attend.

There is a lot of mainly manual work to be done taking down and installing new snow fencing on F2 amongst other jobs so there will be something for all abilities and no tools needed - bring packed lunch, warm clothes and good footwear.

Please remember that this is your club and all the work is by volunteers so if you want fantastic facilities and snow conditions next season then do try and attend at least 1 work party. We will be organising more including some weekdays over the summer. Please let me know if you are planning to attend to give me an idea of number.

Thanks.

Steve

1st work party of the summer this Sunday 5th June

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Just a reminder that the first work party of the summer is taking place this Sunday 5th June starting at 9:30-10am and all members are welcome. The main planned jobs are the removal of the hangars from the tow lifts and beginning the replacement of the F2 and other snow fencing. Depending on how many people turn up we may start rebuilding some of the fencing but demolition and removal of the old fencing is the first step. For those who expressed an interest in becoming assistant tow operators please speak to one of the several committee members who will be there and it may be possible to offer some training on Sunday though we will offer more opportunities at later dates for those who cannot attend. For those who are unsure about becoming assistant tow operators it is the ideal chance to chat to a committee member and find out exactly what it entails. Sadly having wrecked my knee a few weeks ago I am on a long slow road to recovery and wont be at this next work party.

If you plan to attend this work party please will you let me know just so that we have some idea of numbers.

Steve

WSC work party Sunday 5th June + Assistant Tow Operators

Hi Everyone,

It didn't turn out to be too bad a season with a total of 13 days, the last day being 29th April, though we never really got a prolonged cold spell to make the snow last more than a day or two.

Minds now turn to work parties and we are planning our first one on Sunday 5th June. Meet at the car park at 9:30 - 10am and work party starts at 10am. There will be plenty of jobs but the main one is renewing a lot of snow fencing and on the first work party it will be largely dismantling the snow fencing on F2 so no specific skills required and the more hands the better.

We are also looking to train a few Assistant Tow Operators to help when we are short of tow operators. We are happy to offer training and this would involve being shown how to start and stop the 2 lifts, how to open up and shut down the lifts, how to fix minor problems and also how to drive the Skidoo etc. Ideally we are keen for people who live fairly locally and in particular people who are free through the week when it is harder to get tow opertors.

If you are interested please post me an email or turn up at one of the work parties - future dates will be announced soon.

Steve

Snow report

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Sorry for the late message but have just returned from work. The forecast snow does not appear to have materialised despite promises from the Met Office so it looks like we will not be opening the tows on Thursday. I apologise for building up your hopes. If there is a change overnight this message will be updated.

Steve

Skiing Tuesday 16 Feb

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Some fresh snow and cold temperatures meant that we had good conditions again today and about 30 people enjoyed some great skiing. The temperature is set to drop tonight so the snow should improve overnight and hopefully we will have another good day tomorrow. The only problem is that we need to do a little maintenance on F1 where the cable came off the pulleys and has damaged one of them so we will not open before 11am tomorrow but once fixed should be good.

Day members welcome but please download day membership form from the website and bring it along with the correct money.

There was apparently a car obstructing the road just before the car park today seemingly stuck - we think it was not a skier - the police have been informed and hopefully it will have been removed by the morning.

Steve

Snow report and plans for this week

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A great days skiing today with the best snow so far this year with 2-3 inches of powder on top of a reasonable base and good weather. We closed at 2pm due to shortage of tow operators but the temperature then was -2c and the forecast is predicting low temperatures until the weekend when it looks like a thaw is on the way. There is the possibility of some fresh snow in the next day or 2 but the next significant dump of snow (predicted by snowforecast.com so no guarantees!) is Wednesday which may mean Thursday is a great day.

Current plans are to open on Monday from 9:30am, possibly Tuesday and probably Thursday as long as the weather forecast is accurate. Please check the answerphone (01388 317767) before travelling as this will give the latest update. I will try and update tomorrow night by email but it will be late.

Day Members are welcome on weekdays but please download the day membership form from the website, complete it before travelling and hand it to a tow operator before skiing with the correct money

The road was fine today with a covering of snow and patches of ice first thing but clear by midday. Thursday may be more challenging if we get the snow so always come prepared with shovel, chain, old carpet etc

Steve.

Possible skiing Sunday 14th Feb

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We are planning to open the tows tomorrow from 10am but are unsure what conditions will be like. There is a covering of snow at the moment and more snow showers possible overnight. We are expecting the snow to be fairly thin and wet so it is likely to disappear quite quickly and we are anticipating an early close no later than 2pm and possibly earlier so if you plan to come up it would be wise to get there for opening.

Members only at weekends so ensure that you bring your membership cards and show them to a tow operator before skiing.

Might be worth checking the webcam in the morning before travelling - alternatively look at the Lanehead roadside webcam which can be helpful - http://www.durham.gov.uk/article/4530?station=13

Steve

Possibility of snow

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Not much of a ski season to report so far with only 5 days skiing notched up but being ever optimistic we are forecast a very cold February and March so lets hope it brings some snow along with it. Currently we have a thin covering but not quite enough for skiing but there is the possibility of snow over the next 2 days so ensure you are prepared. Sunday looks like a possibility so guys why not take your wives out on Saturday and save valentines day for your true love (I think I  might pay for that comment later!).

If you have been looking at the website you will see that the F1 webcam is working. If you look at F2 webcam and see a garden fence do not worry as Kevin has taken it home to try and fix. Our weather station is also currently out of action but the forecast is basically saying that over the next week it will not get above freezing at Swinhope so any snow that does fall should stay put.

I have received some sad news regarding previous members of WSC whom many of you will know. I am informed that Pauline Peart, wife of one of our founder members Brian Peart (brother of Eric) has sadly passed away as has Brian Guy another previous member who many will remember on his mono-ski. Our thoughts go out to both families.

Steve

Ski update Wednesday 20 January

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A good morning's skiing was had today but by afternoon the already thin snow was getting very soft and thinner. It looks like the weather is set to get milder with rain so there is unlikely to be any more skiing until the temperatures fall and the snow returns - hopefully not too long.

F1 is back running normally- many thanks to Hugh Bence for his help today.

Steve

Skiing Wednesday 20 January

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

After an inspection of the slopes today we are planning to run the lifts tomorrow. There is reasonable snow cover although it is fairly thin but most of the ice seems to have disappeared. We hope to open by 10am and may close by 2pm if conditions deteriorate so do not turn up late

Road - this was clear today apart from the last section which has snow and a little ice on so 4wd, winter tyres or chains may be needed for the last section and please park front-side in at an angle - if you try to reverse in you may block the road for others or get stuck.

Route across - due to the landslide the bridge immediately before the bottom of F1 is unusable. Please follow the usual route across but then when you reach the red poles follow the route across to your right which takes you onto the low level route. You can still ski back using the usual midi route.

Day members welcome - please print and complete a day membership form before travelling and hand into a tow operator BEFORE skiing along with the correct payment.

Steve

Skiing Sunday 17 Jan

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

There has been some fresh snow overnight so tows will be operating today from 10am but once again we may well be closing by 2pm so do not turn up late. We are only open to members today so please do not turn up if you are not a members - we will be running several checks throughout the day so please display your WSC membership cards. There are still approximately 20 places left to join before we reach our maximum and I expect those last few places to go in the next few days.

The road was a bit icy yesterday and caused problems for at least one rear wheel drive merc so with the extra snow you will need to take extra care. 4WD, snow tyres or chains will be needed today. Please also note that there are a lot of drainage ditches alongside the road - every year someone pulls over to let anther car past and one ends up in a ditch so pick your spot to pull over!

Steve

Snow update

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We had another day skiing today that was actually better than expected though still hard work and challenging conditions. We managed to get F2 open and the snow higher up was better than expected.

At the moment it doesnt look like we are going to open tomorrow (Sunday 17 Jan) but should conditions change we will update this email, the answerphone and the skiweardale website.

Steve

Snow report Friday 15 January

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

There was limited skiing today on F1, but unfortunately snow cover was too thin on F2. The skiing was difficult but we were able to use the whole of F1 area so we are planning to open tomorrow, Saturday 16th from 10am, and if there is a cold overnight frost conditions may be OK in the morning. Unless there is snow overnight we expect to close early between 1-2pm at the latest.

We now have power back in the lodge, many thanks to Mike Seeley who has spent the day sorting out all our dead batteries and we have the weather station back running but are still experiencing issues with the webcams so currently there is no view of the slopes.

The road up is not bad but there are a few icy patches so take care especially the last section where winter tyres will help. Please follow the tracks from the pistebasher on a diversion from the usual route across which takes you a slightly longer route but avoids the bridge which is unpassable due to the landslide.

Steve

Skiing Friday 15 January

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We have inspected the slopes today and while there is snow it is rather thin and we seem to have missed the main dump. There is just about enough snow to operate and there is a narrow strip down F1, F2 doesnt look good enough to ski but if it freezes hard enough there may be some routes down and pockets of powder.

We are planning to open from 10am and expect to close by 1pm. Yad Moss seems to have more snow than us on this occasion and are also planning to open tomorrow I believe (check their site first before travelling).

The road had a thin covering of snow and there may be icy patches tomorrow but should be okay for all cars with care.

I have put a few photos on the WSC Facebook page for you to make your own judgement on whether it is worth a trip.

Steve