Skiing Sat 30 December

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Another great day skiing at WSC. Those who turned up early were treated to some fresh powder and great conditions but the warm weather soon turned everything rather wet and heavy so we closed early at 1330 by which time most of the 70 or so members who attended had drifted off.

Photos on the WSC Facebook site make it look better than it was especially later on!

Sadly we will have to wait for futher snowfall before opening again but hopefully won't be long.

Happy New Year to all our members and hope 2018 is a very snowy one.

Steve

Skiing Saturday 30 Dec

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We have had a further covering of snow and although not as much as predicted has freshened up the base we had and we should be OK for skiing tomorrow so are planning to open from about 0930. F1 runs are looking good, F2 runs with care though may improve if we get any more sow tonight. The forecast tomorrow is for milder weather with some rain and it might get wet later on so Terry recommends Gortex undies!

The road is a mixture of clear tarmac in places with patches of ice and snow on the uphills so winter tyres at least will be needed. If in doubt about your car or driving skills then better to hitch a lift up with someone or leave it until a number of other cars have been up and cleared the road a little.

Please note weekends are for members only so please bring along your membership cards as we will be running checks throughout the day.

Has anyone left a blue Montane long sleeved thermal merino top ?ladies @ size 12 - found in the lodge. If so let me know and I will bring it along.

Steve

Snow update Sat 16 Dec

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We had a great day today with about 60 members enjoying sunshine and fresh snow and some good skiing. The snow was thinning a bit towards the end but was skiable right up until close of play at 1530 and actually improved later in the afternoon as the temperature dropped. It was nice to see several new members enjoying their first trip to Swinhope. Thanks to the person who found + handed in the iPhone and it has been passed back to its rightful owner.

The weather forecast seems to be suggesting that tomorrow it is going to rain and get milder so we are not planning to open up tomorrow so you can all get on with your Christmas preparations. There is no snow forecast for the next week or so so unlikely we will open before Christmas so can I take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy Snowy New Year.

Steve

Skiing Sat 16 Dec

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

The snow appears to have lasted so we are planning to open up to members only tomorrow hopefully from 0930.

I haven't been up the road yet but expect little snow on it though there may well be icy patches especially early on so if in doubt about your car leave it until a bit later until a few cars have been up or better still hitch a lift up if you don't have winter tyres.

Unsure whether we will be able to ski on Sunday as it is forecast to get milder but will update this tomorrow evening.

Steve

Snow update Thursday 14th Dec

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

The heavy snow that the Midlands got (what a waste!) sadly never reached the North but there has been a thin covering all week with sub-zero temperatures and a dusting overnight. There is not really enough for skiing at present but we are optimistic that we might get enough to ski on Saturday if we get any snow today.

I will update this message on Friday evening

Steve

Snow melt Saturday 2nd December

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Sadly there appears to have been a significant rise in the temperatures leading to a thaw at Swinhope where temperatures are hovering around +3c. Looking at the webcam photos it looks like skiing at best will be very limited or at worst not possible. We will will inspect the fell and update the answer phone hopefully by 0930 though it is not looking good.

Steve

Skiing update

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We had a good day skiing today with about 20 people turning up and with 6-8cm new powder snow on a firm base. Skiing on F1 was good but more tricky on F2. Good skiers will have a great time on both F1 + F2 and those less experienced will enjoy F1 tomorrow. 

We plan to open from 10am. 

Please note that weekends are only for members and we only allow day-members on weekdays.

Prize of the day goes to Rhys who finished a shift at Wetherspoons in Nottingham at 4am , left at 6am driving up to Swinhope for a day skiing with us and returned to Nottingham for an 11pm shift at Wetherspoons. That is impressive - hope to see you again Rhys.

Finally the road was pretty clear by the time we left with only a few icy patches so should be OK with care though winter tyres always help.

Steve

Skiing Friday 1st Dec

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Snow has eventually arrived at Swinhope after falling mainly down the east of the country all day. There seems to be a good base of 2" at the moment with more forecast overnight so we are planning to open tomorrow but will review the situation once we have arrived and will try and update the answerphone and website once we assess conditions. We do not know what the road will be like and I suspect may be tricky so would recommend 4wd, winter tyres or chains . Also we do not know what the skiing conditions will be like so we may close early so would suggest not turning up after 1pm.

Day members are welcome but please print off the day membership form from the website and complete it in advance and hand to a tow operator prior to skiing.

If conditions are good we will aim to open on Saturday but will update Friday evening.

Steve

Snow update

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

There has been some fresh snow over the weekend but only a thin covering and not quite enough for skiing but the forecast is for the cold spell to continue and hopefully more snow towards the end of the week so if we all collectively keep our fingers crossed! Keep your eyes on the webcam and emails. We are all set for when the snow does come and congratulations to Lowther for being the first British resort to open this season - I believe they opened their nursery slopes this weekend.

Please also remember that LD Mountain https://www.ldmountaincentre.com/ who have supported us this year offer all members 15% discount and ski swift who are also sponsoring us are offering great deals on ski holidays and will discount your membership fees as well as offering competitive prices http://skiswift.co.uk/

Nevisport in Middlesbrough  are also offereing members 15% discount until the end of December (excluding servicing) https://www.nevisport.com 

Steve

WSC membership, AGM and Special offers

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A quick reminder of our AGM being held on Monday 6th November 8pm at Durham Amateur Rowing Club Green Lane, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3JU. The business element is being kept short and the entertainment for the evening is an excellent presentation by Stu Gallagher on a "Traverse on skis of the mt Waddington range in British Columbia" and several great short 5 minute films by Kevin Moore on Skiing around the world. We will also be holding a "swap shop" for old items of skiing/boarding which will commence prior to the meeting and also follow on afterwards.

All members are welcome to attend. There is a bar but no food available though The Court Inn, Court Ln, Durham DH1 3AW have confirmed they are open for bar meals that evening.

Members can also benefit from a "Lock in" at LD Mountain Centre, 34 Dean St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1PG on Wed 8th Nov 1830-2030 where the shop will be open only to invited guests and they are offering mulled wine, nibbles, raffles, freebies, prizes, discounts etc. Please remember your membership card to get in and also remember that this card also gets you 15% discount on their usual "non sale" items. LD Mountain Centre are one of our sponsors this year so if possible try and get along brandishing your WSC card.

Another benefit of WSC membership is via our other sponsor skiswift.co.uk who have an excellent offer to refund membership of £48 when you book through them - see details at http://skiswift.co.uk/info/ski-weardale-sponsorship  Skiswift prices are already competitive and with this discount they become almost unbeatable.

Finally if you are not already a member then join quickly whilst we have places and benefit from the all above plus many other offers and of course the fantastic snow coming our way this season. Members who have not renewed yet have just under 2 hours to renew and claim the £10 renewal discount.

Steve

Silksworth ski test night 3.11.17

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Silksworth ski centre are holding a Ski Test Demo night on 3rd November from 6-9:30pm where you can try out the new range of skis from Rossignol, Dynastar and Scott. All are welcome - for more details look on their website or facebook site.

Steve

AGM venue correction, Membership and Work Party update

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Firstly I would like to invite all members to our Annual AGM which is being held at the Durham Amateur Rowing club in Durham, DH1 3JU on Monday 6th November starting at 8pm. Please note this is not the usual venue at The Honest Lawyer nor is it at the Durham University Rowing club which is in the email circulated by SI Entries by mistake. To get there from the A690 turn over New Elvet bridge next to the Prince Bishops Car Park, over the bridge, turn left onto Old Elvet at the first set of lights and continue along keeping to the left. At a V junction bear left past Durham Courts onto Green Lane and carry on past University Health Centre. The road becomes a rough single track until you reach the rowing club - go any further and you are in the river!

We are hosting a swap shop if people want to get rid of any unwanted skiing/boarding equipment or clothing and if you want to sell anything please turn up earlier and have an idea of how much you want for the item. Someone will be there from 7pm but we will also be selling items at the end as well. The AGM will start promptly at 8pm and hopefully the business element will be brief and is followed by another excellent presentation by our eternal explorer Stu Gallagher on "A traverse on skis of the Mt Waddington range of British Columbia" and then followed by "4 short 5 minute films from around the world" by our perennial traveller Kevin Moore. Both will be very entertaining I can promise.

A Final reminder to all members who have not renewed - you have until the end of October to renew and get the £10 discount. From 1st November this discount ceases. We are now of course also open to new members until we reach our capacity.

We are now fully ready for the season and last weekend in atrocious weather Kevin and a good group of helpers managed to service and get all the hangars back ready for the snow.

Steve

WSC Membership

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Membership is now open to everyone . To join go to https://www.sientries.co.uk/login/login.php. 
We have negotiated a cracking deal with one of the best ski tour companies for our members this season. 

For all members 2017-18 , if you book a ski holiday with www.SkiSwift.co.uk , they will refund you £48, the price of one membership fee, if you book at least 4 weeks in advance, and £24 refund for within 4 weeks. (This is one discount per group booking). 
Ski Swift is a local travel agent based in Peterlee. Their prices are already highly competitive and cheaper than most of the tour companies you will be familiar with. Feel free to talk to them to confirm this claim. (Personally I booked with them last season and got a very good deal that bears this out.) 

We feel this is an excellent way to reward our members, while supporting a local company. Ski Swift are also supporting the club in helping to finance our newsletter and promote our club via social media and other channels.

Existing members still have until the end of October to renew and claim the £10 loyalty discount.

Steve

LD VIP sale 30th September

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

LD are offering a 50% discount on everything in store this weekend and on Saturday 30th September for 1 hour only between 8-9am are offering WSC members VIP access so you can grab the best bargains before they open to the general public. To gain entry for this event you will need to print off a copy of the attached invitation form.

Membership renewals are going well and we will be opening to new members from 1st October. Current members have until the end of October to renew at the discounted rate so don't delay.

Steve

Work party Saturday 23rd September

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We are holding our last official work party of the season next Saturday 23 Sept and all members and prospective members are invited to join us. We are hoping to put in 50 metres of pipe into a ditch which will then need covering over, the plan being to open up an area at the bottom of F2 which will make return to the F2 lift much easier and safer. We have a digger but will also need many hands as a lot of the work will be manual. There are a variety of other jobs to get done before we are ready to open for the season. Usual start time of 10am meeting at the car park.

Membership renewals are going well, better than expected after the last two poor seasons, thank you to all of you who have supported us and renewed and hopefully this season will be a cracker. We will open membership to new members from 1st October.

Steve

Work Party + BBQ Sun 10th Sept

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A final reminder of the work party this weekend on Sunday 10th to which you are all invited - the more the merrier and plenty of work to be done. Weather forecast not too bad but a bit cooler and chance of some light rain at the moment. We are planning to set up a BBQ but as I have no idea how many people are turning up I would suggest you bring along any food you want for the BBQ rather that me trying to guess. I will take up plates and sauces etc. A few of you have already said you are attending and it would help if any others planning to come can let me know just so we have an idea for planning.

Usual start time 10am meeting at the car park.

Steve

Work party 10th September

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

The first of our September work parties is scheduled for 10th September and all members and prospective members are welcome. We still have plenty of work getting the slopes ready for the forthcoming ski season including snow fencing repairs, ditching and some mechanical work.

We are hoping to have a BBQ also but due to uncertainty over numbers felt the best approach was for us to provide the BBQ and anyone who wishes to, can bring along their own food for the BBQ.

As mentioned before, work parties are a great way to meet other members, see what the ground is like without snow cover and they are also good fun and great way of getting exercise and fresh air.

Membership renewals for existing members opens at the start of September so you will be getting an email from Sportident soon with details. We have kept the renewal fee the same again this year and are pleased to welcome LD Mountain Centre, Newcastle (www.ldmountaincentre.com) and Ski Swift (www.skiswift.co.uk) as our sponsors for the year.

Steve

Work party update

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We had a poor attendance at the work party at the weekend with only 9 people there - 6 committee members and 3 others - Phil and Daniel Askey and Jonathan Anderson. Despite low numbers we got a lot of work done including some repairs and servicing to the machinery, some snow fencing, completion of the signage for the 34 different ski runs we have highlighted and some drainage amongst other jobs.

Many thanks to Phil, Daniel and Jonathan for turning up. The next formal work parties are in September - Sunday 10th + Saturday 23rd but we will be having smaller less formal work parties over the summer if anyone is interested.

Steve

Work party Sunday 25th June

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We are holding our second work party of the summer this Sunday (25th) and all are welcome. As usual lots of work to be done, some skilled, so if any mechanics amongst you, you are very welcome along with lots of unskilled work. Weather cooler but dry according to Met Office so ideal for a bit of physical work. 

Meet at 10am at car park as usual.

Steve

Work party report

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We had a very productive work party today and a glorious day on the fell. Many thanks to all who turned up (more than expected) and for all the hard work. We got various bits of machinery on the road to repair, a large section of fencing replaced and old fencing put back up, a significant amount of drainage, the majority of the new route marker posts up and all the running gear serviced.

We didn't hold the BBQ today (sorry to the person who attended expecting it and hope somebody shared their sandwiches with you?). Hopefully we will hold the BBQ at the next work party which is on Sunday 25th June but I will email out beforehand once we know the forecast.

Steve

Work party Saturday 3rd June

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Just a reminder about the first work party of the summer this Saturday starting at 10am. Lots of fencing to do along with other manual jobs and repairs. There has been little response from members so far and as the weather forecast is not fantastic we have decided to postpone the BBQ until the next work party later in June.

On a sadder note I have been asked to inform you of the very untimely death of a long time member, Bill Wilson, who recently passed away. Many older members in particular will remember Bill who was very involved with WSC in the 70's and 80's before moving up to take over running Glenmore Lodge in Aviemore. Bill remained an avid supporter of WSC and was proud to attend our 50th anniversary celebrations and I also remember him visiting us to ski during that fantastic 2009/2010 season when there was too much snow at Aviemore and they couldn't keep the road open so he travelled to Weardale to ski with us once again. Our condolences go out to his family.

Steve

Work party Saturday 3rd June

Hi Everyone,

We are holding the first of our summer work parties a week on Saturday (3rd June) and everyone is welcome. For new members this is a great opportunity to meet others and get to know the club and facilities and is also a very social day. Weather permitting we are hoping to have a BBQ as well but I will email out a couple of days before once we see what the forecast is like. We have plenty of jobs to be done, mainly unskilled and just need a bit of manpower (or ladypower).

We normally meet @ 10am at the garage by the car park.

Good footwear recommended and even though the fell will be drier than ever I guarantee it will be boggy in places and the weather up there can be quite a few degrees cooler than lower down so even if sunny pack a couple of warmer items.

Please let me know if you plan to come up just to give us a rough idea of numbers.

Steve

Snow update

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Storm Doris has left us with a thin covering of new snow but insufficient for skiing and with rain and warmer temperatures predicted it is looking unlikely that we will be getting any skiing in this weekend sadly.

Steve

WSC write up in Northern Echo

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A nice write up in the Northern Echo today on page 60 by Mike Amos about WSC for those interested. One or two facts wrong but never let that get in the way of a good story!

Steve

Ski update 14 Feb

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

About 30 romantic people attended Swinhope for today's Valentines Day skiing and enjoyed (I think) "spring like conditions". Both lifts are now working well but sadly the snow is melting fast and by the end of the day the runs were looked pretty bare so there will be no more skiing until we get further snow.

Steve

Skiing Tuesday 14 Feb

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Valentines Day - where better to spend it than at WSC? F1 electrical fault has been fixed today - a huge thanks to Steve Luard and Hugh Bence and all is set for skiing tomorrow. There seems to be plenty of snow still around but forecasts suggest it wont last more than another couple of days so make the most of it.

Plan is to open lifts from 10am - Day members welcome but please print off day membership from from the website and complete it before travelling http://www.skiweardale.com/#tickets

The road was a bit tricky this morning and may be icy tomorrow so take care. Chains may be needed especially early on.

Steve

Snow report Sun 12 Feb

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A mixed day today - there was loads of fresh snow but also accompanied by varied weather with snow, wind and poor visibility (normal Weardale day perhaps?). This was also accompanied by ongoing problems with F1 electrics. It worked intermittently today for short periods.

We are hoping to get the electrics sorted out on Monday/Tuesday and if we are successful may open on Tuesday or Wednesday.

I believe there was a good turnout today and everyone seemed to enjoy it and I am told that the snow was excellent on F1 and huge drifts on F2 so there is hope for later in the week. We closed early today due to the weather and also the risk of the road filling in with drifting snow (which did actually occur later on in the day) so apologies to those who turned up late - it is always a risk turning up late especially when the weather is not good.

Steve

Skiing Sunday 12 Feb

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A good day was had today with about 50 members including one family, the Ansells, who drove up from Essex just for  day skiing with us. There was a couple of inches of fresh snow when we arrived and it snowed most of the day and all the main runs were open and generally in good condition although the snow was softer and slower than Friday.

We are planning to open tomorrow from 10am but there are 2 potential problems. We had to close F1 at 3pm today due to an electrical fault which we have not managed to resolve. A couple of members are going up early to try and fix this in the morning but until it is sorted only F2 will be skiable and you may have to walk up to the lodge. Also the weather forecast is not as good for tomorrow with stronger winds and snowing on + off most of the day. Visibility was not great today and it was bitterly cold with the wind and I expect tomorrow to be similar but at least the lodge was nice and warm! We will send out a message via twitter as soon as we have any news but there is a risk that we will close early if conditions are not great.

There is snow on the access road from the farm upwards so snow tyres, 4wd or chains advisable. 

Steve

Skiing Saturday + Sunday 11/12 Feb

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A couple of us went up to Swinhope today accompanied by Mike Amos (reporter from the Northern Echo) who wanted to do an article about WSC appearing this Thursday in the Echo if you are interested.

Snow cover looked thin but after he left we got our skis out and had some excellent runs on both F1 and F2 which were both much better than expected. Snow is forecast overnight and all day tomorrow and on Sunday, so it is looking promising.

We are planning to open for skiing on both Saturday and Sunday from 10am. It is likely to be goggle rather than sunglass weather. Sunday looks the better day but also slightly windier. Temperature never got above -2c today and is forecast very cold overnight so we should lose none of the snow we have and hopefully if forecasts are right gain as few cm.

Please remember that weekends are reserved for members only and we do not accept day members but there are still a few membership places available (http://www.skiweardale.com/index.html#tickets - click on the season ticket link).

Finally the road was clear tarmac at the end of today but with snow forecast overnight and very cold temperatures come prepared for tricky conditions as usual and take care on the road. Snow or winter tyres make a huge difference. Lidl are currently selling chains unbelievably cheap (no idea of the quality).

Steve

Snow update

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

There has been an inch or two of snow but sadly not good enough cover yet for skiing so we will not be opening on Wednesday but will see what happens over the coming days and at least the temperature seems to be keeping fairly low.

Steve

Increasing possibility of snow

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Following a very disappointing start to the season forecasts are looking a little better and if they are to be believed we are in for some snow over the coming week and more prolonged cold spells. Currently there is only a very thin covering but more is predicted overnight and tomorrow. It is unlikely we will ski on Tuesday but if the snow does come Wednesday may be a possibility so keep an eye on the webcams, emails and twitter. The longer term forecasts are also predicting more snow this weekend and early next week though they have a tendency to reduce the closer we get to the predicted day! 

If we do open for skiing please be very careful on the road. We try and give some idea of what the road conditions are like but often the first we know is when we arrive so it is best to always come prepared. Sometimes 4WD and chains/winter tyres are essential and sometimes 2WD with normal tyres can get up.In winter however we recommend a minimum of winter/snow tyres and suggest have chains handy as well as a snow shovel and a bit of old carpet. Also if putting on chains please do this before getting to the difficult section and make sure you pull off the road into a lay-by or a safe area to do this. Do not obstruct any traffic behind you as once stopped on a slippery road it is often difficult to get going again. Likewise if following someone up a slippery road always give them plenty of space and wait until they have got past the tricky section before following. 

Steve

Snow report

The Weardale ski club ltd

A good day was had by about 30 members today. Although the surrounding fells looked pretty bare the fencing on F1 did a great job (Thanks to all those who helped to replace it on the work parties) and retained about 4 inches of snow east of it which lasted until we closed at about 2pm. Conditions initially were heavy but improved and the sun shone all day. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

There was a minor accident on the road today - on the last climb from the bridge a car stopped then slid back on the ice and collided with a stone wall and had to be towed out. It is a reminder that the road conditions can get tricky and if in doubt it is well worth putting on chains if it looks icy. If you do decide to put chains on please do so before you hit the icy patches and ensure that you pull off the road so as not to block anyone else.

Tomorrow rain and milder weather forecast so we will not be opening until we get more snow.

Steve

Skiing Saturday 14th Jan

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

There has been a some fresh snow overnight but due to the high winds a lot has blown off. Looking at the webcams F1 looks skiable on the tow-line and there may be other drifts that we can use but currently F2 looks too bare to ski. We are planning to open tomorrow from 9:30am but if you do attend expect limited skiing and probably just F1 unless we get more snow. It is very likely that we will close early so do not aim to arrive after 1pm or you may find nobody there!

At the moment I have no information on the road conditions so suggest arrive no earlier than 9:30 to allow us to assess the road and clear a route up if needed.

Weekend skiing is for members only so please remember to bring your membership card and show it to a tow operator before skiing.

Keep a watch on the new webcams at skiweardale.com 

Steve

Lack of snow

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Once again the weathermen appear to have overstated the amount of snow forecast and although we have had snow today in Weardale there is currently not enough to open the lifts. There is some snow forecast overnight but with gale force winds tomorrow it is not looking promising. Saturday looks like a nice day so if we do get more snow there is a possibility we may open then. 

Please keep an eye on the webcams, Twitter, Facebook, Answerphone or simply look out of your window if you live nearby! I will send out an email if things change.

Steve

Snow forecast

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Happy New Year to everyone. As you will no doubt have heard from the news there is significant snowfall predicted in the coming days but what they are not clear about is where the snow will fall. It seems Scotland and the Western part of Northern England will get the bulk of it and we in Weardale are going to get some but the amount varies from report to report.

We are ready to open if and when we do get snow and I will try and email when we get sufficient to ski on but this is an ideal time to have a look at our new website www.skiweardale.com which has been completely redesigned by Steve Luard and Darren Sharman and is now much more mobile friendly. We also now have 2 new webcams as well as live weather information from our own weather station at the club hut so you can literally sit at home and see exactly what the weather is like at Swinhope. We also have an answerphone (01388 317767) which gives up to date snow conditions and information about the access road if known and we also have a Weardale Ski Club Facebook account and also a Twitter account (link from website) so hopefully you have no excuses for now knowing when we are opening.

Membership is nearly but not quite full and we have a few places left. Please note that weekends are reserved for members only but we do allow day members to ski on weekdays when we open. Day membership forms can be downloaded from the website or here (http://www.skiweardale.com/dayTicketForm.pdf) and annual membership can be obtained here (https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?event_id=2953). Annual membership costs £48 for an adult and we then give a £10 discount each year if you renew.

Steve