Work party Sunday 1st August

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We are planning a work party a week on sunday (1st August) starting at 10am. I know many of you may be on holiday but we have quite a lot that needs doing so the more that can make it the better. Jobs needing doing include new snowfencing, repair of old snowfencing, timber treatment of the hut at the top of F2 and the last part of the Lodge, painting pylons, greasing the running gear and some drainage work. We are also hopefully getting a new pistebasher (new to us anyway) which will be vastly better than our existing one but is also a lot larger so we are also having to widen a few bridges so need plenty of muscle power (telegraph poles are not light!). We are also having to build a new shed to store the new PB in but we need planning permission before we can start on that.

Please come along, bring a picnic if the weather is nice and by all means bring your family and all your friends.

Membership renewals - these will be sent out in the autumn and I will also send them out via email. Please don't send them in yet using last years forms as some have been doing - these will be returned.

Hopefully se a few of you on sunday

Steve

ps If you get a chance look at the video in the message below - Disability Snowsport UK are having a fundraising event and details are below - the video is awesome!

Peak 2 Peak Cycle Challenge – Saturday 11^th September 2010

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to cycle in the stunning 'Monarch of the Glen' scenery, this beautiful 70 mile route takes you from Ben Nevis to Cairngorm Mountain in aid of Disability Snowsport UK.

You will be climbing nearly 2,500 feet over the course of the route, but rewarded with beautiful scenery and the glory of knowing you have raised much needed funds for Disability Snowsport UK. Entry to the event is £15, and we ask that participants raise £100 in sponsorship. 

There are plenty of scheduled rest and water stops on route and our team will be on hand all along the course. We have a post event BBQ organised for a well earned meal after the event and a chance to catch up with everyone you met along the way. Transport is available for participants and their bikes from Glenmore lodge to the start of the race at Ben Nevis car park on the day of the race.

Chris Boardman Olympic cyclist and MBE, speaks out in support of the Peak 2 Peak cycle challenge:

'Disability Snowsport UK is a fantastic charity with their main focus on raising funds to enable anyone with any disability access to the slopes the same as able bodied. When I heard the Peak 2 Peak event was taking place on the 11^th September I really wanted to offer my support to encourage participants to take part in this challenge to raise funds to support skiers with disabilities.  

'This is an amazing opportunity to take part in an event of this kind. It will be a unique experience for all involved whilst raising much needed funds for Disability Snowsport UK.'

Disability Snowsport UK is a people-centred organisation with a unique sense of purpose: that anyone regardless of their disability can take part in and enjoy the thrill of snowsport. Disability Snowsport UK provides exciting and life enhancing activities for individuals or groups who require adaptive equipment and/or special instruction and support. We rely entirely on funds generated by individuals like you. Please follow the below link to see the help and support we can provide for both children and adults with disabilities www.vimeo.com/6869679.

Places are allocated on a first come first served basis and to guarantee your place, please contact us for your registration pack.

If you have any questions about the event please do not hesitate to contact the fundraising team on 0161 749 2290 or email fundraising@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk.

England 1, Germany 4, Weardale Ski Club 29

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Despite the bad timing with the England v Germany game we got a superb turnout for the work party with 29 people attending and having a great (and very productive) day on the fell. The weather was fine and not too hot, the ground dry and a gentle breeze to keep the midges away! We managed to get all the hangars serviced, Oil tank replaced, new snow fencing erected and fallen down fences put back and repaired, pylons painted, ski + board racks built, table repaired, gates replaced, lodge cleaned and tidied, worn bearing on pylon replaced etc. I am sure I have missed a few jobs out. Can I thank everyone who turned up for supporting the club. Those attending today included several board members + Greg Court, Mike Lumb, Annie Bowe, Simon, Rosie, Isobel Donnelly, George + Tom Dodsworth, Kevin Moore, Graham Ferguson, Michael + Andrew Gill, Ian + Tricia Gill,
Richard Arrowsmith, Chris May, Chuck Paylor, Dave Reed, Christian Webster-Reed, Hugh Bence, Ronan ?, Will Barker and I suspect there may be one or two missing from this list. Thanks to all of you.

There will be more dates announced and we will try and get one or two midweek work parties as well so if you couldn't make it you will have plenty more chances.

Shame about the football, lets turn our attention to Andy Murray now then once he's out life can return to normal!

Steve

Work party this Sunday (27th June)

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

The next WSC work party is on this Sunday starting as usual at 10am. Loads to be done - both skilled and unskilled - great weather forecast - what more could you want.
We will be holding more work parties and I will announce the dates later and also try and organise one or two midweek dates if possible as some of you have stated they would be easier to attend.

Snow chains - after this last season many of you may be looking for snow chains.David Reed has sent me this on eBay  - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Snow-Chains-Husky-9mm-KN30-/380199300334?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item5885a4ecee
I cannot vouch for them but they look a good deal if you need a cheap pair.

Hopefully se more of you this Sunday!

Steve

ps below are some special offers from Silksworth Dry Ski Slope if you are interested.

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 total 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. Excludes Club sessions.

 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, Plus Room Hire either before or after your Birthday Party at a cost of £15 per hour..depending on availability.

 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.

Work party report

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A very successful work party was held today with a lot of good work done outside until mid afeternoon when the rain came after which we moved indoors. We have managed to build several sections of new snowfencing opening up a new route to the west, cut some reeds, painted some pylons, repaired some worn bearings on the lift and serviced some of the hangars. As usual, despite my pleas for help and all the empty promises people make in the winter, the response was fairly pathetic. Given that we have nearly 800 members we had a grand total of 6 volunteers and 4 of us from the committee. If you want a successful ski club we do need more support from the grassroot membership.
Great thanks to those who did turn up today and enjoyed a really good day - Wayne (great job on the stile + fell gate), Richard (snow fencing + hangar servicing), Amy + Richard (pylons) and Dave + Christian (pylons) - thank you from all of us.


Next work party Sunday 27th June. There will be more and we will try and arrange one or two mid week dates for those that cannot make weekends. Come on and give it a try - you never know you might actually have a great day!


Steve

Fwd: Reminder about work party

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Charles Pritchard <charles.pritchard@virgin.net>
Date: Sat, Jun 5, 2010 at 12:32 PM
Subject: Re: Reminder about work party
To: Steve Lumb <steve.lumb@gmail.com>, skiweardale@googlemail.com

I don't know if this will get to all the members but I have been wanting to say for ages how much we owe to Steve and the band of regular volunteers for giving us such a brilliant winter through their dedicated efforts.  Especially appreciated has been the flow of ,almost, daily updates of the excitement and acheivements, most heartening for those of us who would like to have  been there but couldn't for one reason or another.

 

So, let's do our bit , in return, on as many work weekends as possible. They are great fun and you will recognise "your bit " for years to come and get a lot of satisfaction out of it.

Regards to all,

 

Ordinary Member, Charles.

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Steve Lumb

To: skiweardale@googlemail.com

Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 11:58 PM

Subject: Reminder about work party

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Don't forget that the first summer work party is taking place this sunday from 10am. If you have enjoyed the skiing this year then this is your chance to put something back into the club as there is a huge amount of work to be done.  Please try and attend at least one work party this summer if you can - it is not a lot to ask and and after all if you can come up for a days skiing then surely an occasional work party is not too much!!! Work parties used to be compulsory but this was dropped a few years ago but the result has been that a very small number of us spend many many hours up there. We are especially keen to find people to "adopt" a piece of machinery or equipment and look after it, perhaps with 2 or 3 others. This could be one of the vehicles - Pistebasher, Rolba (tracked vehicle we use in summer and currently broken!),Quad bike, skidoo or one of the 2 engines, or the hangars which need annual servicing, or the buildings which need treating regularly, or the pylons that need painting, or the grass cutting, or even a section of old snow fencing that needs repairing or one of the many new sections we are planning to build, or the bridges that need maintaining or...........................   get the picture.

We are also looking for someone who is able to give our old skidoo a good overhaul - it is a Lynx and was badly damaged this season when it rolled over a few times. If anyone has experience with motorbikes and is able to offer a hand then please contact me. The bodywork also needs repairing so if anyone is good at this then again please step forward.

Hope to see many of you on Sunday???


Steve

Reminder about work party

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Don't forget that the first summer work party is taking place this sunday from 10am. If you have enjoyed the skiing this year then this is your chance to put something back into the club as there is a huge amount of work to be done.  Please try and attend at least one work party this summer if you can - it is not a lot to ask and and after all if you can come up for a days skiing then surely an occasional work party is not too much!!! Work parties used to be compulsory but this was dropped a few years ago but the result has been that a very small number of us spend many many hours up there. We are especially keen to find people to "adopt" a piece of machinery or equipment and look after it, perhaps with 2 or 3 others. This could be one of the vehicles - Pistebasher, Rolba (tracked vehicle we use in summer and currently broken!),Quad bike, skidoo or one of the 2 engines, or the hangars which need annual servicing, or the buildings which need treating regularly, or the pylons that need painting, or the grass cutting, or even a section of old snow fencing that needs repairing or one of the many new sections we are planning to build, or the bridges that need maintaining or........................... 

  get the picture.

We are also looking for someone who is able to give our old skidoo a good overhaul - it is a Lynx and was badly damaged this season when it rolled over a few times. If anyone has experience with motorbikes and is able to offer a hand then please contact me. The bodywork also needs repairing so if anyone is good at this then again please step forward.

Hope to see many of you on Sunday???


Steve

Weardale Ski Club update

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

What a fantastic ski season we had this year - 45 days of some of the best snow seen for many years - lets hope that it is a sign of a change in weather patterns. We took all the hangars off the tow lifts on the 9th of May and the next day there was a significant covering of snow though it didnt last very long. We could have opened quite a few more days this season if it wasnt for a shortage of tow operators and we are keen to train new people up to help with the operation of the lifts - preferably people who live fairly close and are prepared to help run the tows and manage the lift queues etc. Any new operator would be trained up and would always work alongside an experienced operator who would have overall responsibility. This would also free up others to attend to jobs like pisting the runs, maintenance and ongoing repairs etc. If anyone is interested then we will offer training at forthcoming work parties talking of which we have 2 dates set at the moment - Sunday 6th + 27th June. Work parties start at 10 am and everyone is welcome and indeed we try to encourage as many as possible to attend. The club is all run by volunteers who put in many hours each year to ensure that you get to ski/board - this is your chance to put something back into the club. This year we have a huge amount of work to undertake and we will be having several more work parties - dates to be announced later via email and on the website. We need people with skills like electricians, mechanics but also need unskilled workers as a lot of the jobs simply require being able to hit a nail with a hammer or use a shovel.

Competition winner - the winner of the "Do's + Don'ts" competition in the last newsletter was won by Alistair Mackay who won a £50 travel voucher from Stanhope Travel - many thanks to Jon + Sam who give us good support and offer excellent value holidays (they say they can match internet prices). Congratulations to Alistair and look forward to hearing what you do with the vouchers.

Planning a marriage? If you are planning a marriage this year and are a keen skier or boarder BBC3 "Don't tell the bride" are planning a new series and are looking for a suitable couple to whom they will give £12000 towards their wedding. I don't know the details but presume it entails being filmed and shown on the series  and assume the wedding must take place in a ski resort but I could be wrong - if interested or know anyone that might be email weddings@renegadepictures.co.uk

Finally can I thank all those who have supported Weardale Ski Club this season - the snow was fantastic but created an enormous amount of work and strained the committee at times. The unprecedented influx of new members forced us to close membership and for a while stop day members - I apologise to anyone who we upset but the decision had to be made in the interests of longstanding members and also safety. We will be sending out renewals later in the year - via post, email and on the website. Please don't apply beforehand for membership, as some have already, until the renewal notice is sent out - any sent now will be returned.

Hopefully see many of you at the work parties

Steve