Skiing this weekend

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We had a great day today, especially the morning with beautiful weather and crisp fresh snow which although a bit thin in places was perfectly skiable. We had about 60 members today, several of them new members, and nearly everyone managed the road which was a bit tricky with sheet ice over large sections. Can I remind people to put chains on either at the bottom in the lay-by just before you turn up the road or at the top of the first long incline where you can pull in off the road and put the chains on. A couple of people blocked the road to put chains on today and once cars behind get stopped it can be tricky to get going again so please try and think of other road users.

Sadly it doesn't look as if we will get skiing tomorrow as the forecast is for milder temperatures, rain and stronger winds on Sunday but we will review the situation if the forecast changes.

Have a look on the WSC facebook site for a few photos from today.

Steve

Skiing Saturday 13 December

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

With the recent snow 2 board members have attended today and managed to get some pisting done. Snow cover is reasonable though a lot depends on how cold it gets tonight. The webcam looking up F2 is not working so the picture is old and conditions are better than they appear - F1 camera is working fine.

 We are planning to open on Saturday from 10am - please note members only so bring your membership cards. There were a few issues with F1 tow today not running smoothly - hopefully just the fuel filter needing a change so all being well will be running ok tomorrow. Don't expect fantastic conditions but at least we will get the first skiing of the season. The forecast is for milder wetter weather on Sunday so it is unlikely to last long! 

Steve 

1st snow report of the season

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Hi everyone and welcome to all the new members to the first snow alert of the season. If you have been looking at the webcams you will note that we have had a covering of snow over the last 24 hours with more predicted this week. Unfortunately very strong winds are also predicted, especially for Wednesday which means that even if the snow is good enough to ski the wind will probably prevent us from opening. It is however a very promising start and the forecast is for the cold weather to hang around for a while so keep an eye on the webcam and weather forecasts.

For those of you who have not rejoined I am afraid membership is now full though we will take day members on weekdays (other than bank holidays) but please remember weekends are strictly for members only. If you do plan to visit midweek, please check we are open before travelling and check the answerphone for road conditions (chains sometimes needed). Please book your day passes via the online booking system on the website (www.skiweardale.com) and present the printout to a tow operator when you arrive before skiing - we are pretty obvious with bright orange jackets with Tow Operator on the back! Here's hoping for a great season.

For those of you interested the new Warren Miller film is being shown at both Durham Gala and Newcastle Tyneside theatre this Thursday 11 December - http://warrenmiller.co.uk/tickets

Steve

WSC AGM Monday 10th November

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Hi Everyone,

You are all invited to this years WSC AGM which will be held on Monday 10th November at The Honest Lawyer, Croxdale, Durham DH1 3SP commencing at 8pm. The format for the evening will be a brief business meeting followed by a talk and slide show by Stuart Gallagher who many of you will know. Stu is an intrepid explorer with many expeditions, first summits etc to his name and the theme for the night is a medley of adventures include Climbing in Yosemite, Kayaking in Glacier Bay, Traverse of Mount Waddington Range (British Columbia) and the Dangers of the 'Road less travelled' (apparently meeting up with woolly bears etc.).

The agenda, minutes and accounts have all been sent out to to the registered email addresses of members but if anyone has not received them I am happy to forward them on.

Apart from a few small jobs outstanding we are ready for the season and can open as soon as we get any snow. To whet the appetite here are links to a couple of ski videos. One is from Kevin entitled "Weardale 2013"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlFwdNG1G4E and the other is an edited version of the early days of WSC from 1963 to 1971 which was shown at our 50th Anniversary meal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6t7__zkJq4

LD Mountain centre in Newcastle are also offering WSC members 20% off full priced winter clothing and equipment + free delivery by using the discount code SNOW15 at the checkout but hurry the offer ends 4th November.

Hope to see many of you at the AGM

Steve

Last few places and discount evening

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A final reminder to all members who have not renewed membership yet, we are nearly full with less than 90 places left after which time we will close. Existing members have until the end of this month to renew without paying the joining/late fee but if you leave it that late you will be disappointed as the way it is looking I think we will close in the next week or so. A big thank you to all those who have renewed and hope we offer you a fantastic season. For any new members wanting to join please act soon via the sportident website - https://www.sientries.co.uk/event.php?event_id=1595

For those members who joined in the last week please accept our apologies for any delays getting your membership cards sent out as we are waiting for more cards from the printers which should be arriving in the next few days.

The final preparation for the season is taking place this weekend with the hangars being put on and then hopefully all ready for the snow, which has already fallen in Scotland. Another big thank you to all who attended these last two work parties which were very productive.

Date for your diary -Our AGM is being held on Monday 10th November at The Honest Lawyer, Durham, which will entail a (hopefully) brief meeting followed by another exciting slide show and presentation by Stu Gallagher. More details will be sent out prior to the event.

Mountain Warehouse are having a "Ski Event" at their store in Richmond on Wednesday 15th October 3-7pm - they are offering an extra 20% off everything

11/12 Market Place

Richmond

North Yorkshire

DL10 4PX

 

Steve

Work party Sunday 28 September

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

We had a very successful work party last Sunday with a good turnout and a great day on the fells. A lot of work was done preparing for the season which included repairing bridges, putting in drainage, replacing belts and other repairs to the ski lifts, snow fence repairs, replacement of lodge windows as well as many other jobs. A big thank you to all who attended. There is however still a lot to do so we need as many hands as possible this Sunday to try and complete most of the outstanding tasks so please try and attend if you can. The weather forecast is good so it should remain dry and reasonable temperature.  

Membership renewals are rolling in fast and most have now been processed and sent out. More members have joined to date than they had at this time last year which is pleasing and we are well over half full already so thanks to all who have rejoined already. From 1 October we will open to new members and once we reach full capacity (750 members) we close so this is a gentle reminder to all current members not leave it too late!

For anyone interested there are a couple of courses coming up locally on outdoor first aid and ... Inspirational training are holding 2 day courses in West Denton, Newcastle over the next couple of months - http://www.inspirationaltraining.co.uk/ and BASP are holding 2 day courses in Keswick in October and November - http://www.basp.org.uk/basp_course/EM2/

These are not related to Weardale Ski Club but I thought some of you may be interested.

Finally Aviemore Ski and Snowboard Hire have closed their shop in Aviemore and are selling off their equipment - skis, boards, boots, boot driers, workshop equipment etc. If interested look on their site -http://www.aviemoreskihire.co.uk/ or contact them directly at - carol@aviemoreskihire.co.uk

Steve

Membership renewal and work parties 21 + 28 September

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Hi Everyone,

A quick update on the renewal process. Currently approximately 200 members have renewed. All those received are being processed but due to the high numbers and a few delays outside our control it may be a few more days before these get posted out so bear with us.There was a slight glitch when the discount code was added to the website (this allows existing members to avoid paying the renewal fee) so it had to be removed and a new discount code sent out - apologies to those who tried to renew during this period and were rejected - it is all working fine now. For new members we open membership at the start of October so will send out an email then. Existing members have until then to guarantee renewal and after 1st October is becomes first come first served. If there are places left at the end of October (unlikely given the last few years) then there is a late fee of £20 for existing members (this does not apply to new members who pay a one off £20 joining fee).

The work parties are vital to ensure that the club can offer excellent facilities to members but to achieve this a huge amount of work needs to be done. I have listed below a few of the jobs needing to be done and if any of you can volunteer for one or more of them them please let me know. If you don't want to specify a job but wish to just help out then please try and attend on either Sunday 21st or 28th September - all work parties start at 10am meeting at the car park. Some of the jobs below require specific skills but others just require you to be able to hit a nail or wield a shovel or paint brush

Steve

1)     Fit new track to snow blower ­– missing track tensioner nut must be replaced first. Take care when levering on as any nick on the edge of the track will cause it to rip apart (this was the cause of the last failure!)

2)     Fit new battery to generator

3)     Fit new alternator to KB25.

4)     F2 belt guard to de-rust and paint

5)     F1 Pylon 5 (and possibly more) has lots of exposed rust which needs scraping and painting.

6)     F2 stop board needs repairing (spare boards in lodge workshop)

7)     All bull wheels to be checked for rust and re-painted where necessary.

8)     Some bridge repairs are required.

9)     Scrap fencing to be collected and brought down to roadside.

10)  Clubhouse windows – replace (in hand).

11)  Plantation trees require some TLC.

12)  Fencing & ditching

13)  Fit strap hinges to Eric's hut door.