Snow update 14.12.12

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Snow is forecast tonight but currently it is falling as rain in Stanhope and I am not too optimistic. The ground however is very hard still so if we do get a decent coverage overnight there is a possibility of skiing tomorrow but pelase look at the webcam tomorrow and check the answerphone before setting off. Some of the local roads around here are extremely icy and I suspect the road up to the slopes will also be very icy so take care. Winter tyres make a huge difference and as well as dramatically improving your grip on ice they reduce your stopping distance by almost 50% - why not treat yourself for christmas?

For sale - Weardale House have asked me to mention they have some skis for sale details below. Many of you bought some of their old skis last year - if you are interested please look at their facebook site and direct any questions to www.weardalehouse.co.uk rather than me. Go Outdoors in Stockton are also offering a 20% discount betwen 13.12.12 and 17.12.12 using the voucher which is attached as a PDF to this email

Steve

·         12 pairs of un-used Rossignol downhill boots (£30/pair) – UK equivalent sizes 7.5 (x3), 9.5. 11.5 (x5), 12 and 12.5

·         25 sets of un-used ski bindings £10/set if picked up (they are mounted on a set of water damaged skis, but the bindings are in mint condition – they are super easy to detach)

·         11 pairs of cross country 3 pin ski boots in UK sizes Junior12, then adult 1, 3, 4, 5 (x4) and 8 (x4) - £10/pair.

·         We also have 2 shabby pairs of LOOK system UK size 9 boots - £5/pair.

 

I would be really grateful if you could send this round to any interested parties.

If they'd like to see images, there are lots on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/weardalehouse

Ski report Saturday 8th December

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A great days skiing was enjoyed by 30+ members today and despite little snow further down the valley there was a good covering at Swinhope. F1 was very good and F2 was skiable but with caution. The tow operators did a great job pisting the runs. There were a few stones on the M1 but these were cleared late on in the day. It is nice to report that all the equipment ran perfectly all day with no stoppages or breakdowns which shows what a good job everyone has done over the summer maintaining the equipment - thanks to all who have helped.

The road was terrible first thing this morning with sheet ice all the way up but fortunately everyone managed OK. The return was better as it had thawed a little but there's the rub. The thaw is forecast to carry on overnight and it is unlikely we will ski tomorrow unless the weathermen have grossly misjudged it!

The good news is that after a brief thaw tonight and tomorrow it is forecast to get a lot colder and heavy snow predicted for the middle of next week - lets hope we are included this time.

Steve

snow update

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

There has been a fair bit of snow at Swinhope today and more is forecast overnight. Unfortunately it has been accompanied by strong winds which may have blown a lot off and strong winds are forecast tomorrow. At this time it looks unlikely that we will open for skiing tomorrow but we will review the situation tomorrow and hopefully we may get some skiing in this weekend. If the situation changes we will update the answer phone message. Yad Moss are in a similar situation but I gather Raise still has good coverage with excellent powder snow reported a day or two ago. However again gale force winds are predicted there tomorrow which is likely to hamper any chance of skiing.

Looking better all the time.

Steve

snow update

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Sadly so far the heavy snow has managed to avoid Weardale although we have had very cold temperatures and several spells of light snow. There is a significant fall of snow forecast on Thursday this week so it is looking more promising for the weekend. Bill Wilson has emailed me to say that the snow in Scotland is great currently and reluctantly I agreed to pass the information on to you all!
Please keep an eye on the webcam and ignore the temperatures you see which do not reflect the temperature on the slopes and are affected by the heat produced from the cameras. We are experiencing a few hiccups with the webcams which seem to have the occasional moody day when they decide not to take a photo. We are working on them.

Great Warren Miller film the other day and nice to see a few WSC members at the Durham Gala.

Steve

Snow update

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

Snow is forecast tonight and also Monday but the amount varies depending on which report you read. We currently have a thin covering but insufficient for skiing, however the ground is very cold and the temperature well below freezing so any snow that falls is likely to hang around. There is an outside possibility of skiing tomorrow or later in the week so keep an eye on the webcam and if it looks good check the answerphone (01388 527527). I will try and get emails out if we do open but sometimes it is a last minute decision and if I am at work then I won't get a message out until the evening.So far this season, to my knowledge, there has been no skiing at Yad Moss or Weardale but the Lake District ski club have had at least 4 or 5 days so far and even managed to get 3 days skiing in before the Scottish resorts had opened - hopefully we will follow soon. The long range forecasts are for very low temperatures for at least the next month or so which looks very promising.

Message from the membership secretary - all the membership cards have been posted out with the exception of those who have joined in the last few days. There have been one or two that seem to have gone astray in the post so if you have not received yours then please contact Alison on ajlumb@hotmail.co.uk

Steve

Snow forecast + Warren Miller film

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

The predicted heavy snow for the next few days seems to have been watered down by snow-forecast.com and although a few cm are predicted tonight heavy rain and winds are likely to clear it pretty quickly. Colder weather is however predicted for later in the week and is set to hang around for some time. In the meantime why not get into the swing of it with the latest Warren Miller film that is doing the rounds. This year it is being shown at the Rheged Centre in Penrith on Thursday 29th November and Durham Gala on Tuesday 4th December as well as many other venues throughout the country - see www.warrenmiller.co.uk and if you want to see a preview there is a short video following this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V-nsKFSS8E If you have never been to one of these they are great fun with lots of prizes and this year every ticket holder gets a free ski lock worth £9 I am told.

Steve

WSC news

The Weardale Ski Club Ltd

A quick reminder that this next weekend (24 + 25 November) both Nevisport and LD Mountain centre in Newcastle are offering WSC members discount off the RRP of anything in their shops on production of a valid WSC membership card. Nevisport are offering 20% discount and LD 15%. On top of this both shops offer a 10% discount all year round to WSC members. Both shops have supported us over the years so if you do make use of the offer please mention WSC and show your card - you could save more than it costs to join inthe first place! Many other shops will offer discount if you produce the card and our membership secretary is liaising with North Face to offer us some discount - watch this space.

The WSC AGM was well attended last week with over 40 members watching and listening to a fascinating slide presentation by Stuart Gallagher on his trip to the Antarctic and also a short video by Kevin Moore on his recent skiing trip to the Arctic circle. Everyone seemed to like the new format so we hope to reproduce it at next years AGM - if any member is interested in giving a talk/slide show/film etc please contact me.

Membership is nearly full - we have approximately 100 places left before we close. I suspect that will be as soon as we get the first decent snowfall.

Have you got your snow tyres on and chains ready yet? The Lake District ski club has already had 3 days skiing so far before any official skiing has taken place in Scotland. We  nearly had enough to ski on but cover was deemed too thin. However if you believe the following Express article - forecasters are predicting the coldest winter for 100 years - they say that blizzards are expected in the North with temperatures down to -20 degrees and widespread disruption. The worst (or best depending on your view) weather is predicted in December and January but could start as early as this coming weekend - http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/358717

Finally for those snowboarders who fancy some early snow there is an attempt on a world record at the Chill Factor in Manchester next week (20 November). You have to be a competent snowboarder (able to do an ollie!) and details are in the link below -they are still after as many snowboarders as possible. If any of you do take part please email me with a report. All the relevant information is available here: http://www.chillfactore.com/events/world-record

Steve