Snow Centre - Hemel Hempstead
UK skiers are beginning to realise the benefits of year-round skiing and snowboarding, and that’s becoming easier to achieve with the development of new indoor snow centres in various locations around the UK.
The latest facility to open is The Snow Centre, located in Hemel Hempstead, close to London. The centre has good transport links to South and South East of the country making it the most convenient indoor ski facility for millions of people. The Snow Centre has been open since spring 2009 and is proving a big hit with visitors. In addition to the slopes themselves the centre also boasts a smart café and restaurant area and an on-site branch of Snow+Rock. You can look out over the slopes from the balcony of the Edge café, sipping your Costa coffee, or even a Gluhwein, and enjoy watching your friends or family.
The centre uses the latest snow generation technology to cover its two slopes, a 100m long training area and a 160m main ski slope. The centre drops the air temperature overnight to create new snow then returns it to a comfortable minus one or two degrees for the public sessions. In terms of lifts, things are catered for pretty well with two modern POMA lifts for fast transfers and 2 traditional rope lifts, more suited to beginners or those not yet comfortable with the faster POMAs.
The quality of the centre’s hire equipment is also impressive, with Head skis part of the offering to ensure visitors have a satisfying, comfortable and safe time on the slopes. Helmets are also included in the entry fee. They have to be worn by children and are necessary for everyone for some types of activities.
In terms of public sessions and instruction programmes, the Snow Centre has a huge choice of options. The slopes cater for skiers, snowboarders and even cross-country skiers during some sessions. For snowboarders the centre runs a number of freestyle sessions where features are built on the slopes in a park layout. At the moment these are available from Wednesday onwards, with additions made throughout the week building up to the main four-hour Park and Ride freestyle event every Friday night. This is the most popular and busiest snowboard session where you’ll find experienced snowboarders pushing the boundaries. Features provided usually include a selection of kickers, together with rails, boxes and tubes. For certain nights throughout the year, the centre has also booked a huge Airbag for softer landings and to help those trying out new moves. These are held approximately once per month, but best check with the centre for the exact dates.
To be able to join in on the freestyle sessions you’ll need have a certain level of competence as there are likely to plenty of experts on the slope, so raw beginners ought to sign up for one of the snowboarding instruction offerings before moving onto the open sessions. If you are not sure whether you are up to the standards required, just check with the centre staff before booking on. They do suggest booking in advance for these sessions anyway as they have a limit on numbers for safety reasons.
As we mentioned, The Snow Centre also has a comprehensive teaching programme delivered by a group of qualified BASI instructors. You can book an individual session or sign up for blocks of lessons. There is also a choice of intensive fast-track full day sessions for those who want to progress quickly.
With the next ski season already on the horizon, the centre is preparing for its busiest time of the year. A few sessions on a real snow indoor slope can make all the difference in terms of enjoying your next ski holiday and also in remaining injury free while you are there. For children just spending a couple of sessions on those gentle indoor nursery slopes can make all the difference in terms of gaining confidence. Well worth it we think given the cost of a family trip these days. You want to make sure you have the best possible time.
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