Here's The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead park for this Friday. They're not 100% sure that "Double Ribby T" will work up the top there, but we wish them luck with it!
This week the layout is a bit different, in order to fit in two jumps on the main slope we are having a full on rail fest on the rookie slope, we will still have the rookie hits on there as well as we have the whole area to play with. its going to be epic and the rope tow will mean you get maximum laps. Please be aware the layout might change a little in order to fit in maximum features.
Well, not the whole of Hemel, just the indoor bit with the snow. Anyway...
We've been wanting to have a chat with them about their freestyle and some other things for a few weeks now. As the regulars will know, they stopped doing Wednesday and Thursday freestyle and currently only do a Friday session and that on only half the main slope and part of the lesson slope to leave room for recreational riding. This is purely down to economics. The Wed/Thu freestyle sessions weren't bringing in the numbers and this time of year most of their income comes via lessons and recreational users finding their feet before a trip away. They also had issues with the snow quality as the "damage" done by smashing up the snowpack after a freestyle session and that done by the race club meant that the huge numbers of recreational users were seeing the snow base too granular and not binding.
The good news is that this reduced freestyle is just temporary. Come May, and possibly as soon as the Easter Holidays are over, freestyle will return for more sessions. They think they'll go with a smaller Thursday session as before, plus a full slope park on Friday. We're also pushing for a monthly biggy on Saturday and the first of these, just after Easter, is likely to be the SCUK Spring Camp Bash... more on that later. Better still, prices will go back down to the off-peak rates and SCUK Members will continue to enjoy the usual great discounts.
They also intend to have something freestylee out all week over the summer. This may be a box, rails or small jump. Anyway, it means it's worth popping over to Hemel any day of the week, just to get your fix as even they recognise a long slope, devoid of features is deathly boring for the vast majority.
Some people have asked why they can't run sessions later in to the night. This all comes down to them needing to re-groom for the weekend. It's not like Tamworth SnowDome, where they can simply take the boxes, rails and jumps out and do quick groom. The mounds of snow used by freestyle need a proper groom to maintain snow quality and they can't easily start that at 2am. Interestingly, Tim Carter from SnowDome was also visiting Hemel today. Whilst the two slope do compete, Hemel certainly don't think of themselves as in competition with any other slope; including the nearby SNO!zone at Milton Keynes. In fact, Hemel's management team much admire the SnowDome's management style and are in regular communication.
Hemel also intend to sort out their freestyle maintenance schedule so that boxes and rails get regularly maintained. The SCUK Box for example, is looking a bit sorry for itself and has been a victim of its own success. We'll have that mended over the next few weeks and back to its former glory. We also hope that the DWA ("Diggers With Attitude") park team will start to dig in more of the boxes and rails. They were designed and constructed by Steve Terry to be dug in to the snow, rather than buried in the snow. It's always a bit annoying for us to see the SCUK Box buried up to the rails, so all that lovely branding is hidden! Moving lots of snow also has implications for snow quality as mentioned, so the less they move the better.
We still have plans for the first SCUK Spring Camp Bash. This will be after Easter, when prices have dropped and will basically involve a Friday night freestyle session, hotel for those that need one, followed on Saturday morning by free paintballing locally. Then from Saturday midday, we'll be joined by Maverix and Definition who will offer cheap introductory freestyle coaching sessions throughout the day. During the evening, Hemel will put on their first big Saturday freestyle session in association with SCUK. The best news is that SCUK Members will be able to purchase a "day ticket" for Saturday, so they can ride for as long as they like and come and go to the bar as and when for a relaxed day of riding, coaching and freestyle. More on that as it firms up.
I know there's a few of us heading to Hemel tomorrow evening, so if you fancy coming along, we'll see you there.
Here's the park for this Friday at The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead. They also hope to squeeze in a kicker.
There is also a possibility that Hemel will revamp their freestyle offering with more emphasis placed on progression, but with fewer freestyle sessions for the high season. We have a meeting planned so we'll be able to bring you the low down when we know.
Pro-skier Peter Silver Gillespie takes to the slopes in this amazing shot - skiing on TOP of a snow centre.
The 39-year-old ski ace - an internationally qualified ski coach and an examiner of ski instructors - took to the 160m-long roof on the Snow Centre to take advantage of the deluge of real snow that has hit the UK this week.
Health and Safety eat your heart out.
The roof is normally green covered with moss like plants making it one of the largest "green roofs" in the UK... usually.
With both Christmas Day and New Years Day falling on a Friday, Hemel's park team "Diggers With Attitude" are a bit gutted that there's not going to be any freestyle between 19th December and 5th January at The Snow Centre.
The Friday park will be back with a vengeance on 8th January, with the mini-shred sessions starting on the 6th January.
Here's The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead park for tonight. They apologise for the lo-fi layout this week, but the park team have had PC issues. As they say... "embarrassing, but hey ho!"
Here are the parks for this week at The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead. The Wednesday and Thursday mini-shred park is a great option for a less full on introduction to the joys of free style, whilst Friday's full on park is for those wanting to push themselves that bit more.
For the third week in a row Hemel will put out an amazing park. Tonight it's Rob Needham's Morrow Jam, which is the longest running event on these fine shores. Having first started at the now derelict Hillingdon, before moving to Hemel's Dendix and on to Tamworth SnoDome for a few years, the event is now back at what it considers to be it's spiritual home.
I'll be there tonight with my camera. I'll be the one wearing orange (the colour, not the fruit).
Here's the Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead park for Wednesday and Thursday this week. This Friday is the world famous Morrow Jam and we'll have the park for that soon.
The 2009 Burton Scrap Metal is hitting The Snow Centre, Hemel Hempstead this Friday with a host of new features. In fact four brand new rails have been constructed especially for the event as well as some old favourites from last year's competition. If you are lucky enough to be making the trip on Friday evening you’ll be given the opportunity to ride one of the most progressive indoor park set-ups ever built in the UK.
We’ve got Burton European shred hound and rail slayer extraordinaire Wojtek Pawlusiak coming all the way over from Poland to see how the UK stands up in terms of indoor rail riding. He’ll be shredding on the evening then turning his hand to guest judging the final at the end of the night.
The prizes this year are off the hook with £450 up for grabs for the winners as well as a ton of swag from Burton, Analog, Gravis and Monster Energy. Not to mention the top unsponsored rider of the evening will walk away with 1 weeks snowboarding holiday with rudeapartments (which sleeps up to 5 x people) from the 17th - 24th April 2010 (Sat – Sat)… AMAZING!
Monster Energy will be rolling into to town with their rig rammed full of tasty beverages and keeping the competitors energised throughout the evening.
Registration will open at 6pm and the comp will start at 7pm with a practice, then go straight into a 2 hour qualifying jam session. The top 10 male and top 3 women will go into a two run, best--run counts final at the end of the night. Then it’s up to the bar for a drink and the prize giving.
If you want to carry on the party or have a long journey home we’ve got a deal with the local Premiere Inn in Central Hemel Hempstead. Guests need to phone Premier Inn directly on 01442 439680 and quote The Snow Centre to get a discounted rate.
Make sure you come on down to the most creative competition within these fare shores this autumn.
Half-pipe specialist Dan Wakeham, the highest ranked UK male snowboarder and the first British male snowboarder to compete in the winter Olympics in 2006, has joined the judging panel for a competition where designers are invited to have their dream snowboard turned into a reality.
The UK's premiere snowsports centre, The Snow Centre, based in Hemel Hempstead and HEAD Snowboards have teamed up to launch a competition for designers to create the most outrageous snowboard design yet. The winner will see their creation transformed into a one of a kind HEAD Transit snowboard along with a pocketful of freestyle passes or lessons to put it through its paces on the best snow this side of the Alps.
Entrants are encouraged to showcase originality as well as design proficiency, laying down the most kaleidoscopic range of colours, shapes and text they can dream up. Judging the competition will be The Snow Centre's director of snowsports Pete Gillespie, The Snow Centre's park shapers and diggers with attitude, The DWA, and the design possy at the fiendishly hip free publication, Don't Panic.
With Friday fast approaching the Burton Scrap Metal is well underway and ready for action. With brand new features built especially for the event, things are likely to get pretty ill out on the hill especially with amazing prizes up for grabs ranging from a holiday with Rude Chalets (for the best unsponsored) to cold, hard CASH for the winners. We will also have goodies from Analog, Gravis, Monster Energy and the best trophies to date!
The comp will start at 7pm with a practice, then go straight into a 2 hour qualifying jam session. The top 10 male and top 3 women will go into a two run, best run counts final at the end of the night. Then it’s up to the bar for drinks, banter and prize giving.
If you want to carry on the party or have a long journey home we’ve got a deal with the local Premiere Inn in Central Hemel Hempstead-
Standard Price Midweek = £69 per room
Snow Centre Rate Midweek = £60 per room
Guests need to phone Premier Inn directly on 01442 439680 and quote The Snow Centre.
So if your looking for a lucky Friday the 13th, head to The Snow Centre, Hemel Hempstead. Usual slope prices apply and there is no extra cost to get involved in the competition.
The setup at The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead on Friday was sick and the DC crew rocked with Christian Stevenson as MC. I just stood there and got bloody cold taking about 650 photos, but it did sort out the headache I'd had for a week. Here's a few favourites and the rest are available for your viewing pleasure on Facebook.
My fave girl on a board at the mo... Alice Blake
Lannig Canu front flips (again) and Nick Edmonds wonders whether two queue lines was such a great idea.
DC boy Nate Kern about to land on a real photographer, Russ Shea
Hemel's smallest grom Jake Terry falls off the Poma again
Well, this is very last minute, so spread the word! Tonight sees The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead hold a massive DC demo and park night in association with Snow+Rock and Monster Energy.
I know what some of the "mystery features" are noted on the slope layout and suffice to say, they are absolutely bonkers.
Expect live DJs, UK DC snowboarders Seb and Nate Kern, Sam Cullum (albeit on crutches) and none other than Christian Stevenson as your MC for the night. It all kicks off at 7pm and SCUK members can take advantage of a 10% discount on admission as usual.
theAirbag.net are down at The Snow Centre at Hemel Hempstead this Friday. The usual upside down, spinning round japes will commence at 7pm until 11pm! Booking is highly advised especially if you are set on a particular session. This can be done by contacting the slope 0845 258 9000 or online at www.thesnowcentre.com
Club Membership 
