The Snow Centre Review
The Snow Centre
Hemel Hempstead
Reviewed by Shelly Harper
On Sunday 8thJanuary 2012 myself and my 9 year old daughter were booked in to undertake a private ski lesson each at The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead.
Having never attempted skiing before I was a little concerned about what I had got myself into but my daughter couldn’t contain her excitement and was very eager to get going.
The Snow Centre is 10 minutes from the M25 (junction 20) and 5 minutes from the M1 (junction 8) and just a 30 minute train ride from London Eustonso from my house in Hitchin, the journey took about 25 minutes. The closer we got to The Snow Centre the more exited my daughter became but I have to admit I was terrified. What if I fell over? What if I hurt myself or even worse someone else?
Upon arrival at the Snow Centre, we were greeted by their free 280 parking space car park and a glass and wood panelled building. The building looks spectacularly huge and very modern from the outside so we couldn’t wait to get inside and have a look around.
When we entered the Snow Centre, we found the shop, Snow + Rock. They sell winter sports clothing, equipment and accessories and incorporate a CycleSurgery. Unfortunately we were unable to go in the shop for a look around as it was closed.
We headed from here to the first floor where we found the check-in desk for our skiing lessons. There are a also a few fast track ticket machines located here so if you have prebooked and have a booking confirmation number, you can tap in the reference, confirm the details and get your tickets. Although we did have a booking confirmation number, as this was our first visit I decided we would wait in the small queue so that we could be advised of what we do and where we go.
The customer service assistant at the check-in desk was exceptionally helpful. I handed him our booking confirmation number and he confirmed all of our details including that we did definitely require clothing and equipment hire. Once we confirmed, he printed off our tickets which stated our names, what we were there for, who we were there for and the time and he also printed our voucher for the clothing and equipment hire. Along with the tickets and voucher, we were given a small cable tie as our tickets had to be attached to our skiing jackets.
With everything now in hand, the customer service assistant explained that just through the barrier there are numbered areas which is where were to meet our instructor and at the very far end, is where we were to collect our equipment and clothing. My daughter, still being really excited rushed us through to get our clothing and equipment. At the desk where we collected our clothing and equipment, we had to specify our height, weight and shoe sizes in order for our equipment to be set up correctly. In return, we were given our ski boots, our skis, our sallopetts and our jackets. As the temperature on the slope ranges from -2°C to -6°C, The Snow Centre recommends visitors wear long, thick, warm socks, layered clothing and gloves which are compulsory for safety. They do not recommend jeans as they often end up water logged so we wore leggings which were perfect for wearing underneath our sallopetts. Clothing hire from the Snow Centre is £6.50 but for hygiene reasons does not include gloves and socks. These can be purchased separately at the check in desk. Socks are £4.00 and gloves are £9.00. Helmets are available free of charge to everyone.
Once we had received all of our equipment and clothing, we went to bench 8 to meet our instructor Barrie Douglass. Barrie greeted us at our bench with a comforting smile and a handshake before telling us his name and showing us the lockers where we could store our shoes, coats and bags whilst we took our lessons. Lockers are £1.00 but are completely refundable at the end of your session.
Both my daughter and I managed to change into all of our ski clothing with ease except for the boots. They are heavy, snug fitting and not at all easy to put on but with Barrie’s help and a bit of a struggle we managed to get them on. The next task was to attempt to walk in the boots……. Heel to toe was not as easy as we expected in the big, heavy ski boots.
Finally we were ready to go and play, sorry, learn in the crisp white snow……
Upon reaching the snow, Barrie taught us how to walk through the snow in order for us to reach our training slope. Once we were at the foot of the training slope he taught us how to attach our skis. At this point, I was even more terrified and admitted to Barrie that I was very nervous but he soon put me at ease explaining that I now had these huge feet that I could easily lean backwards and forwards on and that skiing is much easier than ice skating which I attempted twice back in December. I didn’t do badly at ice skating but I definitely won’t be the next figure skating champion!
Barrie was a great instructor. He was very patient, friendly, and supportive and we couldn’t recommend him enough. He taught us the following:
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How to walk around on the snow with skis on
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How to side step up the slop with skis on unaided
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How to turn around on the slope and hold in a wedge unaided
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How to slide down the slope with skis parallel
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How to ski down the slope holding skis in a snowplough
We also did five exercises whilst sliding down the slope which included:
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Bending over to touch the toes
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Clapping hands below the knees then above the head
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Clapping hands out in front of the body and behind the body
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Throwing a tennis ball in the air and catching it
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Passing a tennis ball all around the body
Our lesson was for an hour and in that hour we did not feel rushed by Barrie at all. He was very thorough and made sure we were totally able to perform a task before we moved onto the next one.
I admit that when I first stepped onto the slope I was scared stiff and found it really difficult to relax but once I got my balance and completed a few of the tasks I felt much more at ease and began to enjoy myself. My daughter on the other hand, being a child, had no fear so wanted to try and do everything as soon as she was released onto the snow. I suspected after the first slip up she may not have been so keen but Barrie picked her up, told her to brush herself off and encouraged her to carry on so off she went, still bright eyed and full of smiles.
At the end of our hour lesson we went back to our bench with Barrie where he filled out our Ski Achievement Card. In an hour, my daughter had achieved level 1a and 1b and I achieved Level 1 so if we decided to partake in another lesson we would both be able to continue at Level 2.
There are six levels:
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Level 1 – The Beginner Skier
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Level 2 – The Snowplough Skier
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Level 3 – Skiers Learn To Turn
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Level 4 – Introduction To The Main Slope
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Level 5 – The Versatile Skier
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Level 6 – The Sports Skier
For health and safety reasons The Snow Centre has a minimum standard which must be met before you can ski on the main slope. The minimum standard is to be able to control speed and direction, perform controlled linked turns and use the button lift unassisted. Anyone who cannot meet these standards must book a lesson with an instructor.
Overall, we had an amazing experience at the Snow Centre and cannot fault the friendly, helpful staff. I can definitely say that although I was scared and nervous before I had even started, by the end of the lesson I was completely at ease. Both my daughter and I have already looked into more lessons and the possibility of purchasing memberships.
To find out more or book lessons visit www.thesnowcentre.com
Fancy something to eat after visiting the Snow Centre? See our review of The Edge at the Snow Centre here.