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  4 of 5, "Great place to brush up on turns!" 14/01/2012 @ 11:27 |
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| Price Per Hour |
| £20 |
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| Times Visited |
| Just Once |
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| Review Detail |
Went to the Snow Centre last Sat with a group of 5 friends. We booked a lift pass which cost us £39 for two hours.
I have been to Milton Keynes before and must say that the snow was much better here.
The centre itself is in the middle of a houseing estate and as we got the train (£12 return from Euston) and then a cab which cost £6. When we arrived we printed our tickets from the machine so no queing at all, signed the book and away we were!
Did have to queue for about 20 mins to get my board/boots and was a bit surprised that I wasn't asked if I was goofy/regular - the guy said that all boards were set up at 15 degrees so they could be used on their foot - didn't think that this was too helpful as I have always been goofy - he soon changed my bindings though.
Plenty of space on the slope from 1-2pm but from 2-3 it got very busy as we were queing for a good 5 mins per time to use the button lift.
Would def go again. |
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| Strengths |
Quick ticket machine
You get your £1 from your lockers
Didn't check our tickets once so literally could have walked in, hired board/boots and stayed there all day for free!
Great snow
Comfy boots |
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| Weaknesses |
Only Snow & Rock shop there
Queue time for equipment
Do not automatically ask you how you would like your board set up
Staff are crap - 3 young people just sitting at the top of the sloap messy around |
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| Similar Slopes Visited |
| Milton Keynes |
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 1 of 5, "Disgusting Customer Service at Hemel Snow Centre" 17/10/2011 @ 17:02 |
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| 0 of 1 people found the following review helpful: |
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| Price Per Hour |
| £49 |
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| Times Visited |
| Just Once |
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| Review Detail |
Unfortunately the experience I have had with Hemel Hempstead Snow Centre has not been a pleasant one. I have attempted more than 10 times to arrange for a party of 16 adults to attend for lessons or recreational passes. I first started this failed feat in September 2011 (with more than a month till the actual date of the event), the first contact I had was with a lady which didn’t know about the organisation of groups and would get someone to call me back, 4 days later and no call I tried again. This time another lady answered and said I would not be allowed to have recreational lift passes and only lessons for a group booking which is wrong, according to their website both is available. I attempted more than 5 times more to speak to a person who could help me book my event at the end of October, Sadly no-one wanted to know nor help me make a booking for over £400 and we kept being told it was kids only lessons on Saturdays, even though again if you try to book online it is available for all users.
Considering this was going to be a large booking worth over £400 of predominantly experienced skiers and snowboarders (only 6 for lessons), we would have also visited the bar for food and drinks after to celebrate (another £200 guaranteed spend) I cannot understand the sheer incompetence of the staff at this site who did not want to help me place a booking in excess of £600 for a couple of hours on a Saturday. Apparently the Hemel Snow centre would rather give out incorrect information about availability and not contact you to help you for a party!
I would avoid at all costs if you are thinking of making a booking for a party and go to Milton Keynes instead! They were very helpful and actually wanted to take my £600! Surprising after still checking Hemel snow centre is still offering availability for the date I wanted and have not sold out..... I wonder why!
As a further note for readers the difference in cost for lessons between Hemel and Milton Keynes is huge! MK offers a 1 hour lesson for £25, Hemel offers a 1.5 hour lesson for £49, I have had skiing and boarding lessons at MK several times and they are excellent so if you can spare an extra 20-30min journey I would travel a little bit further for excellent service. |
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| Weaknesses |
| Bad Customer Service |
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| Similar Slopes Visited |
| Milton Keynes |
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| 4 of 5, "First time at Hemel Hempstead after many trips to Milton Keynes." 10/10/2011 @ 12:18 |
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| Price Per Hour |
| £38 for 2 hours. |
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| Times Visited |
| Just Once |
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| Review Detail |
Having been to Milton Keynes several times over the years, I was keen to try out Hemel as it is about 45 minutes nearer to me and as it's a long journey from Somerset anyway, that was quite important.
The first thing that struck me on arrival was that the complex itself is tiny compared to MK, but that it was all slope and clearly a dedicated ski and board place. As I'm not really interested in bad food and going shopping this wasn't a problem for me.
The next thing I noticed was that I could just park up without getting fleeced for a parking ticket. Also, I was forced to go during a peak period and there were still plenty of parking spaces to choose from.
The check-in process was quick and simple (I used the fast track machines and avoided the queue).
The main changing area was of ample size and there were changing rooms available. I'm 6'2" and 14 stone and had plenty of room in the cubicle for me, my 167 wide board, large equipment bag and all my other stuff - so most other people should be fine too.
Once in the fridge itself it was immediately apparent how much newer and in better nick the place was compared to MK.
I never queued more than a minute or so for the button lifts, and the slope did not seem to be "over sold" which I have felt to be the case at MK before. I'm only intermediate level and still felt I had plenty of space to throw wider turns if I needed to.
The snow actually felt a lot more like real snow, and not some strange talcum powder! This was the biggest plus for me and was a joy to ride on. Also, I didn't find a single patch of hard ice. I had been to MK only a week before, and ice patches were everywhere.
I only spoke to two members of staff whilst I was there, and they were both friendly and helpful. I shared a joke with the guy on the lift duty, which must be a boring job so props to him.
I've nothing against MK, and don't deny the indoor snow fun it has provided me over the years - but I found HH to be better in every way for the boarder who only wants to go and board. |
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| Strengths |
Overall condition of facilities,
Quality of snow,
For my ability the slope was varied and interesting to ride.
Free parking,
Coin return lockers,
Friendly staff. |
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| Weaknesses |
| If you were to bring non-boarding friends or family they'd get bored quickly. |
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| Similar Slopes Visited |
| Milton Keynes. |
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 2 of 5, "They need to win my loyalty back..." 26/08/2011 @ 12:06 |
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| Times Visited |
| 2-5 Times |
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| Review Detail |
At the moment the only Plus this place has for me is that its a shorther drive than MK. Went once and was quite impressed as the snow was better than MK.
Went again in a group when they had a deal of something like £30 for all day and was totally NOT impressed. It was heaving to the max, mostly with small kids learning to ski ....(errr I though this was what the nursery slope was for ??) and the slope just got smaller and smaller throughout the day as the team built the park ready for the evening. We chose to go on a Thursday as they said 2 features would be out....this turned out to be a medium kicker with a pole jam on the side of it. OK "techinically" I guess this is 2 features but built out of one so to me this is a con. They should have had something like the kicker AND a rail out that easily shows 2 features.
With the overcrowded slope and it getting smaller a smaller as the park was built it basically ended up with a 2 mtr run down the middle that was icy and crap to ride for most of the afternoon.
I sent a letter to the manager on my thoughts and basically got a "we don't care less" reply. So to me the overated snow & friendly staff are non existent.
Going again very soon to see if they can win me back or else I just drive the extra 35 miles to MK |
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| Strengths |
| Closer to home than MK |
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| Weaknesses |
Overcrowded
Mgnt couldn't care as long as they get your money |
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| Similar Slopes Visited |
MK
Tam |
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 5 of 5, "Great place to beat the summer blues" 23/07/2011 @ 17:14 |
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| Price Per Hour |
| £18.5 on Sunday morning |
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| Times Visited |
| 2-5 Times |
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| Review Detail |
I visited TSC a few months after coming back from my first week boarding in Morzine this year.
The first visit was on a Sunday morning and what struck me was that the snow was better than what I had @ Morzine which was quite icy.
On either Tuesday or Wednesday evenings the slope is slightly icy in some sections, not at all like in the mornings. However, the more I visit the place the more I enjoy the evening conditions as the un-groomed slope means it is a playground for a beginner who wants to do jumps.
The place was in top condition and the location was easy to access from from West London or from Essex where I work.
I have made good use of promotions: £15x 2hours (groupon) and £29 x4hours on Tuesdays/Wednesdays from 5 to 9.
The Costa coffee / bar upstairs offers a convenient place to chill-out.
Overall, a fantastic place to improve your board skills, play and get your snow fix. |
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| Strengths |
-snow quality
-friendliness of staff
-Instructors. My 8YO son started getting lessons. |
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| Weaknesses |
| -rental (free) equipment. In all three occasions when I decided to use the Head gear, the bindings where pretty at the end of their life (or my friends as my friends said way past). And the Head boots were neither comfortable nor staid tight until the end of the two-hour session. |
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