Author: Ski-Allenheads

Due to water leaks in the houses of today’s potential tow operators, we are now unable to get to Allenheads to run the tows. So we will not open today.

Another excellent days skiing and boarding for an estimated 120 – 150 members and the snow has continued to be very good with full coverage across the field apart from the odd patch such as on a slalom course.

The forecast is for a slow thaw overnight and tomorrow morning, then warming up quickly tomorrow afternoon. Given the depth of snow, we think it will remain skiable for a period tomorrow before bare patches appear so we will open one tow – the one by the entrance – at 10.30 and look to continue running until early afternoon, perhaps 2.00pm, assuming conditions are ok. We will check the field tomorrow morning and provide another update if conditions have significantly changed.

The Hemmel Cafe will be open from 10.00am to 3.30pm.

Another excellent days skiing and boarding for an estimated 150 – 200 members and the snow is holding up very well. A bit of a problem with A tow when one of the pins holding the top trestle came out. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to get it fixed in pretty rapid time, especially as it meant the tow could continue running into its evening floodlit session.

We will open tomorrow, Sunday, by 11.00am but will try to get started earlier, perhaps by 10.30. The temperature should stay around freezing so we should be able to run the tows until 4.00pm. Possibly also opening on Monday.

It will be very busy again so we may not have enough boots and skis to meet demand so if you are dependant on using our equipment, it would be best to come early. We cannot reserve gear. If you do borrow skis or boots, please give a £5 donation per set so we can look to buying replacement gear.

Parking nearest to the slope is still limited, however we have had the two car parks in the village cleared so there is a lot of room, but space is still limited so please park carefully and try to maximise the use of the space which is available.. One of the cleared car parks is in front of the Allenheads Inn and the other, larger one, is across the road from the Inn. Both car parks are in easy walking distance, about three hundred metres, from the ski-slope. Please make sure you don’t park inconsiderately near the slope – all of the roads need access for snow ploughs and buses.

The Hemmel cafe will be open for drinks from 9.30am (knock if the doors are still closed) and food from 10.00. the cafe will close at 4.00pm. They have started serving gluhwein – including to take away and the verbal reviews are excellent!

Conditions are still great, full snow cover, cold and, again for tomorrow, sunny. We’ll be opening from about 10.30am and will run the tows until about 4.00pm, with the possibility, if there is enough help and demand and the flood lights all work, that we will continue running until about 5.30pm.

Parking nearest to the slope is still limited, however we have had the two car parks in the village cleared so there will be plenty of room over the weekend. One of the car parks is in front of the Allenheads Inn and the other, larger one, is across the road from the Inn. Both car parks are in easy walking distance, about three hundred metres, from the ski-slope. Please make sure you don’t park inconsiderately near the slope – all of the roads need access for snow ploughs and buses.

The Hemmel cafe will be open from 10.00 to 3.30pm and they have started serving gluhwein – including to take away!

This is almost a repeat of yesterday – Another great days skiing and boarding at Allenheads. The snow is getting still better as it’s flattened and conditions are great with full cover and plenty of cold and sun and no wind. We will open again tomorrow, Friday, at around 11.00am and run the tows until about 3.45. Prospects for Saturday are looking excellent and it should remain good into Sunday so we plan to run the tows both days as well.

Parking is still not straightforward as not many spaces have been cleared. BBC news visited yesterday and there was a feature yesterday evening about ski-allenheads on the local TV news. Numbers of skiers today were similar to Tuesday & Wednesday but it is likely there will be more people tomorrow and Saturday so you may need to clear snow to make a parking space. As the snow by the road is fairly hard, please bring a strong shovel. We are trying to arrange to have the snow cleared from the car parks in the village but that is not yet guaranteed.

The Hemmel Cafe will be open tomorrow from 10.00 until 3.00/3.30. Great choice of cold weather food & drink!

For those wanting to spend more time on the slopes and less on the road, the Old School House, just opposite the ski club, is offering accommodation for skiers.
4 bedrooms, log stove, big comfy living room and drying facilities.
Book a room or book the whole place (up to 12 people).
See link for details but book direct with Helen for best price, from £45pp/pn
helenshead@acart.org.uk 07966257276
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/997760?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=2184cdfb-a7b2-4bf7-81ad-74e60306bf28

For one, two or three people we can also offer the cosy cabin, see link for details and contact direct.
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/896122825231657721?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=5ef99206-db8d-439d-afab-00a470092179

Another great days skiing and boarding at Allenheads. The snow is getting better as it’s flattened and conditions are great with full cover and plenty of cold and sun and no wind. We will open again tomorrow, Thursday, at around 11.00am and run the tows until about 3.45. Prospects for Friday and Saturday are looking good so we plan to run the tows both days as well.

Parking is still not straightforward as not many spaces have been cleared. BBC news visited today and are planning to put a feature about ski-allenheads in the local TV news this evening. This means we may expect more people tomorrow and Friday so you may need to clear snow to make a parking space. As the snow by the road is fairly hard, please bring a strong shovel.

The Hemmel Cafe will be open tomorrow from 10.00 until 3.00/3.30. Great choice of cold weather food & drink!

An excellent day at Allenheads after a few teething problems with an iced up rope on A tow. Excellent snow which is 30 to 40 cms deep with full cover across the whole field. Both tows now working well and we’ll be opening tomorrow at about 11.00am and running the tows to about 15.45. We’ll confirm each day but would expect to run the tows every day this week, starting and finishing around the same time.

If you come, a number of spaces have been cleared for parking but please still bring a shovel as you might need it to dig more space.

The Hemmel cafe will be closed tomorrow – they don’t open on Wednesdays – but will be open on every other day from 10.00 to 3.00/3.30.

Conditions at Allenheads are very good with 30+cms of snow. Access is clear from Allendale so we will be opening tomorrow from about 11.00am and expect to run the tows until 15.45ish. Access from Weardale could be harder. Roads were cleared today but there is drifting snow so may not remain open, especially in the morning.

The toilets in the village are open as is the Hemmel Cafe.

If you go to Allenheads tomorrow, please take a shovel as you will probably need to dig yourself a parking space and please park carefully, making sure you don’t block the road for the buses, snow plough and residents.

The forecast is good – very cold and sunny – into the weekend, so we should be able to open every day this week, probably with the same opening times as tomorrow.

It seems that access to Allenheads is possible but rather difficult. Snow is drifting so whilst the road from Allendale might be passable at times, there is a risk it could close between trips of the snow plough. There are also reports of fallen trees on the road. Becasue of the uncertainty of access and the need to prioritise access for residents, we’ve decided not to open today.

We will open tomorrow about 11.00am. We will get to Allenheads a bit earlier but expect to need some time to clear access to the field, cabins and tow. Any help in doing this will be very welcome.

I’ll send out a further update this evening or first thing tomorrow.