Press day at The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead

“The best snow this side of the alps” it sounds a little bit cliché but could not be more true for Hemel Hempstead’s new and very anticipated snowdome. As a few of us had arrived for the special PR day we were greeted with free drinks and food just for us. They had a fantastic bar that was very homey with different areas for observing, resting, eating, an outside terrace to watch the slope. They even had computers where you could pick up your pre booked tickets helping save a lot of time.

Before we tested out the slope and had some fun on the rails, the box and the kicker they had built, we had a little tour of the facility and talked to the staff about their future freestyle plans. Even there beginner ski and snowboard equipment. were very new and fresh and looked very stable and good for learning.

As we got onto the slope everyone was keen to show off the tricks and manoeuvres in there snowboarding arsenal. With an extremely good box and a set of rails made by Steve Terry, everybody was having a fantastic time in the new snowdome. Also the fact that you can see outside from the slope really helps you mind from being disorientated like in other snowdomes.

I never thought that the quality of the snow would really change freestyle that much but the amazing quality of snow they have really makes you feel like you’re shredding in the mountains, with perfect grip and texture that gives you that unbeatable carving feeling. And the most comforting thing was the fact the staff were really interested into getting into the freestyle side of skiing and snowboarding and really wanted to help it evolve in the UK.

Overall I would say that Hemel Hempstead’s new snowdome will be an amazing success in the future and I cannot wait till it opens up its freestyle park to the public so I can get my shred on in this awesomely constructed snowdome.

Words by Lannig Canu.