I recently got hold of a great deal on Groupon, for a three-hour beginners Ski lesson for two at Snow Dome Tamworth for £84. Normally this lesson at full price is £178. So, it worked out at £42 per person, which is a bargain.
Once i got my Groupon voucher I rang SnowDome and booked in for a class and we went for a 2pm start. This gave us plenty of time to travel there without have to get up too early. Whilst booking the session they explained that we would be provided with all the equipment, ski’s, boots and helmet. The only thing we needed was warm clothes, waterproof’s and leather gloves.
One of the main things that drew me to the Snow Dome was that it has real snow, so you get the real deal which you don’t with a dry ski slope (not that I’ve been to one but from what I have heard). Also, Snow Dome not only allows you to ski and snowboard, you can ice skate, have fun doing Tubing, Tobagganing, enjoy the pool and flumes, so endless options. You can even take a break between activities and enjoy some food and drinks at Aspen restaurant or Starbucks.
The service when getting your ski’s and boots was excellent. The guy who helped us was friendly and asked if it was our first time and gave us a quick demonstration how the ski’s and boots clipped in, also put us at ease.
Sadly I didn’t have any waterproof’s and went along in some Topshop joggers, Heisenberg sweatshirt, padded Abercrombie and Fitch waist coat and leather gloves. To be honest, I feel if I had anymore layers or warmer layers on I would have melted haha. My only advice would be to get some good gloves. My leather gloves did have some absorbent material around the fingers and my hands did get a bit cold and wet. Totally avoid wooly gloves, as the snow will just stick to them and you’ll end up with very wet and cold hands and will not enjoy your experience.
Our group consisted of between 10-12 people and the ages ranged from approx 10-40 years of age. There were people who had skied before and others who had never. The instructor we had was Maria, and she was brilliant, I can’t fault her. She was very friendly and great at identifying individuals who needed extra help and support. If you weren’t confident and wanted more practice she would happily do it one on one with you, which was great. The ski slope is very daunting when you are standing at the bottom and guessing even more so when you are looking down for the first time. Don’t be scared, they don’t take you right to the top and expect you to be able to ski down gracefully. We started off at the bottom and had some practice skiing down a slight slope and being able to stop. Once I mastered this my confidence went up. We learnt how to fall safely by doing a tuck and roll, which is key as you don’t want to cause a pile up on the snow. And as time went on we slowly moved higher up the slope and by the end of the session we were all right at the top…whooohoooo!
One of the scariest things for me was the fear of falling. You have thoughts such as, Is it going to hurt? I’m going to look like an idiot, everyone’s going to laugh at me. There was nothing of the sort, trust me. I mastered the tuck and roll. Out of the whole group I must have fallen over the most and we had a giggle within our own group, no one’s bothered that you’ve fallen over, remember everyone’s been in your position. Falling over the first time is the hardest and after that you’ll do it with confidence and style haha.
It seems that Snow Dome always have some sort of offers on. Click here and it will take you to the offers page of the website and keep your eyes open for Groupon vouchers.
Pam x
