FAQ s for Ski Centre General Information 1. When is the Ski Centre open? 2. How can I keep up to date with offers and news about the Ski Centre?

Transcription

1 FAQ s for Ski Centre General Information 1. When is the Ski Centre open? Our Winter Season runs from the start of October until the end of March, and Summer Season from April to September. Our opening hours and lesson programme is detailed on our main webpage. 2. How can I keep up to date with offers and news about the Ski Centre? To hear about all of our news, events, offers and promotions please Like Torfaen Leisure Trust on Facebook, and/or follow TorfaenLeisureT on Twitter. 3. Who are our instructors? All of our instructors are qualified and registered with the sport s governing bodies. They all hold a Salomon Rental Technician Certification, and have all undergone an enhanced DBS check. Our instructors are highly qualified with a wealth of experience from around the globe. Most of our instructors have worked abroad and do so as often as they can. We are passionate about Snowsports and want to get as many people hooked as possible. 4. Can I just come and have a go at learning by myself, without formal lessons? No. It's safer and better for yourself and other users if we ensure that everyone has a minimum of 3 lessons before undertaking any further, unaccompanied practice. Our beginner lessons cover basics such as sliding, stopping and safe use of the equipment and slope, as well as turning to allow you to avoid obstacles and other users, so it is a requirement, just as you'd have to do an induction session if you were joining a gym. This only applies to complete beginners. 5. Can I bring a group and teach them to ski or board at the Centre? No. Sorry, not even if you are a qualified instructor. The Centre's policy is that only qualified staff, who are employed by Pontypool Ski Centre can teach on our slope, for insurance reasons. 6. Do you have specific practice times for ski and boarding? No, you can practice at any time with the possible exception of race/event days when all or part of the slope is restricted for use by competitors. Please check our list of upcoming events for details, or contact the centre directly. 7. What do I need to wear? Skiing & Snowboarding - Don t forget your gloves (no fingerless gloves). You may get wet so bring waterproofs, and dirty so don't wear your best clothes. Bring long trousers, long sleeved top, gloves and long, thick socks. Helmets must be worn by anyone using the ramps and rails. Ringos - Don t forget your gloves (no fingerless gloves). You may get wet and dirty so don't wear your best clothes. Bring long trousers, long sleeved top and gloves. For the ringos flat rubber bottom shoes must be worn (no open toes), trainers are ideal. On the ringos, helmets must be worn, and will be supplied. For safety reasons the supervisor will set the start height according to weather conditions, size and height of riders. 8. Do lessons go ahead in bad weather? Yes, the Centre will only close due to adverse weather conditions, i.e. very high winds and storms, otherwise please be prepared to go out in all weathers (see clothing, above).

2 9. What if I can t find the lessons I want? At Pontypool Ski Centre we are able to deliver skiing and snowboarding lessons for any standard. If your group is too large to fit into one of our group or private lessons, check our private hire section. If our programme doesn t include the lesson that you want, just give us a call. If we can get extra instructors to work, we can run extra lessons. 10. Some of my group want to learn to ski, and some want to snowboard. Can we all learn together? There are times when we are able to run a taster ski lesson and a taster snowboard lesson alongside each other. However, it is not possible to learn the two different sports within the same lesson. You would need to contact us directly to check lesson availability. 11. Can you just turn up on the day and have a lesson? Some of our adult and junior clubs (see our lesson descriptions and prices) do not require booking. However, we would always recommend that you book group and private lessons in advance because availability is limited, and we take these bookings on a first come first serve basis. 12. How do I pay? We currently only accept cash or cheque, and do not have card payment facilities. Most of our lessons are payable by cash or cheque, on the day. However, birthday party bookings can only be taken with a 30 cash/cheque deposit and a completed Party Booking Form. Parties 1. What does a party at the ski centre involve? At the ski centre you can choose from the following parties: Skiing 1 hour fun introduction to skiing Snowboarding 1 hour fun introduction to Snowboarding Ringo s 1 hour fun session on the ringos A 1 hour combination of either skiing and ringos, or snowboarding and ringos. 2. What is the maximum number of people that can be included in a party? Skiing: We can accommodate a maximum of 36 people in our ski parties during our normal opening hours. We can accept up to 48 people if the centre is hired privately. Snowboarding: We can accommodate a maximum of 12 people in our snowboard parties Ringos: We do not have a maximum number of people for the ringos though users may need to share them. We currently have 8 ringos.

3 3. What is the minimum age for the different activities? Skiing parties - The minimum age is 8 years old. If you have a group with a small number of children under this age, please contact the ski centre directly to discuss. Snowboarding parties - The minimum age is 8 years old. We have limited numbers of snowboard boots in small sizes and our smallest boot is a UK size 1. If your group have shoe sizes 1-4 please contact the centre with a full list of sizes to make sure that we can provide enough equipment. Ringo parties The minimum age is 3 years. 3-7 year-olds must have parental supervision at all times. Parents must be available to carry ringos if children are unable. 4. When can we have a party? During the summer months we have two designated times for party bookings. These are a Saturday at 3pm and a Sunday at 2.30pm. Availability outside of these times is very limited and you would need to speak with a Duty Manager to discuss. During the winter months we can run birthday parties during the majority of our opening hours. 5. How do I book a Party? All party bookings now require a 30 cash/cheque deposit and a completed Party Booking Form before confirmation. To book a lesson during the summer months in one of our designated party slots you will need to visit Pontypool Active Living Centre with your deposit. To book a party outside of these slots you would need to visit the Ski Centre during our opening hours with your deposit. 6. What do I need to wear? Skiing & Snowboarding - Don t forget your gloves (no fingerless gloves). You may get wet and dirty so don't wear your best clothes. Bring long trousers, long sleeved top, gloves and long, thick socks. Helmets must be worn by anyone using our ramps and rails. Ringos - Don t forget your gloves (no fingerless gloves). You may get wet so please bring waterproofs, and dirty so don't wear your best clothes. Bring long trousers, long sleeved top and gloves. For the ringos flat rubber bottom shoes must be worn (no open toes), trainers are ideal. On the ringos, helmets must be worn and will be supplied. For safety reasons the supervisor will set the start height according to weather conditions, size and height of riders. Group Lessons 1. What is a group lesson? Group lessons are available for individuals or small groups to join other people of a similar ability, and receive instruction. Group lessons are available for skiing and snowboarding and for all abilities from first time Tasters to advanced. 2. Who can take part in a group lesson? Group lessons are for adults and children aged 8 and over. 3. How many people will be in my group? The maximum number for group lessons is 12 participants per instructor, so you will have a maximum of 12 adults and children in your group.

4 4. I can t see any group lesson slots on your programme, when do they run? Our winter programme has some group lessons scheduled such as Taster Lessons. Both summer and winter programmes have slots titled, Ski/Snowboard Lesson or Party. These slots are available to be booked as either: group lessons, private lessons, school groups or birthday parties and are available on a first come first serve basis. Private Lessons 1. What is a private lesson? A private lesson is a 1 hour lesson exclusively for you, or your private group and will be tailored to your needs. You will have the undivided attention of one instructor for an hour on the slope. The lesson will focus on your personal objectives, and will progress at your pace. 2. Can I bring my family for a private lesson? We can deliver a private lesson for a family. Children aged below 8 years typically require significant assistance from the instructor, so a family private lesson which includes children aged below 8 will progress much slower than one that does not. For children aged 3-7 why not check out our Mini Ski School? 3. Can my group have a private lesson together if we are different abilities? It s your lesson. You get 1 exclusive hour of our instructor s time. If you have a mixed ability group you may need to share his/her time between you, particularly if you are using different areas of the slope. If your group includes first time skiers/boarders then the instructor will only be able to teach them. Ringos 1. What are the ringos? Ringos are round inflatable doughnuts with smooth plastic bases which enable them to slide down the slope. Ringo birthday parties and 30-minute have-a-go sessions take place on the nursery slope and are great fun! You can sit, spin, go backwards, hold on to the person next to you What do we need to wear for ringos? Don t forget your gloves (no fingerless gloves). You may get wet so please bring waterproofs, and dirty so don't wear your best clothes. Bring long trousers, long sleeved top and gloves. For the ringos flat rubber bottom shoes must be worn (no open toes), trainers are ideal. On the ringos, helmets must be worn and will be supplied. For safety reasons the supervisor will set the start height according to weather conditions, size and height of riders. 3. What is the minimum age for ringo sessions? Minimum Age 3 years. 3-7 year-olds must have parental supervision at all times. Parents must be available to carry ringos if children are unable.

5 Private hire 1. What is Private Hire? Some groups are just too big to accommodate during our normal opening hours, and others want to come along at times when we are not usually open. With private hire we can open up especially for you. The hire duration, number of people in your group, and your instruction requirements will determine the cost. Our private hire prices can be found on our Lesson Description and Prices page. 2. How do I enquire about, or book Private Hire? Private Hire must be arranged with our Senior Duty Officer, by calling the Ski Centre during our opening hours, or ing skislope@torfaenleisuretrust.co.uk