Skiing At The Snow Centre, Hemel Hempstead

You can go skiing on an indoor snow slope at Hemel Hempstead. We went on a Sunday afternoon and paid about £30 for an hour's skiing including hire of the ski equipment. We booked a two hour session.

Getting There
If you are driving, watch out of the infamous Hemel Hempstead Roundabout where the traffic seems to be sent in the wrong direction, when you would expect it to go clockwise.

Signs
Sign warn that to use the ski slope you must be able to use the Poma. How does it work? It's a round seat which travels up the slop on a kind of stretch spring.

Getting On The Poma
The first tricky part is getting on the Poma at the bottom of the slope. Wait in the queue. If you are chatting to friends, don't turn your back on the Poma. Be ready to go. You grab hold of the vertical bar, which stretches, and pull it towards you. Place the circular seat between your legs. Grip the vertical bar, and hold on tight as it pulls off.

Secondly, as you travel up the slope, hold onto your ski poles and don't drop them. Be sure not to lean sideways as you hold the vertical bar in one hand and your ski poles in the other hand. Don't fall off!

If anybody else falls off or gets tangled up, the system will jolt to a halt suddenly.

Thirdly, finally, getting off at the top of the slope. Ask somebody who has done it before to help you understand.

Non-skiers can watch from the observation balcony or stay inside in the warm in the eating area by the big windows. If you are observing and plan to wave or take photos, note the colour of your family's of friends' colour of hats and jackets and trousers.

I had a lunch of a baked potato in its jacket with tuna. This involves a 15 minute wait. If you are taking a lesson or have a one or two hour session booked, you may prefer to grab a sandwich.

After skiing we had coffee and muffins. the muffins look the same but come in more than one flavour. We had one lemon and popped muffin between two people, and one chocolate and fruit. Both delicious. The hot chocolate with cream or marshmallow on the top was large and had great cream which we shared around on the other coffees and the food.

If you are looking for a souvenir to buy, there's a blue tote bag.
The Snow Centre
St Albans Hill,
Hemel Hempstead
HP3 9NH
Phone: 0344 770 7227.

www.thesnowcentre.com

Other indoor ski centres are at Milton Keynes and elsewhere in the the UK.
Photos by Angela Lansbury, travel writer, photographer, author and speaker.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Americanisms

Two countries divided by a common language. Here are some of today's discoveries:
Foods from an article on food on a stick: ice lollies (known as popsicles in the US) and lollipops (also known as suckers and hard candy). Watch out for mistake in stationery and drug stores.

USA -UK
bobby pin - kirby grip
candy - sugar
cookie - biscuit (the US version is often large size and thick)
diaper - nappy
drug store / pharmacy - chemist
eraser - rubber
hard candy - lollipops
jelly - jam
Jello (brand name) - jelly
Kleenex - paper tissues / paper hankies
mom - mum
muffin - cup cake
pants - trousers
panty hose - tights
pavement - roadway / road surface / Tarmac
popsicles - ice lollies
roller coaster - big dipper
rubber - condom
sidewalk - pavement
soother/teether - dummy
suckers - lollipops
temple (Jewish) - synagogue
underpants - pants

Angela Lansbury, author and speaker (public speaking and radio), has lived in Rockville, Maryland and Connecticut, USA; London, England; and Singapore.