Xscape - Leisure/Shopping Complex

[Boydie]

has anyone been to any of their complexes?

particularly Braehaead outside Glasgow?

they also have ones at Sheffield (i think) and Leeds

basically its a shopping centre but the main attractions are the outdoor style activities but indoors lol

like skiing and snowboarding in their snow domes, rock climbing, sky diving (in a wind tunnel thing), mini golf, robocoaster etc...

im going to braehead for a bit of snowboarding this sunday and to be honest i cant wait and im quite nervous lol

some might know on here that im a very keen snowboarder and travel at least twice a year to resorts for some pure mountain fun!

this will be no where near as good as the real thing but i hope its close anyway!

www.xscape.co.uk

any info or advice appreciated

 

[PJLarge]

Yes, I go the the Castlefield XScape quite often and the Mrs has a nice momento from there as well - two lovely scars on her wrist where the pins were inserted when she broke her wrist as she caught an edge on her 20 minute old board

I find the snow there good, but it's not the same as real snow. It's infinitely better than the permasnow we have at our local dry slope but the texture of the XScape 'snow' is very different to the stuff that falls naturally. The snow is quite slow and it does tend to get icy at times, but that's not necessarily a bad thing as it gives you better experience when you hit ice out in the mountains.

It can get very busy indeed at certain times, I find that the XScape park does tend to attract the chav element, but fortunately they tend not to bother with the snow facilities, they’re more interested in the shops or just hanging about.

I’ve been away twice this year, to Morzine and Val T. I want to go again, but can’t see how I can manage it at the moment as work is mental. It might be a quick dash to Finland as late in the season as I can make it. The indoor slopes are a good substitute if you can handle the busy-ness and comparatively short slope.

 

[Boydie]

good sound advice! i was in morzine over xmas which wasnt that great cos of the lack of snow - but its a top resort, hope to go again next season! i was in chamonix in january which was awesome!!!

true, i dont expect the conditions to be the same but hopefully a good substitute!

i would expect it to be busy especially this weekend - would you recommend to pre-book?? i might jus scout it out on sunday and spend most of monday there

what about equipment? i know they supply stuff but can i bring my own boots/clothing??

how cold is it in the place? im not a cold person but my gf is is desperate lol

thanks

 

[PJLarge]

I'd definately pre-book unless you live very close and can afford to take a flyer just showing up. For me it's a 2hr drive, so I need to know I can get on before committing to the drive.

If you want to spend the whole day there it will be expensive. From memory it's £20 odd / person / hour.

Their equipment is usually better than the rubbish dry slopes palm you off with, but if you have your own gear you're far better taking it. At least you know how your board rides and your boots will fit you properly. I always take my own gear. If there is a TSA on site, you can usually blag a demo board from them and get something better than the hire stuff, but I'd still rather have my own any day of the week.

It's not cold - the temp is usually between -1 and -3*c. It smells like you're inside a massive fridge (which I suppose you are really) The 'snow' is wetter than natural snow, so snowboarding pants are recommended to keep you dry. I usually wear a thermal top and my snowboarding jacket with no other layers. Obviously gloves are a given and I wear a helmet too as there are a few loose cannons about at times.

 

[Boydie]

thanks again mate - once more some excellent advice

im staying at my aunties hosuse in glasgow which is 10mins away from braehead so i might just go on sunday for a scouting mission , maybe come back later in the evening

there are shops there plus other activities to do in the mean time - i dont know what i would be booking for if i did it over the phone without seeing the place first!

i wont take my board as its a new burton custom x plus im flying in from northern ireland so would cost extra for my board.ill bring my clothing and boots though

i dont own a helmet but might consider it - i play rugby so i get bashed about enough lol

any other info? have you any pics or videos of the place??

thanks

 

[PJLarge]

I've got a Custom X as well - mine is a late '06 model with the Shag artwork - it's pretty rare, I've never seen another one. I usually take my Darkstar to XScape though, it's a board I just hack about on and don't really care about.

They do have helmets there you can use, they're free to loan.

I dont have any photos sorry - they're funny about cameras in there, I think it's because of the children that go there.

 

[murph]

Boydie,

I’ve been to xscape in Braehead for snow boarding lessons. It’s not as good as the real stuff but it’s still great fun. I would recommend boarding pants and jacket, but leave the thermals back home; you will however need your gloves. It’s something to do with health and safety and you won’t get on the slopes without them. You can get a helmet when you pick up your board. The boards and boots that you can hire are Salomon and are in good condition. There are changing facilities with showers, but you’ll need to bring your own towel. There are other attractions/shops to visit with some excellent deals on clothes and boards within the centre. Good restaurants as well. There is also a big shopping centre directly across the road with plenty of shops to visit.

Have a good one.

 

[Beerzo]

Braehead is just 15-20 mins from my house. Yeah its good for the boarding and eating but the shopping no! Unless your shopping for Boarding stuff or other strange sports. But the fact the Braehead Shopping Centre is across the street its cool.

If you are staying up here for a night or two best going on a Friday or Saturday night as they do a deal from 7pm-10pm is only £30 or something like that.

Mind they dont give you a discount if you have your own stuff which is a bit poo.

 

[Boydie]

i dont have many pics of me show the custom x but here you go lol sitting down unfortunately!

i also have an old burton floater which i use for bad snow conditions so i would use that if i decided to make it a regular trip!

me a few years ago on the floater lol

suspected that you couldnt take photos in the place due to child protection!

cheers for the advice murph, do you need a helmet??? id prefer not to wear one

i doubt you need googles or anything??

cant wait lads!!

 

[Boydie]

Braehead is just 15-20 mins from my house. Yeah its good for the boarding and eating but the shopping no! Unless your shopping for Boarding stuff or other strange sports. But the fact the Braehead Shopping Centre is across the street its cool.

If you are staying up here for a night or two best going on a Friday or Saturday night as they do a deal from 7pm-10pm is only £30 or something like that.

Mind they dont give you a discount if you have your own stuff which is a bit poo.

uch shops are shops - keep the gf happy and if the centre is across the road then happy days!

im flying over sunday morning going home tuesday morning so unfortunately missing friday night as it is freestyle night which would interest me the most! if i like this weekend i will definately be making this regular trip!!

 

[murph]

Helmet is optional

 

[Boydie]

my head is hard enough! never worn one and ive had plenty of big wipeouts

in saying that i will probably do something wrong next time!

 

[murph]

How was the snowboarding?

 

[Boydie]

ah yes! got back yesterday morning!

only did a recreational session on monday morning - great facilities, reasonably priced but to be truthfully honest very limited!

it was great to be back on the board again, smiled for ages lol but my gf and I got a bit fed up after 1hr 40mins or so

it would have been better if they had opened the grind bars and jumps but since it was a public session i wasnt expecting much!

i will go back however because the gf wasnt able to get a 1 to 1 snowboard lesson plus i would like to go on a friday night for a freestyle session!

the guys are so dead on too, especially in the snowboard asylum shop

all in all, great for learners and a bit of fun but quite limited!