Snozone Reviews 141

The booking experience was pretty easy with no issues.

I had personally never stepped foot on a snowboard before so I was going into this a full on newbie. Our day course instructor Tony was amazing, he had the perfect attitude for a teacher, with the right enthusiasm and teaching method.

I struggled a lot with my Heel edge and did get frustrated with myself, but Tony was always there to offer a sounding board and gentle guidance. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither are anybody in new sports including snowboarders.

we had food included in our ours, and the food was really nice, came out nice and hot with a wide variety to choose from.

I loved that at the end Tony sat with each of us individually to go through how we got on, strengths and things to improve on, and where to go from there.

10/10 recommend going with Tony if you can!

I booked skiing and snowboarding lessons for the same day. Purchased train tickets, turned down alternative plans etc. I received a phone call a few days before hand saying they have to change the time of the ski lesson. I ask for a confirmation email and rebooked my train tickets accordingly... at expense.
The day before I still have no confirmation email so I call back to confirm details. At the end of the call I find out they now need to change my snowboarding lesson time... to a time that clashes with my ski lesson. If I didn't call I would never have known. Asked for a full refund and confirmation email. Days later... no communication.

Tony Tony Tony!!! My boy had his second snowboarding lesson and passed onto his level 2. From immediate arrival Tony had my boys attention and excellent energy. Super vibrant & informative. Exact kind of person you want to teach this sport

We arrived an hour before our allotted time of 11.30am which was just as well as the parking and paying for it was not straight forward. We found the main reception and showed our app.prepayment to the helpful person on duty. She asked whether it was our first time and gave us directions to the changing area and equipment hire area which helped greatly and took some of the stress off after time spent sorting out correct parking. The staff in the ski area were very efficient and friendly and listen to our individual needs for binding settings. As always we checked out binding release before going on the slope to make sure the setting were correct should a fall happen. We had just one problem, the seating area for putting on boots was taken up entirely by people who were waiting for lessons. They all had their gear on so didn't need to be sat down. This meant that me and my husband had to try putting our boots on standing up which is not as easy as when sitting down! We had a wonderful two hours on real snow and finished feeling really satisfied that even after eight years away we could still do it! After all that skiing we felt quite hungry so decided to try the Alpine Cafe. We joined the short que and when we reached the front had decided what we wanted, the lady at the counter asked us for a table number but we didn't have one as there was no signage indicating this. We then found that we had a problem as there were no free tables, eventually after a number of minutes my husband managed to find one and we paid for our meals and drinks. We enjoyed our meal of a baked potato and beans/tuna filling and burger with fries both were hot and well presented. The only thing that spoilt it was that the hot chocolates were not hot only luke warm, but we had reached our table by then and wanted to start eating so didn't mention it to the staff. Just as a tip it might be a good idea to have a sign up in the entrance to cafe indicating that customers need to have a table to eat at before ordering as if you are a first time customer you may not know this. Also there were a lot of people sitting at tables who were not eating but just sitting using phones/tablets or reading a book. This could cause problems for people wishing to have a meal, perhaps a sign on each table asking people to free up their table when their meal is finished would be a good idea. Overall a good experience and we hope to come again soon.

6 hr Snowboarding lesson for my 50th birthday, 1st time snowboarding & i loved it, it does get busy so you have to allow plenty of time to get your gear before your meeting time, but the staff were friendly & helpful.
The Instructor Dave Jones - was super chilled & relaxed which for me made it easier to listen & learn, everyones skill levels were different but Dave made sure he gave everyone the attention & teaching that they needed personally, cant wait to again soon - Well done Dave

Took my steps sons here for our first snowbaord lesson. The instructor, Dave, was great (sorry, didn't get your surname). Really helped us pick it up quickly.
We had an amazing experiance and will defiantley be going back for more Lessons

The whole experience at snooze Yorkshire was unforgettable for the kids. We booked for a party and our party host Michelle was brilliant, she couldn’t do enough for us. We had the room for three hours and the kids meals were good too. Thank you Michelle for making my young ones birthday so special.

Did a beginners day course to learn how to snowboard. Really good time, Tony was a great teacher and kept us laughing along the way. Made the experience much less daunting than I thought it would be and really boosted my confidence learning to snowboard. Good food in between as well, just an all round great day to learn something new.

2nd lesson for my 13yr daughter with Alan - she felt so comfortable and thoroughly enjoyed it and said she learned a lot and feels more confident - she can’t wait for her next lesson !

Had my first lesson with dan at snozone at xscape in castleford. I felt very nervous and apprehensive at first but was made to feel very comfortable and confident within the first hour. I would recommend training with this guy, absolutely class!

Went to Milton Keynes today for a practice run, after loosing my confidence last year. I'm a relatively newbie to skiing also. I chatted to Chris a member of staff to collect my equipment about being nervous. He was a great help. He was then on the button lift. He observed my skiing and was so wonderful at boosting my confidence. Gave me some great tips too! Chris you're amazing and a real asset to the Snozone. Your happy outlook and assistance was greatly appreciated today. Jenny & Alistair

Just finished a great full day of skiing lessons, with lunch. So enjoyable and many skills learned with the help of Tertia. She was a fantastic tutor, very knowledgeable and patient, I will definitely be back to improve my skills !

Had a level 1 lesson with Freddie. Was absolutely class. Great teacher, managed a group of 8 with no issues at all, plenty of 1-on-1 communication on improvements and changes, and a good debrief. Could not recommend it enough, especially if you get Freddie.

We visited the snozone MK for sledging on Sunday 21st December 25. This is the first time we had been and really, really enjoyed it. We were a bit unsure on what to expect, but it was brilliant. The guide (I can’t remember his name) was so good. He engaged with everyone, had so much enthusiasm and was lots of fun. The Christmas music was playing and it felt very Christmassy. As my boys are far too old for father Christmas visits, we thought we would try this is as new annual Christmas tradition and we will definitely be back next year. The only thing I could fault were the reception staff when we arrived. There was not much of a welcome or good customer service tbh. We had never been before and didn’t know what to do, they could have just been a bit more friendly. A smile goes a long way, and doesn’t cost anything. Our guide made up for it though! Thank you

Terrible racism

I have skied at Snozone Castleford many times in the past without any issues. While I am not a professional skier, I am fully competent in basic skiing techniques, including controlled descent, braking, and turning. On this occasion, I attended the venue alone and purchased my lift pass independently.

By coincidence, I encountered three friends at the ticket desk, who purchased their passes separately. As required, each individual selected their own declaration confirming their skiing ability. At that time, I had no obligation, responsibility, or knowledge regarding the exact skiing proficiency of others, nor did I sign or authorise any declaration on their behalf.

Once inside the slope area, it became clear that two of the friends were capable of controlled snowplough (A-frame) descents and posed no risk to themselves or others. The third friend was inexperienced. For safety reasons only, I briefly demonstrated the basic snowplough technique at the edge of the slope so that he could descend safely and cautiously. We were positioned at the side and did not obstruct other skiers.

Despite this, a staff member instructed us to move aside, which we complied with without argument.

During our first descent:

* The two competent skiers descended in a controlled manner.
* The inexperienced skier fell, without colliding with anyone.
* I descended slowly in a controlled snowplough, deliberately prioritising observation and safety over speed or turns, as part of a warm-up.

Following this first run, all four of us were abruptly and forcefully removed from the slope.

The justification given was that the inexperienced skier “posed a danger”. While I do not dispute the need to address genuine safety risks, I do strongly dispute what followed.

The staff member claimed that the remaining three of us “had not demonstrated turning ability” and therefore must also be removed. This conclusion is fundamentally flawed for the following reasons:

1. This was our **first run**, during which no loss of control or dangerous behaviour occurred.
2. A cautious warm-up run without turns does **not** demonstrate inability.
3. No opportunity was given to complete a second run or demonstrate competence.
4. No objective assessment or test was conducted.

I then explained that I was an experienced skier, that I had attended Snozone Castleford many times previously, and that I was originally visiting alone. I offered, calmly and respectfully, to demonstrate my turning ability immediately. This offer was refused outright.

I was told that if I persisted, security would be called.

This is the most troubling part of the incident.

I had:

* Purchased my ticket independently
* Signed my own declaration honestly
* Not violated any published rules
* Not caused danger or obstruction
* Requested a fair opportunity to demonstrate competence

Yet I was treated identically to a beginner, denied any form of verification, and threatened with security intervention.

At the front desk afterwards, the staff themselves appeared surprised by the situation, yet insisted that I must either rebook or decide immediately on an alternative date. I had taken time out specifically for this visit and could not reasonably commit to a future date on the spot.

To date, no apology has been offered.

From my perspective, this incident reflects:

* Inconsistent and arbitrary enforcement of rules
* Refusal to allow reasonable clarification or assessment
* Disproportionate use of authority and intimidation
* A complete lack of customer-focused judgement

Given that all four of us are Asian, I am forced to question whether unconscious bias may have played a role. Alternatively, the staff member may have mistaken my brief instruction as unauthorised coaching, yet at no point was this explained or discussed.

Either explanation is concerning.

I am requesting:

1. A written explanation of the decision-making process used by the slope staff
2. Clarification of the exact criteria used to determine removal
3. An apology for the manner in which this situation was handled

I attended Snozone Castleford in good faith to enjoy the sport responsibly. Instead, I was removed, threatened, and left feeling unfairly treated despite doing nothing wrong.

I expect this complaint to be taken seriously and addressed accordingly.

UPDATE: they said they are going to give me a phone call by email, and til today, nothing happened. What a joke

I booked my 12yo niece a day snowboarding lesson. She was on her own in the group and a little nervous, but Jody, her tutor made sure she was engaged with the lesson and everyone else, not only this but I explained her dyslexia to him and how she needs to learn and he adapted the lesson to support her needs. She loved it and is booking back in for her next lesson. Highly recommend the lessons and particularly recommend Jody as a snowboarding tutor.

Had a level 4 snowboard lesson with Nathan. At 40, I was nervous after 10 years away from the slope, and he made me feel comfortable and confident. Cannot wait to go back for my level 5. Thanks Nathan

The snow and skiing was great but the venue is not that well organised. When we visited it was not that busy and mid morning.
The visit started with confusion over where to park as the entrance to the venue is not obvious given the size of the building and given you have to pay to park make sure you are parked in the right place or you will need to pay for a longer parking slot.
The reception was less than helpful when we were trying to get our tickets out of the machine, we worked it out in terms of the timings ourselves in the end. Also worth noting you need a £1 coin for the locker, but reception is cashless, they will sell you a token that works for £1.50 though !!!! Note there are a lot of the lockers that don't work so don't be confused by what appears as lots of available lockers.
The equipment hire staff lacked some basic ski knowledge, we were first handed completely the wrong sized skis. When we asked for the correct size, the assistant started trying to give us ski's that had already been issued to other guests. Once some of the right size were location, the assistant could not figure out how to adjust the bindings. After watching patiently for too long, we asked if we can do it ourselves. When it came to collecting the ski poles, maybe a bit of a sort out is needed, they are all stored in the runners very randomly and it takes some time to find two of the right sizes. Once on the slope the skiing is good and no queues for the drag lifts. That part was very well run

We attended skiing lessons with Carolyn and Ross at Snozone Milton Keynes. I found both of them to be really friendly, patient and full of knowledge. They took us from complete novices in a day to confident and good level beginner by the end. The lessons gave a complete overview of everything you needed to know and I would recommend them to anyone looking to learn to ski. The setup at Snozone is very good and learning to ski on real snow was a great experience. The facilities are good, onsite food and drinks were nice and plenty of choice, use the Ringgo app to pay for parking when you arrive.

Had a great first snowboarding lesson at MK Snozone. Learned so much thanks to Aayush and Tony — awesome, down-to-earth instructors. Excited for more lessons. Thank you!