Ski Slopes at the Ski Village, Sheffield - 2 - geograph

Sheffield Ski Village was an

artificial ski slope A dry ski slope or artificial ski slope is a ski slope that mimics the attributes of snow using materials that are stable at room temperature, to enable people to skiing, ski, snowboarding, snowboard or Tubing (recreation)#Snow, snow tube in pla ...

complex in the Parkwood Springs area of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

which operated from 1988 until it was destroyed by fire in 2012. It was believed to be the largest artificial ski resort in Europe with a sports shop, bar, restaurant and a range of slopes which included a Snowflex nursery slope, a Dendix recreational slope and a freestyle park consisting of a half pipe, hip jump, kicker, a quarter pipe and various grind rails.

Facilities

The first slope at the ski village opened in October 1988. The ski village proved popular and by the end of 1990 the ski village had 8 slopes. During 1991 to 1994 the ski village underwent a significant re-design - adding a ski lodge, bar and shops. The slopes were also re-designed during this period to add a

half pipe A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, skating, and scooter riding. Overview The structure resembles a cross-section of a swimming pool, essentially two concave ram ...

and moguls. In subsequent years additional facilities were added including an aerials water ramp and a

toboggan A toboggan is a simple sled traditionally used by children. It is also a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada. In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people (often children) down a hill ...

run. In addition to the Ski Village slopes there was a ten pin bowling alley, quad biking, laser tag and a downhill biking track designed by Steve Peat. Ski Village Bowling housed a state of the art ten pin bowling alley which opened in 2009. The full sized ten pin bowling lanes were built with Brunswick technology.

Activities

The Sheffield Sharks Ski Club met at Sheffield Ski Village on Saturday mornings and Thursday evenings. The club was formed in 1990 to promote children's

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

, both at recreational and competitive levels. In 2004, the club became the CCPR UK Sports Club of the Year. The club was run on a voluntary basis by an elected committee of parents, with a dedicated team of instructors. Older members had the opportunity to become ski instructors themselves, and often instructed the younger children on the Saturday sessions. Sharks Ski Club continues to thrive but now meets at Xscape, Castleford on Saturday mornings from 9-11 am. The Sheffield Ski Village was also one of the main training grounds for the Yorkshire Freestyle Squad and many professional freestyle skiers, such as

James Woods James Howard Woods (born April 18, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for his work in various film, stage, and television productions. He started his career in minor roles on and off- Broadway. In 1972, he appeared in ''The Trial of the ...

and

Katie Summerhayes Katie Summerhayes (born 8 October 1995) is an English freestyle skier. Summerhayes competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics. She has won two medals at FIS World Cup and one medals at FIS World Championships Summerhayes carried the flag at the 201 ...

. Other significant British athletes who trained at Sheffield Ski Village include

Ellie Koyander Ellie Koyander (born Elleanor Koyander on 23 March 1991) is a British Olympic mogul skier who competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Early life She was born in Chesterfield. She trained with the Sharks Ski Club in Sheffield. She attended the ...

(Women's Moguls,

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy Greene Wayne G ...

) and Paddy Graham (Pro freeskier sponsored by Red Bull.) Most of the former were also active members of the Sheffield Sharks Ski Club during their childhood and early teenage years.

Fires

On 29 April 2012, the main building of the Ski Village was destroyed by a fire. The blaze occurred in the early hours of the morning and no-one was injured. This fire was subsequently ruled to have started accidentally, with subsequent fires on the site being treated as arson. On 1 May 2012, a small hut at the top of the main slope containing controls for the ski lifts was destroyed in a second fire in the early hours of the morning. On 21 May 2012, the former snowflex nursery slope was partially destroyed in a third fire, again started deliberately. On 24 April 2013, the remaining wooden outbuildings of the former Adventure Mountain outdoor playground were set on fire, destroying the only remaining infrastructure on the site. By August 2016 the site had suffered from approximately 50 arson attacks. On 11 April 2017, a further arson attack at the site occurred after two fires were started. On 22 September 2017, a fire broke out in the old pump house in an incident thought to be an accident caused by another bonfire nearby. On 14 October 2017, a fire broke out at the site and the fire brigade were called, who found some fly tipped items and some of the material used to make the old ski slopes alight. On 6 June 2018, the site was again reported to be on fire. On 20 July 2022, the site was again reported to be on fire. An unrelated wildfire on adjacent grassland swept into the Ski Village site on 2 September 2018, causing further damage to numerous buildings and structures on the site. Since the initial fire, the site has remained closed to the public aside from a brief attempt by the Sharks Ski Club to hold sessions in May 2012, which were stopped when the ski lift motors and power ancillaries were stolen. The site has stood derelict and has been blighted by significant fly tipping, theft, arson and vandalism ever since.

Campaign to rebuild

A local campaign group formed by members of the former slope management staff has been started with the objective of eventually reopening the former Ski Village site and operating it as a hub for snowsports excellence in the UK. The Snowsport for Sheffield group is headed by former Ski School manager Al Bister, and Paul Yiend former Snowboard Instructor and has already generated significant support from local residents and notable press coverage. On 9 December 2016,

Sheffield City Council Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors. It is currently under No Overall Con ...

asked for potential investors to propose future uses for the site. The preferred uses for the site by the council are for a snowsports centre or mountain bike centre. Developers had until 7 April 2017 to submit their proposals. However, due to stronger than expected interest in development for the site

extended the deadline by a further two weeks till 21 April. On 28 November 2017 it was announced that developers Extreme wanted to rebuild on the site, and redevelop a £22.5 million extreme sports centre. And on 28 January 2019 Sheffield City Council agreed a loan of £4.8 million towards the project. An article in the

Sheffield Star ''The Star'', often known as the ''Sheffield Star'', is a daily newspaper published in Sheffield, England, from Monday to Saturday each week. Originally a broadsheet, the newspaper became a tabloid in 1993. ''The Star'', the weekly ''Sheffield ...

newspaper of Thursday 22 July 2021, stated that two firms had agreed to run the ski slopes, chair lifts, a

bobsleigh Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Fede ...

run and mountain bike trails when the site is eventually rebuilt. A further seven backers are set to sign up as soon as planning has been granted, these include an 80-bed hotel and a cycle shop and hire centre. The project depends on a new £6 million access road to the site with

Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's len ...

and land owners

Viridor Viridor Ltd (from the Latin 'to become green') is a recycling, renewable energy and waste management company in the United Kingdom, owned by KKR (previously owned by Pennon Group). History The company was formed in 1956 as Harrison Western Lt ...

in negotiations. The project was predicted to have a one-year build time and could be completed in early 2023.Sheffield Star: ''"Phonomenal interest in £25m ski village project"''
Retrieved 29/8/21 Details of 2021 plans.

References

External links

Fire at Sheffield's Ski Village WebsiteSnow sports for Sheffield - an organisation dedicating to rebuild
{{SheffieldStructures Tourist attractions in Sheffield Indoor ski resorts Ski areas and resorts in England Buildings and structures in Sheffield