Hi there!
A bit late uploading this one, but here we go...
Recently visited the Sheffield Ski village; we'd also been when it was still open.. We got in without difficulty, and we were able to explore to our heart's content.
First, a bit of history:
What was once one of the focal points of the UK's skiing and snowboarding scene now resembles a wasteland. In April 2012 a fire started accidentally shut the Sheffield Ski Village; three further arson attacks in a space of a year devastated it. The slopes are littered with rubbish and stained with graffiti, strips of the artificial surface have been torn up, and the Village's locked gates have become a dumping ground for the city's fly-tippers.
Hard to believe given the state it is in now, but this dry ski slope, complete with half pipe, ski jumps and artificial mogul field, helped produce many of Team GB's top athletes, including half of the freeski team that competed at the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February. James “Woodsy” Woods, Katie Summerhayes and James Machon all learnt their trade at the Ski Village, as did Olympic snowboarders Zoe Gillings and Jamie Nicholls.
There have been various rumblings about the site's future since the Village closed two years ago, with rumours of a planned housing development and a snowsports community gunning for a return to the dry slope's heyday, but none have amounted to much.
But now, spurred on by Britain's success at the Winter Olympics, especially in the freestyle disciplines, a new group, Snowsport for Sheffield has launched a campaign to reopen the Village. The group's aims include, as well the reopening, creating a platform to foster the next generation of Winter Olympic athletes. A newly-released mini-documentary about the Village's plight is approaching 1,000 views and a petition supporting the group's cause is nearing 5,000 signatures.
Pictures:
Rubble is all that remains of the old buildings (used for bowling)
The slopes have been vandalised beyond repair
Thanks for reading!
If you liked this report, please check out our video below..
A bit late uploading this one, but here we go...
Recently visited the Sheffield Ski village; we'd also been when it was still open.. We got in without difficulty, and we were able to explore to our heart's content.
First, a bit of history:
What was once one of the focal points of the UK's skiing and snowboarding scene now resembles a wasteland. In April 2012 a fire started accidentally shut the Sheffield Ski Village; three further arson attacks in a space of a year devastated it. The slopes are littered with rubbish and stained with graffiti, strips of the artificial surface have been torn up, and the Village's locked gates have become a dumping ground for the city's fly-tippers.
Hard to believe given the state it is in now, but this dry ski slope, complete with half pipe, ski jumps and artificial mogul field, helped produce many of Team GB's top athletes, including half of the freeski team that competed at the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February. James “Woodsy” Woods, Katie Summerhayes and James Machon all learnt their trade at the Ski Village, as did Olympic snowboarders Zoe Gillings and Jamie Nicholls.
There have been various rumblings about the site's future since the Village closed two years ago, with rumours of a planned housing development and a snowsports community gunning for a return to the dry slope's heyday, but none have amounted to much.
But now, spurred on by Britain's success at the Winter Olympics, especially in the freestyle disciplines, a new group, Snowsport for Sheffield has launched a campaign to reopen the Village. The group's aims include, as well the reopening, creating a platform to foster the next generation of Winter Olympic athletes. A newly-released mini-documentary about the Village's plight is approaching 1,000 views and a petition supporting the group's cause is nearing 5,000 signatures.
Pictures:
Rubble is all that remains of the old buildings (used for bowling)
The slopes have been vandalised beyond repair
Thanks for reading!
If you liked this report, please check out our video below..
Good stuff for getting out and popping a report on 
