The Sheffield Ski Village, a UK snowboarding institution and home to the only halfpipe in the country, has burned to the ground. The building has been completely destroyed by a blaze in the early hours of Sunday that, at one stage, required the attention of no less than 25 firefighters.
General manager Vicky Lloyd said: “We are absolutely gutted. The business has been running very well and we were due to be nearly full today with children’s parties. For us this is very difficult”.
The slope’s contribution to UK snowboarding is incalculable. It was Sheffield that installed Britain’s first snowflex jump, which changed the game and brought on riders such as Dom Harington. It has cropped up in movies such as Standing Sideways and ThisIsBritain, and was a pivotal venue during the rise of dryslope contests. Even some of the world’s best riders, including Terje Haakonsen and current TTR president Reto Lamm, have dropped in for a blast.
While the slopes are reportedly still intact, the facility is unlikely to be back up and running any time soon. From the looks of the centre’s Facebook page, though, there’s an abundance of shredders willing to muck in and do what they can. Here’s hoping they succeed, and if there are any updates we’ll be sure to throw them up here.
