 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hello
I learned to ski at Sheffield ski village and spent many many happy hours there, back in the 'glory days'. As it is in the second photo!
The main asset of SSV is the hill, so I would want the top of the main slope (now grassed over) rebuilt.
Ski surface (whatever it is) needs to be well maintained. SSV had far too many sharp pieces of metal sticking out all over the place in recent (last 10!) years.
Worn patches should actually be replaced.
Sprinkler system should be actually used.
Attractive pricing. I learned to ski with school for 2h every Friday night for something like £5.80 a lesson. Amazing. When I returned after a few years away at school on my gap year, it was £20 odd quid or something which was way too much for the poorly maintained piece of crap it had become, considering I could drive to xscape in 1h.
Decent 'club' vibe e.g. ramp and rail night, skills sessions, local comps.
Better transport links. I remember it being virtually impossible to get to by public transport.
Ok, so none of those are very exciting but they encapsulate all the reasons why I stopped going.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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One with snow on it.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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And a stand selling grilled sausages, beer and jaeger, whilst playing cheesy Euro-pop.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I liked HHs washboard run before it went snow.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Maximum possible slope length is very desirable (see the Edinburgh - Hillend - slope for the longest in GB). Other than price, slope length is the one advantage dry slopes can offer over indoor real snow slopes. Width as much as you can afford after that.
Different ways down with as much variation of steepness as possible (for different standards) is desirable. Two pistes joining half way down (especially where they are for different standards and speeds) is dangerous and should be wider below the join so people can easily avoid each other.
Some bends in the slopes and slight variation in steepness within a slope make them more interesting.
If you can manage an optional section with bumps that would be good for "mogul" practice, but it must be possible to avoid it.
There should be a shorter, less steep slope for beginners to learn on, which is separate from the others.
The longest lift being a chair lift would be nice but probably too expensive,
As kat.ryb said it is important for the slopes to be well maintained and for there to be a a sprinkler system to wet the slope which is operated very regularly. This not only lubricates the slope which makes it more like snow, but also reduces wear on slope and skis. An un-lubricated slope is extremely (and boringly) slow and needs more effort to turn on. (I have not used the recent surfaces and cannot comment on which is better - I am assuming that the new ones also need lubricating).
As well as equipment hire, a separate ski shop (probably a franchise) to buy equipment would be great.
Even more important is a cafe and bar (if possible also serving hot food at least at lunch and in the evening), with a view over the ski slope if possible.
There should be floodlights so it can operate in the evenings.
A bus passing near it would mean more people using it. (Talk to the bus companies)
(Actual position of runs needs to be considered on the ground - I don't know how steep the hill is or variations of terrain.)
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Fri 12-10-12 10:33; edited 1 time in total
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A comfy indoor place to watch skiers (vital for parents while kids have lessons) and a bar! Cheap food.
Waves, moguls and jumps - area suitable for freestyles with appropriate surface.
Kids fun park (bumps and things to go through)
Tubing/sledging run
Really reliable lift system - preferably more than one in case of breakdown
Long easy run and a long challenging run. Slope suitable for head to head racing (my kids like to race me down the parallel coloured boxes that form the matting at our club)
Nursery slope.
Super landscaping - it's got to look attractive!
Good lubrication system.
Good pricing structure - I'm a member of the Norwich club - there an hour volunteering equals an hour free slope time.
I'd rather visit a very well maintained average size slope than a poorly maintained large one.
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Benito3000, are the owners involved in this or just yourselves and the ski club?
I really hope that the ski village can be rescued and revived but have heard whispers that the owners wouldn't be too upset if that didn't happen. I'm hoping that what I've heard is incorrect and that they are on board with this project.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Didn't the owners want to re-develop it as a fridge? But the planning permission got knocked back? Therefore they may well not want it to be re-developed as it was. 
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skir67, It was a pipe-dream IMO, developers didnt have the funds did they? I'm sure Sheff planners would have gone for it if the finance was there. The bubble planned to get people up there was the perfect solution, but was it viable? Its a bad-lands area desperately in need of rejuvination and a new village would be great and I'd go if it was done properly but not as it had become in last few years unmaintained etc, and that aprez-zone was a disaster, stank of old cooking oil and I bet S&R are looking for new premises closer to the M1 right now.
Benito3000, If they are serious (and I'd be highly surprised) great but I cant see it, IMV a covered Dubai type fridge with big proper runs is the only thing that'd get me down there, I think dry slopes are a thing of the past. If someone is bold it could happen but I'd say its a 1/100 shot right now.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Markymark29, the length and variety of the ski village was great when it was well maintained, which I found preferable to the fridge. A couple of runs down the straight, short fridge and its a bit 'meh' but the ski village had a lot of variety to keep things interesting.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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kat.ryb, I agree, the variation in the terrain was a big plus, there were a few large bulges and banks to use to control your speed and turning as in real slopes.
The fridges are pretty much same incline and flat across the profile.
Cant see this happening. Even though it was a good two plus hours for me to drive i went loads when learning to ski.
Always have a place in my heart.
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I only went there once. There was a couple of feet of snow on the ground and I thought it would be great to ski somewhere with proper lifts and real snow in the UK. How gutted was I when I realised the lovely stuff that falls from the sky doesn't stick to that weird dry slope matting stuff.
In fairness I can't imagine it being economically viable so close to Castleford and Tamworth. Huge shame though...
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You know it makes sense.
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If it's staying as an outdoor facility, I'm going to say that varied surfaces for varied activities would be worthwhile. For example, cushioned snowflex for park/freestyle area (along with rails, boxes and kickers - and good get-ons that work for skiers as well as boarders), whatever the new dendix is (if there is one) for the racers (snowflex is far too slow for them), snowflex for the learners slopes - because it's slow, and another surface (if there is one) for the intermediates.
Agree with everyone else who has suggested making sure there is a good indoor viewing area to see the slopes. I haven't been there but a leading example in how 'not' to do it is apparently Castleford. Although indoor, the viewing range from the bar/cafe is only a third of the slope looking across it not up it. d'oh!
Although it's still mainly dendix, Norwich is a good example, they use multiple surfaces, their park facilities are brilliant, they even have moguls and their 'club' vibe is also wicked. Try to visit them and others too to appreciate what else is out there.
If money is no object, cover it and pump in snow 
I'd move to Sheffield if that happened 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Live feed from the slopes to big screens in the bar/cafe/restaurant area - mums and dads can have a coffee in the warm rather than freezing themselves on the terrace.
Agree with varied surface for park & race. It worked quite well having the snowpark as snowflex and keeping the red baron (what's left of it) as dendex.
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How gutted was I when I realised the lovely stuff that falls from the sky doesn't stick to that weird dry slope matting stuff.
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Best hours spent at SSV were in the torrential rain - super fast plus you could do an obnoxious skid stop at the bottom of the red barron through a HUGE puddle and spray the end of the lift line (yes, unbelievable now but there used to be very big queues on Friday after school)
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Poster: A snowHead
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Dendix for racing, snowflex for freestyle and a good sprinkler system is a must. Thats about all I know about racing.
If you are going to do something do it well or not at all. I've been to Gloucester in the past and the freestyle features are absolutely pants. The slope is great for racing but poo-poo for freestyle. [To be fair gloucester might have been one of the first slopes to put in dryslope kicker a but I really don't know?]
Compare the freestyle features at norwich to those at gloucester. Its a no contest.
For freestyle the best dryslope I have ever seen, not in person, would be liberty snowflex in the states (there is somewhere else in france which looks really good but I cannot remember the name):
http://vimeo.com/43475649
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I know that I might get shot down for saying this but I do really think there is a place for dry slopes as opposed to fridges so covering it and pumping in snow wouldn't be my choice.
As I've already said my family all ski at Norwich - it's affordable enough that we can all go weekly - often more than once once you factor in lessons and race training. If it were a fridge we'd never be able to afford that - trips to the real stuff are a real treat!
Ps as you may have guessed I love the Norwich slope - it's definitely worth a look.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Thanks so much for all of your feedback! Definitely proving very helpful indeed.
Regarding the ownership situation at the Ski Village, I can't really go into too much detail, but I will say that the university is working directly with the club and not with the owner. The future of the ownership of the village is something that is unclear at this point in time. What I would say is that the senior members of the club that we are working with are highly passionate and determined to see the club up and running again.
MarkyMark29: In terms of the viability of SSV, our initial investigations are looking at the entire Parkwood Springs area of Sheffield, which as you rightly say is not in the best condition right now. We are coming up with various masterplans for the site which emphasise different things.
On the smaller scale, for example, the SSV could be expanded into a kind of Alpine sports centre, complete with tubing, tobogganing etc. We are also looking at bringing other related sports into the mix, such as biking, skating, climbing etc. After the summer olympic success there is obviously the idea of making the equivalent of a winter sports 'academy' and the opportunities and investment this may bring.
At the larger scale we are looking at how the area links in with the city in general and trying to connect the two further to bring more people to the area.
In terms of the Skiing, there are several options that we are considering. At this stage we are designing to be as creative as possible, regardless of cost although this will obviously become a factor once some decisions are made.
- It seems that there is a divided opinion over whether to keep the outdoor slopes or to build an indoor facility with real snow. Since Tamworth and Castleford are both indoor, perhaps being outdoor can be the draw that Sheffield need, provided it is constructed at high quality and well-maintained.
- Whilst researching dry slope materials, the two most exciting materials I've found are Neveplast and Proslope. Both of these are new products and could provide a further advantage for Sheffield, as long as costs aren't prohibitive. Both seem to offer a good compromise of speed, safety and maneuverability. Again the material can be different for different uses as many people have advised above.
- Some of the most interesting and insightful comments are regarding the supplementary facilities. Having a place to watch the slopes and a live feed are really good ideas. We are also looking at making SSV more of destination; It could feature restaurants (with a view of the slopes) and one or more hotels which could provide for people who want to do ski getaways, or school trips for example.
- I'd really like more input into slope features (bumps, cornices,hips, kickers, etc.) Ideally would there be one slope containing all these features alongside a more conventional racing slope? Or would these be better dispersed less frequently through all the slopes?
These are just some initial thoughts. Again thanks so much for the feedback so far.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I used to use Sheffield Ski Village a lot and my complaints were not with the infrastructure but with the maintenance. They needed to use the sprinklers a lot more than they need and they needed the sprinklers to actually cover the whole area, the relatively newly installed upper section of the main piste was completely missing them. The carpets, both Snowflex and Dendex needed replacing much more frequently than they were. However, I never got the impression that had the slopes been generating the revenue then they would have increased their maintenance but that it was uneconomical to do so with the visitor numbers they were receiving and that is a much harder problem to solve. The water jump could also do with fixing, for that to have been out of action for four years? (since before I used the facility) because the circulation wasn't working seems ridiculous.
There were many things that I thought were good about SSV with their attempt at diversification being really impressive. Indoor and outdoor childrens play areas, bowling, a large number of functions and the DH track (although that was yet to open to the public at the time of the fire).
On the dryslope versus wetslope debate, I much preferred Sheffield on a good day (weather had a huge effect on the slopes) to indoor slopes due to Sheffields length, the variety of features including a halfpipe and moguls and the astonishing value, £10 for 3 hours on a student night.
I would agree that it is best having all the features on one slope and a separate normal/racing slope using different surfaces, dendex for racing and something with a bit of padding and no holes for the jumps. There was often a good atmosphere above the main jump as well with non-skiers drinking, skiers watching and lots of heckling which is something that I think should be encouraged, possibly by building a good seating area there.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I used to use SSV quite a lot and I have to agree it's up side to a fridge was the length of the slope and the variety of them. Haven't been for many years skiing but the last time I passed by (2-3 years ago) it looked in poor nick. I would probably go again if it was brought back to the original standard.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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My top features for my ideal dry ski slope:
1) somewhere that's neither funpark nor slalom poles. (seems to be already covered, awesome)
2) Dendix replaced when needed and lots of misting.
3) Somewhere to buy chips (the ones at Glos. are AMAZING), and as mentioned cheesy Europop, maybe even a Karussell bar? Fairly easy to do I'd imagine, but making it a nice place to hang out is important.
Then also maybe it would be a good idea to get local schools involved, I'm sure they could do a deal similar to what the universities do (I pay £5 for transport, hire and slope use to my SU snowsports club, for example)
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My preference would be keeping it an outdoor venue and having every slope covered in Dendix apart from a beginner slope which would benefit from having the carpet style surface so its a softer landing if anyone falls over!
Having skiied on Dendix, Perma Snow and play grass all in the last two weeks nothing compares to Dendix and i personally wouldn't see the point in travelling to a dry slope unless it is dendix. The other surfaces you can't edge or carve properly or get enough speed on to do any decent skiing. Skiing on Dendix can make you a technically good skiier where the other surfaces you have no chance. This isn't just my view i've spoken to many people/instructors about this in the last couple of weeks.
I'd travel to Sheffield as often as i could if it was dendix 
As for slope features i think i would prefer them to be dispersed over a few slopes but thats my opinion im sure others would prefer it different.
A great bar/restaurant
Loads of great suggestions on here
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| Snowy23 wrote: |
| Having skiied on Dendix, Perma Snow and play grass all in the last two weeks nothing compares to Dendix and i personally wouldn't see the point in travelling to a dry slope unless it is dendix. |
Tend to agree the other surfaces all seem mushy and slow in comparison.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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liberty mountain/noeux les mines.
both seem to set the bar pretty high for all round skiing on a dry (snowflex) slope. where they've got it dead right is that the misters are arranged every metre in every direction so there's a constant blanket of mist on the surface.
liberty mountain was $1.3m for the whole thing. money very well spent imo when you look at what's been achieved at hillend for roughly half that.
regarding pricing there should be family season passes available. hillend do individual passes but it would be more lucrative to get the whole family skiing together at a slightly discounted price.
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Has anyone here ever actually skied on either Neveplast or Proslope?
Some personal accounts would be really useful, as a slope in one of these materials, whilst expensive could put Sheffield back on the map with a draw that no-one else has yet.
On the other hand if the material isn't fast enough it would be an expensive mistake...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Don't know the techie name for it but I far prefer the honeycomb looking stuff to the nylon looking loop surface. Seems quicker and easier to use edges properly. The loopy stuff requires too much effort. (I'm not lazy but disabled) Honeycomb stuff I can do an hour and a halfish, looped stuff about 20mins.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I really don't think fridging it is the answer, but then I do not have an in-deapth knowlede of ski industry economics. Play to Sheffield's strengths of slope length and variaty and if the slope is wet and well maintained, people will come.
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I would agree that it is best having all the features on one slope and a separate normal/racing slope using different surfaces, dendex for racing and something with a bit of padding and no holes for the jumps. There was often a good atmosphere above the main jump as well with non-skiers drinking, skiers watching and lots of heckling which is something that I think should be encouraged, possibly by building a good seating area there.
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Agree with that.
Decent food at OK-prices would be good as other people have said.
Expansion into lift-served downhill mountain biking would be novel in the area. I don't know what the land-ownership is like but if you could make a couple of feature downhill mountain bikes that could be a draw.
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Before any design of artificial ski can be designed, the skiing surface has to be determined. Its performance dictates gradients, position of gradient changes, distance between gradient changes and length of run.
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FAQ
