It’s almost December, and there has never been a better time for students to start participating in winter sports. Yorkshire has great facilities from Ice skating rinks to Snowboarding slopes, and there are plenty of specialist equipment stores for beginners to visit. But is Sheffield a good place to go?
Home to the Sheffield Steelers, the city remains a popular destination for fans of Ice Hockey. IceSheffield in Attercliffe offers lessons in both Hockey and Skating, and is often at its busiest at this time of the year.
After the closure of the well-liked Sheffield Ski Village in 2012 following a fire, Snowboard and Ski fanatics have been forced to look elsewhere. Richard, from Bennetts Winter Sports in South Yorkshire, says that a lot of the best facilities are just outside the city.
“Sheffield Ski Village is closed down now, and it has been for the best part of a decade. There are some good places here for anyone interested in winter sports, but some of the best facilities around are in West Yorkshire, and over the Pennines. Halifax is the nearest dry-slope facility for skiing, and Chill Factore in Manchester seems to be popular as well.”
There is, however, still a demand for Winter Sports products in Sheffield, according to Richard.
“Business is still good, we do still get customers. There are still plenty of snowboard and ski shops in Sheffield, even though most of the destinations that I mentioned have an attached retail store for visitors. It is winter, but Marks & Spencer’s still sell Bikini’s.”
There are plans for the redevelopment of Sheffield Ski Village, and residents could see work start on a new sports, leisure and entertainment facility as early as next year. Sheffield City Council and Operator company Extreme destinations agreed a 150-year lease in July, and Mazher Iqbal says the plans are almost complete.
“This much-anticipated project to create an internationally-recognised destination just a mile from our city centre is now even closer to becoming a reality. There is still much work to be done but this agreement gives the developer to put its plans forward,” said Mr Iqbal, cabinet member for business and investment at Sheffield City Council.
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