'Eerie' photos show derelict and deserted Sheffield Ski Village ahead of big redevelopment

The once-bustling site where many future Olympians honed their skills can be seen dotted with chair seats and other abandoned items being used as sleds back in 2014.

The images were this week shared by one of the many urban explorers to have ventured there since the venue closed following a huge blaze in 2012.

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The sprawling complex at Parkwood Springs could be set for a rebirth, with Sheffield Council’s preferred developer Extreme Destinations drawing up plans for a major new sporting hub.

As well as new ski slopes, visitors would be able to have a go at sports ranging from cycling to canoeing and indoor sky diving, under initial proposals, with hotels, a ‘sky bar’ and a luxury restaurant overlooking the city centre also in the pipeline.

It was hoped that work could start as early as 2020, subject to planning permission, but as with so many other projects progress appears to have been stalled by the coronavirus pandemic.

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Lucie Keen, who shares photos via Instagram and Facebook under the name Forget Me Not Urbex, said: “I remember coming here with school. I hated it because the ski boots hurt my ankles so I only went down the nursery slope a few times. My son came here for his classmates’ birthday parties and it was a really lovely leisure facility.

“The feeling I got up here was really odd. It was eerily quiet and didn’t feel particularly nice but the slope was still mostly visible with lots of ski equipment left. It’s a shame what happened up here.”

She took these photos when she visited in 2014 with her son Jamie, who was then 10 and enjoyed sliding down the slopes on an old chair seat, but says there is little left now after a series of around 50 fires in the intervening years.

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“I would definitely go back if it opens, but not to ski as I hated the boots. I know my kids would get a lot out of it. My son is old enough to have enjoyed it when he was around five but my daughter never got chance so it would be nice for her to experience.

"There have been so many plans in place for so long I’m not sure it'll happen now.”