25 tonnes of snowSheffield SNO!zone Park Session.
Cliffhanger Outdoor Event
12/07/08 & 13/07/08

Bouldering, parkour, orienteering, kite flying... not the usual activities you’d associate with a snowboard rail jam… until Cliffhanger! Held in Millhouses Park, Sheffield, this was the first time snow has been introduced to the outdoors event and it went down a treat.

As you entered the park the first thing you’d notice would be the massive red and yellow circus tent which housed the climbing wall and a surprising number of people running around in lycra whilst reading (orienteering). Look beyond this and you’d see 25 tonnes of snow forming the set-up for the SNO!zone Park Session rail jam. Standing out in a mass of white and blue against the natural backdrop of the parks trees, a 4m high scaffold structure led into a down box and 7m side-on rail, creating the perfect set-up for 15 of the UK’s finest skiers and snowboarders to throw down their latest rail tricks and give the Cliffhanger visitors a show throughout the whole weekend.




Jonny Russell and Si FosterThe day was split into several demo’s and after a few warm up hits for the riders to find their feet, the demos soon descended into a heated trick session as the skiers and snowboarders launched an onslaught on the rails, throwing down a variation of pretty much every trick in the book.

Local boy Stu Edwards turned up to impress his home crowd, hitting all his tricks switch and oozing style with every run. Jonny Russell was on form as always, laying down a backside 180 - switch 50/50 - cab 360 out !!! as well as a host of other tricks too technical to name.

The skiers held their own on the set-up with James Rookley and Sheffield’s Andy Longley hitting up the feature with their own individual style and sense of humour. Castleford’s Kerry Daines was spinning to win on the box and Charlie Richards threw down the craziest trick of the weekend…a reverse back flip! A definite crowd pleaser.

Throughout the sessions MC Ferg would whip up the crowd and lead the riders in a series of head to head trick off battles. The crowd would be split into two sides, with riders battling to win SNO!zone goodies to chuck out for their side. This had the crowds going mental, with close calls going down to the cheer-o-meter between the left and right sides, screams could be heard at the other end of the massive park housing the event.




Jamie NichollsIn between sessions the skiers and snowboarders would get an opportunity to check out what else the show had to offer. A particular favourite of the riders was the diving tank where you could get kitted up and try out deep sea diving from the comfort of a tennis court… in Sheffield! Other interesting things were the pull-up challenge were you could win £500, skate competition and kayaking on the park's lake.

The end session of each day saw the SNO!zone/STANDINGsideways Team Battle take place. With the riders divided into 4 teams and donning their team colours, they would go head to head through two semi finals ending up in a super jib final to determine which team would come out on top and take the cash price. Sundays comp was the highlight of the days, judged by the non-riding teams and saw the trick progression go through the roof! After a tense final the Green team of Stu Edwards, Matt Higson, Linsey Ashdown and Jamie Lawson got the vote and were crowned victorious in the Sheffield Jib Battle.

All in all, an extremely successful weekend with a great atmosphere, sunshine, and a showcase of skiing and snowboarding in the middle of July, in a park, in Sheffield!

[Words by Ferg Hetherington. Pictures by James North.]