In the past couple of years my snowboarding has very much become a “get it where you can” affair. With time and funds in short supply, week-long holidays have given way to a few days here and there. So whenever snow hits England I’m motivated to try to get involved here.
In recent years, snow even at sea level has made it possible for me to enjoy riding rails on the mean streets of Leeds. So far this year, however, snow has been limited to the highest places. Last Wednesday (21 January), it was looking good in the hills so my friends and I planned a jaunt up to Yad Moss, a small ski area with a button lift on the very top, 90 miles away on the border between County Durham and Cumbria. As that plan was being hatched on social media, a friend sent a message saying that we should check out West Yorkshire’s very own ski resort, Ogden, a few miles north of Halifax. On its Another World website, I could see rope tows, jumps, a tree run and even a boardercross course. Within two minutes we changed our plan. Out with the four-hour round trip and in with a 40-minute one for a Yorkshire shred!
Wednesday was grey and wet in Leeds, but we set off for Ogden at midday. Even in Halifax there was little snow, but the road to Another World climbs a proper Yorkshire mountain, so after a few miles we had been transported from industrial West Yorkshire to Narnia. It looked like an alpine powder day! Fortunately, the turning into Moss Farm is directly off an A-road and the lane is kept clear using a tractor, so access wasn’t a problem. We pulled up outside the farmhouse and could immediately see a rope tow.
Another World is a family business with a background story that neatly describes the history of snow sports in the UK. The house and land is owned by Ralph Smith, a nurseryman and old-school skier. He built the first outdoor rope tow in England, here at Moss Farm, in 1985. His son, Andrew, got into snowboarding in the late 1980s and developed and expanded the ski area. Then, with his own son, Alex, built the boardercross and jump courses (which are used primarily by mountain boarders in the summer), and added other activities to make a year-round, all-conditions outdoor pursuits centre.
We all had our own kit, so we paid just £15 a head for up to four hours on the hill: twice the time for half the cost of an indoor snow dome. Conditions were almost perfect, with virtually no wind and around 15cm of fresh snow. We rode the nursery rope tow a few times, sent it down the boardercross course and then went into the far field to ride the other rope tow. Half way up, it stopped. I thought we had broken it until Alex appeared with a watering can that he used to fill the engine running the rope with red diesel, and off we went again.
We spent several hours on the slopes that afternoon and were so stoked that we gave Alex a snowboard in return for a free shred on the Friday, when we rode again until the snow got too wet and slow. A Norwegian friend once told me that the thing he liked most about riding in Oslo was going home for dinner and sleeping in his own bed. He is right.
Another World also boasts a bar/chalet/shed with hot drinks, booze, and comfy seating next to a wood-burner, so you can finish the day properly. In short, it’s a belting day out.
• Moss Farm, Ogden, West Yorkshire, 01422 240464, anotherworldadventurecentre.co.uk. The nearest BBC weather station is at Denholme, which is a good indicator of conditions at the restort. It’s also worth checking Another World’s Facebook page for snow reports, or you can call Alex on 07768 695059 to check conditions and opening times. If you have your own kit, wax your board if you can; if you haven’t, hire costs £15 a session for adults, £10 for children (call ahead to check availability). Sessions run daily from 1pm-5pm and 7pm-10pm. Rental kit may be available, but it is advisable to call ahead to confirm.
