Wharncliffe – Mini Whistler

An area of Wharncliffe Woods in Sheffield has been transformed into what has been commonly referred to as ‘Mini Whistler’, with immaculately crafted berms and jumps. Well worth a visit.

Up until about two years ago, the majority of the trails in Wharncliffe Woods were purely steep, rocky tech downhill tracks. While tracks such as Fast Track, Nemba, Dogs and the aptly named Thousand Deaths are still good to ride, you start craving something with a bit more flow.

Step into the scene Max, Rob and Petty (there are others but these are the main guys) a bunch of locals who shared the same thought, the difference being they decided to do something about it. They found a perfect location away from the existing tracks and weekend trail traffic and got to work. What they created nobody expected. Immaculately crafted berms and jumps sprang up all over the place, which when combined with the light brown/orange clay soil of that part of the woods resulted in trails that up until then we had only been able to dream about or watch on Canadian bike films. This quickly resulted in these new trails being nicknamed ‘Mini Whistler’ or ‘Wharncouver’. To the guys responsible, they are simply known as ‘The Trails’.

The dedication these guys have to their trails is humbling; its by no means an exaggeration to say that they spend at least five days a week, from morning til nightfall, either riding or digging. This attitude was noticed by Mark and Davi from Hookit Products, a local Sheffield based distributor who stock Joystick Components, Sensus Grips and 35 Bikes, who gave Max, Rob and Petty the support to keep digging and riding.

Since meeting these guys I have filmed a couple of edits including this one and shot a fair few photos on these trails, as well as riding them myself. Sheffield riders are lucky to have these trails on their doorstep.

Video and photos: Tom Richards – Furnvial Media