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6.30.08
Mount Freestyle
Vermont's Mount
Snow is dedicating an entire mountain face to freestyle terrain.
Freestyle terrain at
Mount Snow is about to get a major makeover. The resort is dedicating
the entire Carinthia mountain face to freestyle terrain parks when it
opens for the 2008-09 season, transforming 95 acres of trails into a
massive park system.
A smorgasbord of rails, jumps and halfpipes will cover nearly five miles
of terrain at Carinthia. A snowskate playground, hikable park,
beginners’ learning park and a skate ramp will surround the base area,
while the base lodge itself will be renovated and outfitted with lounge
areas, an extended outdoor deck with ample seating, counter seating
along the windows, free wireless internet, flat screen televisions and
outdoor fire pits.
A high-speed quad and a double chairlift will shuttle skiers and riders
up the hill, where they can choose from a variety of approximately 125
freestyle features scattered around 12 full terrain parks. A tree-skiing
area, a superpipe with 18-foot walls, a mini-pipe with 8-foot walls, an
all-natural park absent of manmade material and a big-air site will also
be featured.
The sweeping overhaul is the brainchild of Peak Resorts’ president, Tim
Boyd, and his son Jesse, Peak’s Vice President of Operations & Freestyle
Terrain. Jesse oversaw the modification of Big Boulder in Pennsylvania
into an all-freestyle mountain and will work closely with Mount Snow
during the changeover. Mount Snow’s Mountain Manager Elia Hamilton, as
well as Parks and Pipes Manager Ken Gaitor, are nationally recognized
and respected freestyle terrain designers who will spearhead the
project.
“Freestyle skiers and riders are the future of the ski industry,” said
Jesse Boyd on a recent visit to Mount Snow. “They’re the fastest growing
group, and it just makes sense to build the biggest and best parks that
Mount Snow can offer.”
Mount Snow opened the first terrain park in the East in 1992, called Un
Blanco Gulch. The Inferno park, which was featured at the ESPN X-Games
in 2000 and 2001, will return to its home turf on the former Stugger’s
Chute trail at Carinthia. The tubing park, currently located on Ski Baba
at Carinthia, will be relocated to Mixing Bowl on the Main Mountain.
Under the new plan, all freestyle terrain parks will be contained to
Carinthia. Kelly Pawlak, Mount Snow’s General Manager, feels that this
will improve the flow of skier traffic on Mount Snow’s three other
mountain faces: Sunbrook, the North Face and the Main Face. Pawlak said
that Carinthia is being designed to accommodate a wide range of skiers
and riders, with an emphasis on providing a family-friendly environment.
“Carinthia will be perfect for spectators. Not only will mom and dad be
able to hang out on the deck and watch the kids in one of our learning
parks, but they can join in the fun themselves. This is for everyone,
young and old, beginner and expert, skier and rider,” said Pawlak. |
