|
Colorado Ski Country USA
By Scott Mayerowitz, AP Business Writer
Some ski resorts are turning into junkyards – and snowboarders couldn’t be happier.
Satellite dishes, propane tanks, empty oil drums and even a Chevy Impala are popping up in terrain parks across the country. It’s a new form of recycling and is adding back some edge to what has become a mainstream sport.
Snowboarders have been riding off rails, pipes and picnic benches for year. Now, some resorts have turned to rummaging through junk piles for terrain park features.
“We’ve had the same stuff going on for years and years. Now, they are just trying to get crazy with it,” said Lakota Sage, a 21-year-old professional snowboarder at Echo Mountain.
Sage is out on the mountain almost daily and loves the new features, including a 1960s-era trail-grooming machine called a snowcat. It was found in the woods on the resort with bullet holes from locals who used it for target practice and now sits by a railing on the course.
“It helps push the athletes a little more because it’s more intimidating. If you do fall off the railing, you’re going to nail the snowcat,” he said.
This winter, boarders at Sol Vista Basin at Granby Ranch will find a 6-foot-tall satellite dish poached from a stranger taking it to the dump.
Other mountains have taken old chairlift towers, tractor tires, snowmaking pipes, logs and concrete barriers and given them a second life on the mountain. There’s a fiberglass horse at Winter Park, and California’s Northstar has incorporated an old gondola cabin in its terrain park.
“It feels pretty unique to hit something that I normally ride up in,” said Mike Schipani, manager of Northstar’s terrain park.
The new effort also keeps junk out of the landfill and saves ski resorts some cash. Schipani said he spends about $1,800 for each 20-foot-long piece of steel he puts on the mountain.
Aaron Dodds, Breckenridge Ski Resort
Many amateur boarders are creating videos in hopes of pushing themselves into a professional career. The used cars, satellite dishes and other objects help them stand out.
“Without innovation, I think our sport would become pretty stagnant,” Schipani said.
The idea of putting recycled items on the mountain started about five years ago but really picked up last season, said Jason George, the terrain park manager at Copper Mountain.
“It’s green, and we like to recycle,” he said.
Propane tanks are popular but a bit tricky. Before a welder can start to repurpose them, the tanks have to be filled with water, pushing out any leftover combustible gas.
The appeal of these obstacles is that they are different. As more parks add satellite dishes and cars, mountain workers are just going to have to work harder to find that new, unique item to keep on attracting boarders. George knows that and already is hard at work.
“I’m rummaging through all the old boneyards to see what I can come up with. I’m quite the rummager,” he said. “Anything we can find, that kids can slide, we’ll use.”.
Colorado Ski Country USA
|
