Monday, March 06, 2006

Echo Mountain update

Went up to check out Echo Mountain yesterday, the new ski area just up the road from Denver dedicated to the terrain park. (If you want to know more, hop over to the forums on Echo Mountain's web site) It's a soft open, so to speak, with the park really getting into gear next season. They had a long run open this past weekend and the lift was running for their "sneak peek" for Access Pass holders and their friends. People who showed up were greeted in the parking lot by a guy in a monkey suit, got free grub/Red Bull, got to see lots of orange construction fence still up around one of the features that has yet to get snow blown on it, and one of the main buildings was still under construction. It's manmade snow, but the kids all seemed to like it. Some rails and boxes are up. There's a good vibe there. All electronica/hip hop/punk all the time in the lodge and on the slope, just like the park rats like it. They've got Atari in the video lounge.

In any case, it's a beautiful, winding drive up Squaw Pass road in Evergreen to get there, past a mountain valley and through trees to the park, where there is an amazing view of the peaks of the foothills and the snow-covered Rockies farther in the distance. They haven't decided what they'll do with the park in the summer. One idea floating around is offering up space for weddings. That will probably drive the kids crazy, but if you see the views here, it makes a lot of sense. Mountain biking is another option.

1 comment:

Delicatessen said...

They have yet to blow snow on it, but supposedly you'll be able to ride up it like a wall or come up on it and jump off the sides. You might have seen it's hollow. They plan to light it up from inside