Commitment. There’s no better word to describe what we see in this year’s Ter- rain Park Contest, and it shows in sever- al different ways. Last season, ski areas that once had minimal park setups went all-in on their programs. Longtime events celebrated double-digit anni- versaries, and burgeoning events that focused on inclusivity debuted or grew. Crew members we’ve been hearing from for years once again led the charge for their ski area’s contest entries. It’s a level of commitment that hints at a mature park scene (as in, wise and experienced, not unfun). And at the risk of being sensational, witnessing this commitment has us asking, is the terrain park community stronger than ever? A subjective question, yes. But one thing is for certain: terrain parks and everything in their periphery are progressing, which is good news.
SPONSORED BY:
See what you think of this assessment by exploring the entries from ski areas across North America in the following pages. Once you’re done, go to saminfo.com/terrain-park-contest to see dozens more and vote for a favorite in each of the four categories.
1
BY THE EDITORS
FEATURES
Photo credit: Simon Berghoef
1. TUNNEL TO DOWN RAIL BOYNE MOUNTAIN, MI
Inspired by Jeremy Cooper’s 2014 Holy Bowly Park City corrugated toilet bowl tunnel exit feature, Boyne Mountain built a 20-foot-long, 10-foot-diameter snow tunnel leading to a down rail. To craft the tunnel, the crew buried a 10-by-20-foot inflatable bladder overnight,
removed it the next day, and carved out the entrance and exit until a skid steer could fit through to flatten the floor. A down bar was set after the tunnel was complete. The project took two days, with Dusty Miller, Christian Lef- ley, Ryan Bezemek, James August, and Caleb
Godwin on the build. A PistenBully 400 ParkPro and PistenBully 600 farmed snow for the fea- ture, while hand crew finished the entrance and exit. The result was a creative transition feature rideable by everyone.
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator