WEST DOVER, Vermont — Freestyle terrain at Mount Snow is about to get a major makeover. Officials announced today that the resort will dedicate 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, scheduled for completion by the time the mountain opens for the 2008-09 season.

“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.

The transformation comes as Peak Resorts continues its commitment to offer a superior on-hill product and act as an innovative leader in the ski industry. This summer, the company will install 150 brand new fan guns, which produce high-quality snow, even in marginal temperatures, and are much more energy-efficient than traditional air/water guns. Combined with last summer’s installations, Mount Snow will have spent $8.5 million adding 251 new-technology fan guns, the most of any resort in North America. Many of the trails on Carinthia will be flanked by the guns, allowing terrain parks to open earlier in the season and stay open later.

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 dually stressed 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.

For an updated trail map of Carinthia, the new logo and related photos (all downloadable), please visit the Media Room at www.mountsnow.com, or call 800-245-SNOW for more information.

Park and Pipe Skis