LUDLOW, Vt. — Okemo Mountain Resort adds to its top-ranked lineup of terrain parks with the opening of Broken Arrow – a gladed terrain park with all-natural features made from fallen timber.

“Combining the challenges of a gladed trail with a terrain park is the next natural progression in the sports of skiing and snowboarding,” said Dennis Brady, Okemo Mountain Resort Park Manager. “Having to negotiate the trees and the freestyle features, takes park riding to a whole new level.”

Between the trees of Broken Arrow, a wide array of features can be found, and some are yet to be discovered. Okemo Parks and Pipes has set up three wall rides, two up-down jibs, three flat-down jibs, five flat logs, a flat-right “elbow tree,” and several tree stump jibs. “We’ve set up a lot, but it’s a constantly evolving park,” added Brady. “Mother Nature is always changing the design whenever it snows or a new tree limb falls, and skier and rider traffic contributes to the layout as well.”

Just as skateboarders use whatever they can find in their own backyards, snowboarders have begun utilizing the natural features they encounter in their environment. But it was not until the months leading up to the 2009/2010 ski season that Brady received official approval to construct a natural terrain park.

“Broken Arrow is the culmination of much hard work and careful design on behalf of Okemo’s Parks and Pipes crew and Mountain Operations staff,” said Okemo Mountain Resort VP and General Manager Bruce Schmidt. “The new park further demonstrates Okemo’s commitment to providing fun terrain features for our guests.”

Broken Arrow was not named for the 1996 film starring John Travolta and Christian Slater. The park’s concealed entrance can be difficult to locate, like a “broken arrow” – the military’s alleged term for a missing nuclear weapon. The park’s entrance, located off the Upper Arrow trail and many features made from broken timber within it influenced the name. In addition, Okemo has had a long tradition of recognizing the region’s Abenaki tribe through trail names that reflect the American Indian culture.

When asked what future plans the Okemo Parks and Pipes crew has in store for the all-natural park, Brady said they “have only scratched the surface. If our guests demand it, we will build it.”

As a gladed trail with freestyle features, Broken Arrow has been designated a double-black diamond trail intended for expert skiers and riders only. Okemo’s impressive lineup of terrain parks offers features of varying style and difficulty. They include the Ross Powers Superpipe, RossCross family terrain cross park, the Amp Energy SuperPark, Hot Dog Hill, Innbound Park and Timberline Progression Park.

More information may be obtained by calling (802) 228-1600 or by visiting www.okemo.com.