Beaver Creek starts work on new summer activities

Beaver Creek officials on Wednesday announced that construction has begun on new recreational activities that will help to create year-round vitality for the community.

The new activities at Beaver Creek will be built on private land owned by Vail Resorts and will feature a summer tubing hill, a ropes challenge course and a Forest Flyer located above the Ranch and accessible by the Buckaroo Express Gondola.

Along with the summer activities construction, Beaver Creek continues to prepare for the spotlight during the 2015 World Championships, when an estimated 750 million television viewers from around the globe will be watching.

The new recreational activities, combined with investments such as the nearly-completed new 750-seat Talons Restaurant, support the company’s mission to provide an experience of a lifetime for guests.

“As a business owner in Vail and Beaver Creek, I’m a huge supporter of creating summertime activities on the mountain, and see the new activities at Beaver Creek as critical to the economic vitality of not only Beaver Creek Village, but also of our greater community,” said Brian Nolan, owner of Group 970 Restaurants.

“These activities provide yet another reason for destination guests to visit our resort over the many others vying for their business. Equally important, we are in a unique position to take advantage of having the world’s eyes on us and our guest offerings for two weeks in 2015.”

Preparation began on Wednesday for the new summer tubing operation, located in approximately the same location as the winter tubing hill near the Ranch. Construction for the ropes challenge course will begin weather-permitting.

The three different recreational activities are in the area of the Ranch and up to Allie’s Cabin. This is the right location because the activities can be effectively and efficiently accessed via existing infrastructure using the family-friendly Buckaroo Express Gondola and the existing Ranch building.

Vail Resorts’ summer activity plans vary from mountain to mountain but at Beaver Creek specifically, the activities are being constructed in a location that is higher up the mountain than the alpine slide that was proposed in 2006 in the Haymeadow.

The new activities, the new location and additional landscaping also address prior neighborhood concerns around sight lines and noise. There will be no impact to existing ski trails, and the one affected hiking trail and the one affected biking trail will be re-routed.

Beaver Creek’s ropes challenge course will be located 100 feet east of the Ranch building within a stand of existing trees. The challenge course involves the installation of several wooden poles with ropes, cables and other mechanisms stringing between the poles to create the course. Guest will get to explore nature and the mountain scenery from an elevated and entirely different perspective.

The third recreational activity, the Forest Flyer, will be located south (up the mountain) from the Ranch and will be mainly constructed within an existing stand of trees. Beaver Creek’s Forest Flyer builds on the traditional reach of ski areas to connect individuals and families who may not otherwise visit the mountains or forest by allowing more diversity of activities for various ages and abilities to connect to the outdoors in a new and exciting way that responds to their needs, skill levels and experience.

Guests will board the Forest Flyer using individual toboggans designed to carry two visitors or a single rider at the lower station located near the Ranch. The toboggans will carry guests uphill on a straight steel track to the top station where the detachable grip automatically releases from the lift cable and the toboggan car slides onto the downhill steel tracks returning to the lower station.

The downhill track will consist of curves, circles, and dips creating an exciting outdoor experience. Speed is controlled by the guest with braking levers and by a second automatic braking system that restricts the toboggan from exceeding a maximum speed.

“We are incredibly excited to break ground on our new activities at Beaver Creek, which will allow our guests, especially families, to access the forest and experience the outdoors in new and different ways,” said Doug Lovell, chief operating officer for Beaver Creek Resort. “These unique activities on the mountain will complement the incredible offerings in our resort.”