Heavenly Mountain Coaster

[shortydude]

This looks like a huge waste of skiable terrain. I wonder how much the tickets are.

[Wookie]

I’ve consulted on the construction of these for a few clients (both ski resorts and just mountain lodges). In the ski resort cases these typically follow terrain designed for drainage of snow melt or not developable for skiing so you don’t lose much skiable terrain. These are just an evolution of the old mountain coasters that were just wheeled scooters rolling in the concrete drainage channels built to manage mountain runoff.

These things are huge revenue generators with tickets costing $10-$20 per ride. People line up for them and they can run all year with or without snow. Frankly as winters become less predictable coasters, zip lines, mountain bike trails, and other things are the only things keeping some resorts alive. They also make the mountain accessible to those who either don’t know how to ski or aren’t physically able to ski.

Building them on mountains where there are private homes nearby has become a battle for many resorts. These coasters are noisy and it’s not a pleasant shushing that you get from skis. Try to build one of these with earshot or view of a million dollar mountain chalet and be prepared for court battles.

[ysb33r]

Here's the one we have in Andorra. It's open winer and summer and it is not on ski terrain.