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Logging begins for Liberty’s ski slope

Photo caption: (Left to right) Charles Spence, Director of Planning and Construction; Lee Beaumont, Director of Auxiliary Services; and Adam Szturma, Project Manager for New Construction, stand on Liberty Mountain at the future site of the new Liberty Mountain Snowflex Center on Tuesday.


Initial preparations are now under way for Liberty University’s year-round ski slope ? Liberty Mountain Snowflex Center.

Crews began clearing below the area known as the Bald Spot on Liberty Mountain on Tuesday, creating space for slope parking and a ski lodge. As a result, access from Candlers Mountain Road to the Bald Spot will be closed to the public until the project is completed. Those using Liberty Mountain for recreational purposes can still gain access to the trail system through four trail heads — Wingate, Hydaway, 460 and Top Ridge.

LU’s Director of Auxiliary Services Lee Beaumont says before the grading process begins, the university must meet with Lynchburg city planners for final comments on the project’s site plans.

“We should start the grading next week,” Beaumont said. “Once the grading starts it’s all go, no quit.”

Upon completion, the artificial snow sports incline will be the first in the U.S. surfaced with Snowflex®, a synthetic material designed to simulate snow. The Discovery Channel is documenting this historic event and will air several phases of the construction on a future episode of Daily Planet.

Liberty Mountain Snowflex Center will consist of a main ski slope and a beginner slope for ski and snowboard instruction, totaling about 40,537 square feet of skiable area. Jumps and additional features on the main slope include a tabletop, a big kicker, an 11-foot high quarter pipe, two grind rails and an extreme tube chute. The project’s expected completion date is February 2009.

 

For more on Liberty Mountain Snowflex Center, click here.

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