Snowflex announces new run
The newest addition to the Liberty University Mountain Snowflex Centre is providing additional recreational opportunities for those seeking to utilize the outdoor complex.
Easy sledding — Lynchburg may now enjoy an additional tube run at Liberty’s Snowflex Center. Photo credit: Ruth Bibby
An inclined lift was recently installed on the right side of the intermediate slopes of the facility, providing users access to a newly-cordoned tubing slope.
The lift, which was scheduled for installation since the opening of Snowflex in August 2009, is similar to the conveyor belts at airports. The moving walkway progresses up the slope, allowing riders to disembark halfway up, where they can ski, snowboard or tube down.
The new section has been set apart from the rest of the intermediate slope by a series of cones and features safety padding at the bottom of the hill. Riders may also continue their journey to the top of the slope and take in a scenic view of the Liberty campus.
“It’s the newest trend in ski resorts,” Drew Sherwood, Snowflex’s general manager, said on the facilities’ website. “You’re seeing more and more ski resorts going to this just because it’s much easier, less maintenance than all the other bigger lifts.”
The lift and accompanying tubing slope have already been experienced by numerous Snowflex attendees, the largest majority being out-of-town visitors, according to Snowflex employees.
Hundreds of guests used the new facilities as part of the activities available during the most recent College for a Weekend, according to the Snowflex website. Many more used the facilities during Snowflex’s second annual Dew Games competition for skiers and snowboarders, held April 2, where more than $10,000 was awarded in prizes and give-aways.
“The lift is working extremely well,” Johnny Kunda, a sophomore and five-month employee at Snowflex, said in an interview. “People seem to like it a lot — many come just to go to the top [of the slope] for the view.”
The new facilities have also received media coverage. The lift and slope were recently opened for press members Friday, April 22, for Media Day. Local stations, including Lynchburg’s own ABC 13 WSET-TV, were given free passes for the lift and permitted to interview Snowflex employees. The administration has scheduled the grand opening of the facilities for the weekend of April 29-May 1 and is offering guests an all-day $1 pass, as well as accompanying games and family entertainment.
“I have the best job in the world,” Will Scheren, Snowflex’s Ops Manager, said in an interview. “The lift brings snowboarders, tubers and skiers together and I get to help people see the facilities as part of the riding community.”
The new additions to the slope have been well-received by Snowflex employees, having helped speed up traffic, according to Snowflex’s general manager.
“This [allows] our progression to go much faster by allowing more people to experience skiing or snowboarding,” Sherwood said on the facilities’ website.
The Liberty administration has planned several more projects to expand the Snowflex facility. According to the Snowflex website, new additions will include a gravity park for advanced skiers and snowboarders to practice their jumps, an in-ground training trampoline , a fire pit and several boulders at the top of the main slope to increase its aesthetic appeal.
For more information about the lift and tubing slope, visit liberty.edu/snowflex, email snowflex@liberty.edu or call (434) 582-3539.