Ski areas not rushing ahead with summer projects

New law authorizes ropes courses, ziplines and mountain bike terrain parks

Breckenridge Ski Area.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — A bill that was touted by Sen. Mark Udall as helping mountain resort economies won’t be having much impact this year, as very — if any — ski areas in Colorado are taking advantage of the new streamlined opportunity to install ziplines, rope courses, mountain bike terrain parks and trails and disk golf facilities.

After lobbying by the National Ski Areas Association, Udall pushed for passage of the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act, which spells out a list of non-skiing amenities that can be permitted on public land under lease to ski areas.

The bill was signed into law Nov. 7, 2011 by President Obama and U.S. Forest Service issued  interim guidance in late December, but so far, not many resorts have proposed any improvements authorized by the measure, according to Loren Kroenke, the Utah-based head of the agency’s winter sports program. (more…)

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 5,562 other followers