amo2le86
Member
Sparknotes: Mammoth Mountain is gonna have 2 landing pads full time at the park next year, one on a kicker and one on a halfpipe. You gotta pay extra, dont know how much. Worth it. Sick!
Link:http://espn.go.com/action/freeskiing/blog/_/post/5703165/mammoth-install-landing-pads?as
For those too lazy here's the article:
This winter, you can expect a lot of changes and upgrades at terrain parks around the country (for examples, check out the improvements our friends over at ESPN Snowboarding are talking about).
But
it's Mammoth's plans for 2011 that really caught our attention. For the
last decade, California's Mammoth Mountain has been known for its
progressive and ever-expanding terrain parks. This winter, the resort
will continue to up its game with the addition of two full-time landing
pads and the return of Josh Chauvet, who started his new job as
Mammoth's action sports brand manager on October 4.
Chauvet returns to Mammoth after an eight-year hiatus -- he worked as
the resort's terrain parks manager from 1998 to 2002, when he helped
launch the ski area's now well-known Unbound Terrain Parks. He went on
to work for Snow Park Technologies, the firm that designs and builds
courses for the Winter X Games, the U.S. Open, the Burton European Open
and other events. Chauvet also worked as the marketing manager for
Nikita Clothing and the action sports manager for southern California's
Mountain High Resort.
"It's a great opportunity," Chauvet
says. "Mammoth has come a long way -- there's a lot more happening here
than when I lived here last. And there's more infrastructure on the
mountain. But the resort is ready to kick things up a notch and bring in
some new, innovative things."
One of those new
innovations, Chauvet told ESPN, is the recent purchase of two landing
pads, which cushion the landing of a jump to help reduce injuries, bring
more people into the sport and let pros try tough maneuvers with less
risk. Several resorts have hosted demo exhibitions of landing pads
(including Mammoth last May) but Mammoth is the first resort in the
country to install them permanently. "The air bags will be part of a new
(an as of now unnamed) 'progression park' that will include some
coaching and other learning components as well as the air bags," says
Mammoth public relations manager Dan Hansen. "There will be a fee for
use of this special park."
Courtesy of Mammoth MountainBet he wishes he had a landing pad. Chris Logan at Mammoth.
"The landing pads are part of a whole new program we're developing to
help people get into the park, to get them more comfortable jumping and
riding rails," Chauvet says. "One of the big issues I've seen in the
industry is that the people who are pros now grew up while the
progression of parks was happening. So now everything's big and crazy
and how do kids learn?"
Chauvet says they're also going to increase their offering of terrain parks and incorporate a film element.
As
for the future of freestyle skiing and snowboarding, Chauvet says he
thinks the younger generation is hungry enough that the landscape of the
sport may change quicker than we think. "We have these 15-year old-kids
with decent air skills and they're going to learn some crazy tricks,"
he says. "It's going to progress the sport really fast."
Link:http://espn.go.com/action/freeskiing/blog/_/post/5703165/mammoth-install-landing-pads?as
For those too lazy here's the article:
This winter, you can expect a lot of changes and upgrades at terrain parks around the country (for examples, check out the improvements our friends over at ESPN Snowboarding are talking about).
But
it's Mammoth's plans for 2011 that really caught our attention. For the
last decade, California's Mammoth Mountain has been known for its
progressive and ever-expanding terrain parks. This winter, the resort
will continue to up its game with the addition of two full-time landing
pads and the return of Josh Chauvet, who started his new job as
Mammoth's action sports brand manager on October 4.
Chauvet returns to Mammoth after an eight-year hiatus -- he worked as
the resort's terrain parks manager from 1998 to 2002, when he helped
launch the ski area's now well-known Unbound Terrain Parks. He went on
to work for Snow Park Technologies, the firm that designs and builds
courses for the Winter X Games, the U.S. Open, the Burton European Open
and other events. Chauvet also worked as the marketing manager for
Nikita Clothing and the action sports manager for southern California's
Mountain High Resort.
"It's a great opportunity," Chauvet
says. "Mammoth has come a long way -- there's a lot more happening here
than when I lived here last. And there's more infrastructure on the
mountain. But the resort is ready to kick things up a notch and bring in
some new, innovative things."
One of those new
innovations, Chauvet told ESPN, is the recent purchase of two landing
pads, which cushion the landing of a jump to help reduce injuries, bring
more people into the sport and let pros try tough maneuvers with less
risk. Several resorts have hosted demo exhibitions of landing pads
(including Mammoth last May) but Mammoth is the first resort in the
country to install them permanently. "The air bags will be part of a new
(an as of now unnamed) 'progression park' that will include some
coaching and other learning components as well as the air bags," says
Mammoth public relations manager Dan Hansen. "There will be a fee for
use of this special park."
"The landing pads are part of a whole new program we're developing to
help people get into the park, to get them more comfortable jumping and
riding rails," Chauvet says. "One of the big issues I've seen in the
industry is that the people who are pros now grew up while the
progression of parks was happening. So now everything's big and crazy
and how do kids learn?"
Chauvet says they're also going to increase their offering of terrain parks and incorporate a film element.
As
for the future of freestyle skiing and snowboarding, Chauvet says he
thinks the younger generation is hungry enough that the landscape of the
sport may change quicker than we think. "We have these 15-year old-kids
with decent air skills and they're going to learn some crazy tricks,"
he says. "It's going to progress the sport really fast."
