NEW FOR THE 2018/2019 WINTER SPORTS SEASON!
The Challenger Trail at Bristol Mountain is being significantly widened and regraded to accommodate the new High Point Terrain Park! This new park will be a major improvement to the freestyle/freeride facilities at Bristol Mountain. The park will have something for riders of all abilities to enjoy as the upper section will be wide enough to allow for several “lanes” of features. Large jump knolls will be set into the dirt on the lower section of the park to allow our large park jump features to open earlier in the season and stay open longer.
The lower section of the park will feature a “pro-size” jump that will be permanently set into the ground. This jump site is being built to the specifications required to host World Cup Aerial Competitions and Big Air Snowboard/Freeride events as seen in the most recent Winter Olympic Games. It will also include a judges building which will allow Bristol to host FIS level competitions and store equipment necessary to maintain the site. Several staff from the U.S. Ski Team have been on site and are providing technical input related to the construction of this final park feature. When in use by elite level athletes for training or competitions the upper section of the park will remain open for riders to use and enjoy.
“We couldn’t be more excited about the aerial site being built at Bristol Mountain. It will not only provide us a world class training venue, but will also give us a dedicated chance at early season training when the temperatures are warm during November and December in Park City”
– Todd Ossian-Head Aerials Coach, U.S. Ski and Snowboard.
The creation of this “pro-size” jump at Bristol will give Bristol a capability that few other ski areas in the United States have. The site is being built so that is it scalable to fit the needs of both freeride and aerial skiers. When not in use by elite level athletes, smaller features will be constructed on the bottom jump knoll.
“U.S. Skiing is extremely excited about the development of a world class freestyle aerial site at Bristol Mountain. This site can be used for elite level international competitions, which may include; U.S. Aerial Selections, NorAm Aerial Competitions, and U.S. Aerial National Championships.”
— Chris “Seedog” Seeman, Technical Advisor, U.S. Ski and Snowboard.
As part of this overall project a brand new snowmaking system is being installed on both the Sunset Trail and in the High Point Terrain Park. This system will be much more energy efficient than the system it replaces and includes incremental pumping capacity to the existing snowmaking infrastructure at Bristol. This will translate into lots of snow and great conditions in the park.
Rail and jump features that were located last season on Upper Galaxy and Upper Meteor will be relocated to the High Point Terrain Park. The existing contours and width of the upper section of the park will be fully utilized to create a variety for different levels of riders. The upper portion of the park will feature many different types of rails, boxes, and jumps. There will be something for everyone!
The High Point Terrain Park construction is fully underway and will be ready for the very beginning of the 2018/2019 ski season. The construction of this park is made possible by our main sponsor, High Point, as well as our supporting sponsors, which include Neon Wave, The North Face, Superior Energy Services, and Morgan Stanley. “At High Point we strive to create a sense of place for our tenants, their employees and the community. Our support of the new terrain park and world class training facility serves as a continued celebration of the Finger Lakes Region’s unique offerings, access to natural resources, and the role Bristol Mountain plays in the enjoyment of all of those things. Bristol Mountain’s commitment to our community, our young and aspiring athletes, and the four season enjoyment of outdoors is something we can all be proud of”, remarked Fredrick Rainaldi, Managing Partner at Rainaldi Brother Inc., the parent company of High Point.
The Shooting Star Terrain Park on Shooting Star Trail will revert to a true progression park this winter focusing on building skills for skiers and snowboarders who are new to navigating terrain parks or looking to work on advancing their skill level on rails, boxes, and jump features.
