All photos are courtesy of the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Center
On August 29th, the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Center, located in Lynchburg, Va, will become home to the first Snowflex slopes. Liberty Unitversity’s founder, Jerry Fallwell, devised the Snowflex Center with the idea that students could have year round access, even during the summer, to a ski slope right at the school, on Liberty Mountain. Another advantage of the Snowflex site is that, apart from year round riding, the slope will also will be open into the evening hours.
Designed by Briton Engineering, Snowflex is an innovative, synthetic technology that simulates the effects of snow through the utilization of multiple layers, including a cushioning layer and a mist-producing layer that keeps the contact surface moist. Snowflex was designed specifically for riding purposes from the ground up, as opposed to being designed by a fortunate research mistake. As a result, Snowflex caters to the needs of its riders. One feature of Snowflex is that it allows for softer landings than normal snow, but more importantly, provides a consistent surface for riders. That means that landings won’t ever get rutted out and that jumps will always have the right angles. The consistency of the Snowflex surface is addictive in that it enables rapid freestyle progression.
Liberty Mountain’s Snowflex site is near completion and a few of the kickers were tested earlier this month by some of the crew from Briton Engineering. After a little bit of warming up, the crew started hitting the jumps.
The Snowflex Center will open with three runs, two surface lifts, three jump options, a cornice, a large 11ft high quarter pipe, a kinked box, and a flat box. The center will be open to the public and will be friendly to all stages of riding in that it will feature a separate low grade soft surface nursery slope with its own private lift, an intermediate run for those beginning to develop their turns, and a large terrain park.
