Squaw Pass – Game on.
After nearly two years of planning and plotting, the newest ski area in Colorado opened last weekend with a coating of fresh snow and the shrill ring of steel on steel.
“I’ve got a new home hill,” said Austin Bloomer, a 17-year-old skier from Idaho Springs who plans to spend as much time as possible riding Echo Mountain’s collection of rails and jumps. “This is where the sport is progressing. I think it is falling away from racing and even freeskiing. This is the progression.”
Echo is nothing if not progressive. While every ski area that wants to attract the new school generation of riders boasts a terrain park, Echo Mountain is the only hill that is 100 percent terrain park. No wide-open groomers for cruising. No moguls. No cushy lodge.
Just a collection of handrails, picnic tables, giant kickers and funky steel surrounded by snow and enveloped in blaring Beastie Boys and Kid Rock. Boarders and skiers mingle in groups, taking their shot at each feature and stopping to admire their partners’ prowess.
The base lodge is a corrugated steel and concrete lounge. Microwaves and frozen burritos are the fare. Snowboarding and photo-heavy mags distract those waiting for the joystick of the vintage Atari 2600. Manager Doug Donovan compares his lodge to a teenager’s basement.
But it’s not just for teens. Those who missed the whole jib thing growing up – the ones who slid on downed trees before anyone thought to slide a steel handrail – can employ Echo’s snowy steel gardens to catch up with the fastest growing trend in snowsports.
“We didn’t have anything like this growing up, and now it’s exploding,” said Paul Emery, 28, of Lakewood. “This place is the bomb. And it’s in our backyard.”
Two years ago hotelier and former Colorado resident Gerald Petitt paid $700,000 for the 240-acre Squaw Pass ski area, which had been dormant for almost 30 years. His team has since dug wells for snowmaking water, secured Clear Creek County approval, erected a used chairlift, buried snowmaking hoses, installed lights and speakers, designed a massive jib park and built a pair of base buildings. Last weekend, the endeavor came to fruition.
“Oh, we’ve been waiting,” said Cody Stake, a 20-year-old snowboarder from Lakewood. “I went to school this morning and have to work tonight and I’m still getting in a couple hours riding. It’s perfect.”
With $25 weekday lift tickets, the closest ski area to Denver likely will attract more than just teenage shredders.
Hope Atkins, 4, got a taste of Echo Mountain’s jumps last Friday before the weekend crowd arrived. Under Mom and Dad’s close company, the future Olympic skier sampled some jumps and even slid a rail, albeit slowly. Alan and Lisa Atkins were testing the waters for a potential weekly family rally.
“I’m thinking on weekdays this could be a great place for the family,” Alan Atkins said from Evergreen. “We are already talking about getting up here with a couple other families during the week.”
Try it — Echo Mountain opens for night skiing this weekend. For info, go to www.echomtnpark.com.
