Echo Mountain Park

Infobox ski area
name= Echo Mountain Park
logo=Echo Logo.jpg
picture=
caption=
location= Colorado, USA
nearest_city= Evergreen, Colorado
lat_degrees=39.685079
lat_minutes=
lat_seconds=
lat_direction=N
long_degrees=105.51954
long_minutes=
long_seconds=
long_direction=W
vertical= convert|600|ft|m|abbr=on.
top_elevation= convert|10650|ft|m|abbr=on.
base_elevation= convert|10050|ft|m|abbr=on.
skiable_area= 75+ acres
number_trails= 13 total
10% beginner
70% intermediate
20% expert/advanced
longest_run= Pops (0.4 Mi.)
liftsystem= 2 (1 triple chairs, 1 surface lift)
lift_capacity= 2,000 people/hour
terrainparks= Freestyle on all runs
snowfall= 275 in/year
snowmaking= convert|50|acre|m2
nightskiing= 100% lit Wednesday - Saturday
external_link= [http://www.echomtnpark.com/ Echo Mountain Park] |

Echo Mountain Park is a ski area located near Evergreen, Colorado. As of the 2007-2008 season, it claims to be the “Newest, Closest, & Cheapest ski and snowboard area in Colorado.” [ [http://www.echomtnpark.com/facts.php Echo Mountain Facts] ]

Description

Echo Mountain Park is located at the former site of the Squaw Pass Ski Area. It is owned by the Jerry Pettit and family. Echo opened late in the 2006 season. The entire ski area is a terrain park and is lit to offer night skiing. The park is convert|75|acre|m2 and is located within the Arapahoe National Forest and sits on the North face of Chief Mountain (elv. 11,709 ft.).

Echo was developed to cater to a different crowd, the young ski and snowboarders, who according to owner Jerry Pettit, “…can’t afford to pay $75 for a lift ticket or $14 for a buffalo burger…” [ [http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/01/05/travel/escapes/05ski.html?fta=y NY Times Snowbound Neverland in Colorado] ] . In catering to the younger crowd many features of the mountain are directed at the market. Music is played on the runs through several speakers. The lodge buildings are of modern industrial design featuring many windows overlooking the slopes, corrugated metal walls, and exposed ceilings. The lodge also features wireless internet and a gaming lounge.

The Park was created out of lodgepole pines, bristlecone pines, and Douglas firs. The base of the mountain is located at convert|10050|ft|m and the summit is at about convert|10650|ft|m. When the ski area was built in 2005, the builders built a reservoir at the base to capture some of the manmade snow runoff.

Expansion

When Echo opened in 2006 it boasted about 40 features by the 2007 season the number had increased to 80. It has also expanded from an initial 9 trails to the current 13. The expanded trails include runs of glades and some non-terrain park terrain intended to attract more than just the park junkies. The slopes are also now accessed by 2 lift systems, 1 fixed triple and 1 surface tow with the surface tow being added for the 2007/08 season.

Lifts

Echo’s 2 lifts are both used lifts purchased from other resorts. The Yan 1000 Triple was purchased from Vail Resorts’ Heavenly Resort and installed in 2005. The triple, named Milk Run Special, is situated to serve the entire park. The second lift is a used handle tow which was purchased from the Snowmass ski area. It only serves a small learners area. Combined the lifts are capable of servicing 2000 people per hour.

External links

* [http://www.echomtnpark.com Echo Mountain Park official website]
* [http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/areahistory/echomountain.html The history of Echo Mountain Park on ColoradoSkiHistory.com]
* [http://www.skimap.org/skiarea.php?id=1034 Historic and current ski maps of Echo Mountain]

Notes