Park Crew, I need your help!

@Raf.Diaz. @theabortionator know a thing or two about this.

this is so sick! please keep us updated as things come together!

not coming from a park crew perspective but as a park skier for 20+ years, i do have a couple of suggestions (if you're curious).

1. quality over quantity really matters. having 3-4 sick park feature is way better than a huge mess of janky bullshit. if you can only have a few features, make them count.

2. variety is key, but don't go overboard. a flat rail and a down rail should be top priority, in my opinion. both newer and more advanced park riders can make use of those (compared to, say, a huge 8' tall bonk that hardly anyone knows what to do with)

3. WIDE takeoffs for all features. it doesn't matter how rad your rail is if the jump is only 6 inches wide. make it as wide as possible given your terrain and layout. obviously, the cat driver will have some input here cause they need to be able to actually drive through the park to groom around the hits. if you have the space, spread them out to accommodate this

4. pick the right spot. if it is just rails, a mellow section where you can control your speed is best. if it is too steep, it'll get really scraped off and will deter people from hiking and sessioning

there is surely a lot more but those are some immediate ideas that come to mind. really pumped to see how this pans out

bennwithtwonsthis is so sick! please keep us updated as things come together!

not coming from a park crew perspective but as a park skier for 20+ years, i do have a couple of suggestions (if you're curious).

1. quality over quantity really matters. having 3-4 sick park feature is way better than a huge mess of janky bullshit. if you can only have a few features, make them count.

2. variety is key, but don't go overboard. a flat rail and a down rail should be top priority, in my opinion. both newer and more advanced park riders can make use of those (compared to, say, a huge 8' tall bonk that hardly anyone knows what to do with)

3. WIDE takeoffs for all features. it doesn't matter how rad your rail is if the jump is only 6 inches wide. make it as wide as possible given your terrain and layout. obviously, the cat driver will have some input here cause they need to be able to actually drive through the park to groom around the hits. if you have the space, spread them out to accommodate this

4. pick the right spot. if it is just rails, a mellow section where you can control your speed is best. if it is too steep, it'll get really scraped off and will deter people from hiking and sessioning

there is surely a lot more but those are some immediate ideas that come to mind. really pumped to see how this pans out

Thanks for the input!

Our plan right now is two lines (boxes and rails) with 2-3 features in each line. Our business model caters towards beginners and families, however I'm aiming to have enough variety that beginners and experts can both enjoy the park, so we don't plan on having any XXL features. A flat rail and down rail are in the plan, and would like to some sort of kinked rail like a DFD or donkey if we have something available, although I'm still taking inventory on our features. Box wise I'm planning on a dance floor and something skinnier maybe with a kink like a flat-down.

It's going to be on the side of a mellow run (which luckily is pretty wide, allowing us plenty of room) to allow for easy hiking/seshing and adjacent to our platter lift, allowing for quicker laps.

While I don't want to say where I am located until things are finalized, I'm hoping some people can pick up some hints and get excited about another park option in the area, even if its small.

**This post was edited on Jan 8th 2025 at 1:31:03pm

A good pair of gloves/mitts and running your hand along features in the mornings goes a long way. Feel out tubes for burrs and harmful shavings. Feel out boxes for screws and anything sticking out of HDPE.

Consistent raking to start and finish the day, as well as maintaining features during the day when you can definitely helps with longevity of the lips.

I know exactly the resort and side you’re talking about. Didn’t realize you guys didn’t have a park but I think I’ve only ridden there once or twice

jaxfulThanks for the input!

Our plan right now is two lines (boxes and rails) with 2-3 features in each line. Our business model caters towards beginners and families, however I'm aiming to have enough variety that beginners and experts can both enjoy the park, so we don't plan on having any XXL features. A flat rail and down rail are in the plan, and would like to some sort of kinked rail like a DFD or donkey if we have something available, although I'm still taking inventory on our features. Box wise I'm planning on a dance floor and something skinnier maybe with a kink like a flat-down.

It's going to be on the side of a mellow run (which luckily is pretty wide, allowing us plenty of room) to allow for easy hiking/seshing and adjacent to our platter lift, allowing for quicker laps.

While I don't want to say where I am located until things are finalized, I'm hoping some people can pick up some hints and get excited about another park option in the area, even if its small.

**This post was edited on Jan 8th 2025 at 1:31:03pm

i would recommend focusing on compliance stuff first so the park smart signage, fencing, trail map designation, etc. would be helpful to become an nsaa member and purchasing their terrain parks guide. also, just in general its good to review the colorado ski safety act. their have been amendments to include terrain parks guide features. i work risk and safety for a fairly large resort in co so dm me and i can hop on a work call but be clear everything i say on here is my own thoughts and never related to my work.

im hoping my counter part over there is named dan as i would like to see that resort get back into the park scene!

partyandBSi would recommend focusing on compliance stuff first so the park smart signage, fencing, trail map designation, etc. would be helpful to become an nsaa member and purchasing their terrain parks guide. also, just in general its good to review the colorado ski safety act. their have been amendments to include terrain parks guide features. i work risk and safety for a fairly large resort in co so dm me and i can hop on a work call but be clear everything i say on here is my own thoughts and never related to my work.

im hoping my counter part over there is named dan as i would like to see that resort get back into the park scene!

I am working closely with our risk and safety coordinator to get Park Smart signage made and make sure we are up with compliance stuff. I believe we are a NSAA member so I will work on getting a copy of their terrain parks guide in my meeting this afternoon.

Thanks for the advice! I'll be sure to reach out if I have any related questions.

I'll make sure to keep everyone updated as the plan develops!

sounds sick!

Heres a idea for a train park: first feature mega death gap jump 50 meter to the landing, second feature dfdfdfdfdfd rail third feature a picknick table (keepin it core) fourth Feature dancefloor box to a downrail fifth spot massive drop (atleast 20 meter) sixth feature big ass Kimbo session anti gravity knuckle seventh feature halfpipe with picknick table in the middle (keepin it core) eight and final feature: s rail

jaxfulI am working closely with our risk and safety coordinator to get Park Smart signage made and make sure we are up with compliance stuff. I believe we are a NSAA member so I will work on getting a copy of their terrain parks guide in my meeting this afternoon.

Thanks for the advice! I'll be sure to reach out if I have any related questions.

I'll make sure to keep everyone updated as the plan develops!

okay from these details i have shift what mountain you might be at lol. idk the coordinator there but my guess is they are only a few seasons into the gig as the previous guy went to purg. sound right?? shootin in the dark here lmao

anyway, its gonna be a risk and challenge to add a long standing park with it not designated on the map. pop up parks are one thing but if its not on the map as a permanent park, you are subjecting yourself to plaintiffs claiming it wasn’t properly marked or wasn’t professionally put in place, etc. so you will want to do extra due diligence of highlighting it such as noting it on the website, social media, etc. and really emphasize fencing (not just a duckable rope line) and smart style signage. highly recommend taking photos of those aspects and each feature including any rebuilds.

since your not the big doggs in summit county, it probably makes sense to really cater to the never ever park rider as id be very surprised if there’s much of a core park skier presence there. so almost in ground boxes and a fat tube or something.

i (and so would a plantiff/jury) would also question if the operators have the technical ability to create features after not having the park for so long. how is this trained and how are you proving the trainer is qualified? might be worth connecting with some local resorts and mention what you are trying to do and see if you could coordinate an exchange or something. same with adding in a park crew.

terrain parks open a huge door for litigation since its all man made. so its much more worth going all in on a big park offering like a starter/small park and a medium/large with a dedicated terrain parks open department than it is to just have a few features set up by the IT guy (no offense and it sounds like an awesome career development opportunity for you!) whats the jury gonna think of the management if the title of the terrain parks person doesn't relate to mountain operations very much??

partyandBSokay from these details i have shift what mountain you might be at lol. idk the coordinator there but my guess is they are only a few seasons into the gig as the previous guy went to purg. sound right?? shootin in the dark here lmao

anyway, its gonna be a risk and challenge to add a long standing park with it not designated on the map. pop up parks are one thing but if its not on the map as a permanent park, you are subjecting yourself to plaintiffs claiming it wasn’t properly marked or wasn’t professionally put in place, etc. so you will want to do extra due diligence of highlighting it such as noting it on the website, social media, etc. and really emphasize fencing (not just a duckable rope line) and smart style signage. highly recommend taking photos of those aspects and each feature including any rebuilds.

since your not the big doggs in summit county, it probably makes sense to really cater to the never ever park rider as id be very surprised if there’s much of a core park skier presence there. so almost in ground boxes and a fat tube or something.

i (and so would a plantiff/jury) would also question if the operators have the technical ability to create features after not having the park for so long. how is this trained and how are you proving the trainer is qualified? might be worth connecting with some local resorts and mention what you are trying to do and see if you could coordinate an exchange or something. same with adding in a park crew.

terrain parks open a huge door for litigation since its all man made. so its much more worth going all in on a big park offering like a starter/small park and a medium/large with a dedicated terrain parks open department than it is to just have a few features set up by the IT guy (no offense and it sounds like an awesome career development opportunity for you!) whats the jury gonna think of the management if the title of the terrain parks person doesn't relate to mountain operations very much??

You got the mountain right :)

I hear what you're saying from a risk standpoint and I'll definitely bring up these concerns with my GM. We are lucky to have a few very talented cat operators with experience building and shaping large parks at different ski areas across the country.

After taking inventory on our features this afternoon, your description is fairly close to what we plan to offer. We are absolutely not looking to compete with central park or even peace park when it comes to feature size and frequency. I believe they brought me on to consult and help with design as I'm one of the only terrain park riders on the administrative side of the things here and I'm hoping by the end of this we can find the room in our payroll for a few guys on dedicated park crew.

I appreciate you being realistic with this.

There's a lot that goes into park building. Keeping boxes out of the sun or using thicker material helps.

Idk, i can def help guide you but I think you need to be more specific. Can post in here or srnd me a message. Whatever is most comfortable. I've been working in psrks most of my life. Also understand the struggled of small mtns.

Gor tagged in this thread and down to help as best I can

I was going to guess Monarch but they have a park (although it is NOT good anymore). I'm guessing Ski Cooper?

It’s best to grind off any rust and paint the metal parts of the features when they go into storage in spring. Boxes should be stored in the shade or inside if possible to prevent the plastic from warping and becoming brittle in the sun. Also inspect the hardware holding the plastic sliding surface of all boxes to make sure nothing is working loose. Don’t do any serious rust removal with features once they’re placed on the hill as it will just inundate the area with dust.

When building a basic park, it’s good to install features on terraces, so the feature doesn’t simply match the slope of the hill and there’s some transition to land in as well as a flat base to build a take off on. It’s always difficult to build a ramp from a positive slope.

I have always been told that a little PAM goes a long way when it comes to a slick rail but I was curious what everyone else uses as a go to?

Pretty smart to give all rails a buff with a wire brush on an angle grinder. Also give a good layer of wax before summer to prevent rust. Also paint the metal on the sides but use painters tape to get a clean top without any paint. During the season i wax every other day, depending on the amount of people. Ski wax work the best, but candle wax and silicon spray also good.
having a small team of shapers (depends on the size of the park) is good. We are 3 full time shapers and have 2 more working part time, and we shape both parks in about 4-5 hours. Shape as often as possible
Didn’t read any other answers.

Some good advise in here. Def talk to your insurance guy and see what they want to see. Those park smart signs and a fence usually will cover it.

Wire wheel goes a long way getting the crud and rust off. Nice to flap wheel them if they're old. Somebody mentioned taping the tops when you pain. That's the perfect way to not get paint on the slide surfac and making them look clean.

Primer and paint go a long way on your skirting. I mover back to my home mtn and got a park going. Had no money for new plywood but you can make shitty wood look decent with some good paint.

Picking a color and doing everything the same is the move imo. Makes it look professional and its free marketing. Can get a stencil made out of that plastic sheet stuff to spray your logo on them. Again looks good and free marketing.

We wax at mammoth, copper waxes, a lot of places dont. Just kinda depends. That's your own choice. Getting a clean surface is the most important.

Also prolly stating the obvious but be fucking careful with what you leave in the slide surface. Even a 60 or 80 flap can groove up a rail when its new and not warn in. Can feel "smooth" ish but you will feel that woth your skis and rail will seem hella grippy.

What kind of machine do you run?

If you have a park pro, for holes are hella dope and make setting features at night a breeze.

I def recommend making over the blade forks. Great for moving features and other things. It sucks ass teying to ratchet strap to the blade.

A good rake goes a long way. When i went back to my home hill built some pretty sick setups without a rake but shit sucks ass lol. Shovel building rail takeoffs is just not it. A good sport makes shaping a dream.

Love seeing people get parks up and running!! Fer the children! Keep up the good work.

Not as many as their used to be but still a lot of park builders and day staff on here. Lot of knowledgeable badass folks down to help as much as they can.

count twice, build once is key
do the math, numbers don't lie
also pam oil is your friend

Got all the old features pulled out of the woods today! Our inventory is looking pretty slim but I've been in contact with some generous metal shop guys at a nearby resort to help with some donations :)

Going to spend the next week or so getting these cleaned up, grinded, and painted.

Hopefully going to start the build around the end of this month once these are all ready to go.

jaxfulGot all the old features pulled out of the woods today! Our inventory is looking pretty slim but I've been in contact with some generous metal shop guys at a nearby resort to help with some donations :)

Going to spend the next week or so getting these cleaned up, grinded, and painted.

Hopefully going to start the build around the end of this month once these are all ready to go.

Top sheets don't look to bad so thats good. Id prolly at least wire wheel the coping and tops of those flat bars.

That's hella sick some places are down to help.

When I went back to my home mtn I got a bunch of donations to build rails.

Built last night! It’s not much, but it’s Ski Cooper has a park now. Hope to get it open to the public within a day or so. Still have to replace the rope line with fencing, do some more fine shaping, and go through opening/closing procedures with patrol and the rest of the “crew”.

still waiting on a few more feature donations and will hopefully be able to throw those in asap

Hell yeah. This looks like my type of park lol

jaxful

Built last night! It’s not much, but it’s Ski Cooper has a park now. Hope to get it open to the public within a day or so. Still have to replace the rope line with fencing, do some more fine shaping, and go through opening/closing procedures with patrol and the rest of the “crew”.

still waiting on a few more feature donations and will hopefully be able to throw those in asap

looks great so far!

jaxful

Built last night! It’s not much, but it’s Ski Cooper has a park now. Hope to get it open to the public within a day or so. Still have to replace the rope line with fencing, do some more fine shaping, and go through opening/closing procedures with patrol and the rest of the “crew”.

still waiting on a few more feature donations and will hopefully be able to throw those in asap

Looks good dude!