The Building of a Superpipe
January 15, 2009
Hi Folks,
Telluride Ski Resort is completing the construction of a new superpipe and terrain park in the area which has night lights next to the surface (platter) lift #2.
In this blog, I thought I'd explain the process that was used to build the Telluride superpipe.
Below is the area as construction starts. We started by making several piles of man-made snow and also recycled snow that was produced for the World Cup Snowboardcross course in December. Cats first begin pushing up the walls:
The walls are then roughed in with winch cats which are capable of pushing snow uphill. You really can't see in this picture below, but the lower cat has a winch on the back of it, with an arm that carries the cable over the cab. The cable is attached to the upper cat as an anchor point. The winch assists the lower cat's climbing/pushing ability. The pipe needs a 16 degree pitch, 18 foot walls, and around 400 feet in length. Continual surveying takes place to verify these specifications. At this point, excess snow is spilling into the center of the pipe as the cat gains elevation with the walls:
All that excess snow is then pushed out the bottom of the pipe by stepping the walls down from top to bottom with a cat. A chain saw is used to cut the top edge so it is straight and smooth.
Then, this big bad boy is brought out. This pipe cutter is called a Zaugg and completes the finished walls to 18 feet:
The Zaugg is a slow process. Many passes are required as it is merely a "finishing tool". Inch by inch, the Zaugg pulls snow down towards the bottom of the pipe and then blows it over the top of the deck, creating smooth walls with a consistent radius:
The new superpipe is scheduled to open at 5:00 p.m., January 16th with a ribbon cutting ceremony. We hope you can attend. Over the next few nights, we will add other jumps and rails under the lights. Night operation is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday through Sunday nights - although prior to January 21st we will close at 7:00 p.m. because we need to have a meeting with the Town of Mountain Village on 1/21 to get approval to run the lights the extra hour.
Tickets and night season passes can be purchased at the Mountain Village ticket office.
I'd like to thank everyone (too numerous to mention here) who have worked long and hard to build this new and exciting superpipe and terrain park.
Please feel free to post any questions or comments. Enjoy! - Dave