After a long winter season, one of the things you all undoubtedly look forward to, is hanging up those skis and boards, retiring that outerwear, and prematurely busting out clothing that is often times not quite warm enough for the temps around here. Once that ritual is complete, it’s time to seek out some new activities during the “switching gears” season.
Two summers ago, the fine folks at the Win Sum Ski Corporation installed one of the newest and most interesting attractions in the region, Sky High Adventure Park & Mountain Coaster at Holiday Valley Resort in Ellicottville. Have we piqued your interest? If so, slip into your climbing harness, and let’s get into the details!
REACH FOR THE SKY
Sky High is essentially two activities in one. There’s the aerial park, and adjacent to it lies the mountain coaster. The aerial park is pretty impressive at first glance. Upon arriving, it is kind of hidden in the canopy of trees found in the Tannenbaum area of the resort. After attending your safety meeting where the various nuances of climbing and ziplining are explained, the course reveals itself upon your ascent up the hill into the park. A series of timber platforms and “bridges” in a 4-acre section of the woods greet you, and one can’t help but look up in amazement at the craftsmanship and challenges that await. The platforms are built in the trees (in a fashion that does no damage to them) and the “bridges” connect the platforms. The bridge may be a log, cables, zip lines, ladder, rope obstacles, or even a gliding snowboard, which present the challenge of figuring out how to get across to the next platform. (A hot tip from someone who is no stranger to the park: It’s not all strength … creativity and balance play a huge role in conquering the park!)
Within the aerial park, you’ll find eleven courses, each presenting varying levels of difficulty. The cool part is that the more difficult the course, the higher up it is in the trees. Many of you reading may not be a fan of heights, but speaking from experience, once you’re up in the courses, you’re more focused on the task at hand than the height above the ground. Enjoy the view - you’re safely harnessed in and attached via two carabineers that are rated to safely hold much more than you weigh (how’s that for blunt, factual information).
Much like a ski slope, the trails are rated via color. For the beginners, there are three yellow courses (Sunflower, Sunshine and Snapdragon), four greens (Forest Run, Mountain Trail, Grand Rapids and Fern Gully), two blues (Waterfall and Rip Tide), a single black diamond (Black Storm) and a double black, (The Commando … prepare to get your butt kicked!) All courses except Commando have at least one zip line (Commandos hate zip-lines, look it up!) and some have several. Grand Rapids is a dual zip line course that allows Sky High trekkers to go from the park to the base via two sets of 6 side-by-side zip lines. The sixth and final zip travels 350 feet down across the Tannenbaum base area to finish next to the Tannenbaum Lodge. There aren’t many cooler feelings out there than zip-lining through the trees of your favorite ski area, not to mention it’s an awesome finish to the course!
BRAND SPANKIN’ NEW
As many of you know, Holiday Valley is always improving and building on to their current array, and Sky High is no different! On top of adding the two courses (Snap Dragon & Fern Gully), the crew has also added a new obstacle dubbed the "Climbing Forest". This is a totally new feature that is kind of like a 3-D version of a climbing wall. It’s made up of closely spaced vertical "tree trunks" with handholds and you can choose your route as you climb up the 45-foot heights. Rest assured, this new addition will be getting a lot of attention this spring and summer.
MOUNTAIN COASTER
As if the aerial park weren’t enough to hold your interest, remember we said there were in fact two attractions at Sky High Adventure Park. Enter the mountain coaster! Go ahead, say it with me now: “What the HECK is a mountain coaster?” Well, essentially it’s similar to a roller coaster that happens to be built on a mountain.
Rollercoasters aren’t your thing? Relax, even my mother did it! The way this works, is one or two riders sit in a “car” attached to rails that pull you up the hill, then it follows a zig zagging spiraling path down the mountain. You’re able to control your speed via hand levers on the side of the car, but let’s be real here - no brakes are where it’s at! You’ll reach speeds of nearly 30mph on the ride down, and some of the turns really throw you back in the seat. Fun for everyone, guaranteed!
Now that you have the lowdown on Sky High Adventure Park at Holiday Valley, there’s only one thing left to do: pick up the phone and call 716-699-HIGH (4443) and reserve your adventure today! There are a few stipulations with height, age, and weight restrictions, so be sure to click on over to www.holidayvalley.com for all the details!
