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| | | | Mountain Creek bustles with renovations | | | | The player will show in this paragraph |
BY JESSICA L. MICKLEYjmickley@njherald.comVERNON -- Don't let the exposed beams of the new Mountain Creek Red Tail Lodge fool you. Skis and other rental equipment will be moved to their new home this week, said Chelsea Vander Groef, social media manager of Crystal Springs Resort.For the past 12 years, Mountain Creekers, after a good run, have been warming up inside the resort's domed tents, placeholders for a new base lodge after the old one burned to the ground.No more. In March, blueprints of the extensive renovation project were approved by the Vernon Township Land Use Board, and later that month preliminary construction work began.Two months later, the final bubble tent was dismantled.Mountain Creek visitors will be able to reap the benefits of the resort's $40 million renovations starting this winter.A total of $20 million has been dedicated to the revitalization of the base area of the ski resort, which includes the 55,000-square foot Red Tail Lodge and all its in-house dining possibilities, the new ski and snowboard school area, and the new Drop Zone Snow Tube Park.The other $20 million will be dedicated to the first part of a two-part solar project. Roof-mounted solar parking canopies will generate more than 8 megawatts of electricity, decreasing the resort's electrical usage by 50 percent."Ah, I can't wait," chief of marketing Bill Benneyan said during a tour of the new lodge last week.Improvements to the whole winter sports experience have been made across the board, from the Jetsons-style rental process to the refurbished ski school and inflatable landing pads to the option to kick off snow boots and throw back a German beer after a day on the slopes.It's about making visiting Mountain Creek a whole experience, said Joe Hession, vice president and general manager of Mountain Creek.After entering the rustic-style lodge, visitors will be welcomed and informed about the resort by a multimedia experience with flat-screen televisions. The technological improvements continue into the rental area, where an automated system will assist with choosing and distributing rental equipment. A quick swipe of a credit card or a driver's license and the computers will fill out necessary information for you. An elevator will then deliver the equipment to the ground floor for pickup.Starting this year, adrenalin junkies can tackle jumps that dreams are made of, without fear of painful landings, with the aid of two BagJumps. These inflatable landing pads help cushion landings.For the less experienced, the ski and snowboard school has updated its curriculum and has added specialized terrain to make learning how to take on the slopes a more natural experience. The structure of the terrain will manipulate the body into the proper snowboarding and skiing stances, Hession said.Those more inclined to recline on the way down hills can tackle Drop Zone Snow Tube Park, the largest snow tubing facility in the country. With more than 30 snow tubing lanes, each at least 1,000 feet in length, Mountain Creek's snow tubing opportunities have grown exponentially. Last year the snow tubing facility contained six lanes.Foodies can head to the loft of the Red Tail Lodge for wood-fired pizza at the restaurant and bar Schuss, or sit down at the Hawk's Nest for a more exclusive dining experience (members get preferential seating). An outdoor biergarten with fireplaces and a barbecue pit will face west, perfect for views of the sunset.In the Appalachian Hotel across from the Red Tail Lodge will be another dining opportunity that is uniquely Vernon. The Action Lift Company Restaurant will be decorated with relics from Vernon's past, "vintage eclectic material from the resort, as well as the Playboy club," said Christine DeMaio, executive assistant at Crystal Springs Builders.So far people have contributed posters, brochures and signs. A few inner tubes from the days of Action Park and a bubble chair/two-seater lift were discovered and will also add to the decor. A man from Florida is thinking about contributing a Great Gorge Playboy Machine to the collection, DeMaio said.All of these improvements will be ready to go for the winter ski and snowboarding season, Hession and Benneyan said."From the outside it's like, how are they going to get this done?" Hession said.If the past is any indication, time crunches will not get in the way of the Mountain Creek team. In 1999, when the base lodge burned down 60 days before the start of ski season, the crew was able to build the temporary tent structures in time to cater to visitors. Created: 10/15/2011 | Updated: 10/15/2011
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| 16 Oct, 2011 --
Source:
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