Warm-weather Snowboard Parks

Artificial snow technology is put to use at the Garthdee Sports and Alpine Adventure Park in Aberdeen, Scotland. The all-weather ski and boarding park opened last October.

It sounds like an idea that could take off. Like skateboard parks 15 years ago, a new type of play structure is letting enthusiasts practice in compact and unexpected areas.

Snowflex is a synthetic, padded carpet that lets skiers and boarders play without regard for temperature and snowfall. Made of monofilament fiber and a padded layer, the manufacturer says it simulates both the slipperiness and the edge control of real snow.

But just as skateboarding is not ocean surfing, the product will never compete with the real stuff, its U.S. promoter said.

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Sturm is no stranger to artificial snow technology. In 1994, he was recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for inventing a biodegradable ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Snowflex is now at 13 facilities in the U.K., with Sturm making a push for the first Snowflex park on U.S. ground. It's too soon for an official announcement, but he told landscapearchitect.com that final preparations are now being made for the first American Snowflex facility-which will be created at a Texas amusement park.

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That remains to be seen, but the concept is intriguing, especially given the explosive growth of snowboarding (and skate parks) over the past 15 years.

More information is available at https://www.snowmaker.com