Powder Ridge Opening Synthetic Slope Saturday

MIDDLEFIELD, CT — The new synthetic surface at Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Resort is slated to open on Sept. 2 — Saturday — officials for the snow sports area said.

A grand opening ceremony for the new "365 Snow park" is planned for noon, Powder Ridge officials said.

Season pass holders and guests will notice two new additions to the lodge — a new slope side
deck leading skiers and riders right up to the Tavern and, just off the first-floor lodge, a covered
outdoor patio with a stone fireplace.

“The waiting is finally over, this is going to be an exciting head start to the ski season at Powder
Ridge,” said Sean Hayes, CEO of Powder Ridge. “Starting opening day, lessons, race training and
equipment rentals will all be available”.

Fire at The Ridge restaurant and the Ridgeside Tavern have remained open year-round.

Those venturing onto the new synthetic surface are encouraged to wear long sleeves and pants, regardless of temperature.

Powder Ridge has a newly renovated lodge that houses the Marketplace for casual dining and large events.

On the second floor of the lodge is the Ridgeside Tavern, Fire at The Ridge Restaurant, and 10 hotel rooms.

The Mountain has been upgraded with new snowmaking equipment, grooming vehicles, and updated aerial and surface lifts, Hayes said.

Foer the synthetic slope, Powder Ridge has partnered with a Swiss company called 365 Winterworld to use a high-tech "artificial snow slip mat." The immediate goal was to get about 500 feet of trail up and running but the long term goal is to, by 2018, create a 2,800-foot-long slope for skiing, snowboarding and tubing, with more than 350,000 square feet of artificial snow.

The type of artificial snow Powder Ridge is planning to use is made up of plastic grids with strands that stick up above the surface, longer versions of the plastic grass used on artificial turf fields, according to the manufacturer.

Hayes said the technology represents a dramatic advance over other types of artificial snow, in part because it doesn't require constant spraying like some other versions.

Photo Credit: Powder Ridge