On June 28, West Mountain Ski Area in Queensbury, N.Y., will celebrate the grand opening of its Treetop Aerial Adventure course. The course consists of six “trails” spread across three hubs over approximately five acres at the top of the mountain. Participants can hike or take a scenic chairlift ride to the summit where they then go through ground school prior to making their way through elements that include a flying trapeze, spider web, climbing wall, log wave, and more.
Tree-mendous, a builder known for its installations at the Bronx Zoo in New York City and Ramblewild in western Massachusetts, took on the $850,000 project, designed to help West become a year-round attraction.
Doing well by doing good, Tree-Mendous focuses on social responsibility and environmental awareness.
The adventure park is the latest sign of West Mountain’s revival. Five years ago, the area’s future was uncertain after it filed for bankruptcy. The resort was able to reorganize and emerge from bankruptcy proceedings in 2014 with plans for expansion. This summer’s projects also included the addition of a climbing wall. The adventure park and climbing wall join West’s existing lift-served mountain bike operation.
The additions help West transition into year-round operations and diversify its revenue streams. “You just can’t guarantee a lot of snow and a long winter,” West Mountain general manager Sara Montgomery told a reporter at a media preview day. “It’s so important you’re open more than four months of the year.”
