11/29/2006

BEAR CREEK MOUNTAIN RESORT INVESTS $700,000 IN TERRAIN PARK UPGRADES
Macungie, PA - Bear Creek Mountain Resort, known to local skiers and riders as the home of Pennsylvania’s most progressive terrain parks, has invested over $700,000 in terrain park upgrades for the 2006-2007 winter season. The mountain’s three individual terrain parks, Cascade Park, Black Bear Park and Grizzly Family Park, encompass more than 13 acres and offer over 30 custom features to suit every level of freestyle skier or snowboarder.

Bear Creek Iron Works, the mountain’s in house fabrication shop, builds 95 percent of the features. “We’re pushing to be the best terrain park in the Mid-Atlantic region,” stated Andy Lenart, Terrain Park Manager. “The Iron Works has been working hard throughout the summer to design top notch Parks and are looking forward to a great season.”

Cascade Park, Bear Creek’s expert level terrain park, has widened in size to over 225 feet, doubling the size of the trail for the upcoming season. The Park will receive additional lighting and 9 new automated snow guns. Cascade Park will feature expert level, super park style jumps and features. In addition, the Park will include an urban line with street style features, starting with a six to twelve foot high stonewall cliff drop and ending with a twenty-five foot long staircase. An 80 foot tall Poplar tree located in the Park will also be converted to a tree bonk feature.

New to Black Bear Park, the mountain’s intermediate terrain park, will be a 45 foot long and 20 foot wide staircase, designed with an up-flat-down style set-up. The staircase will have multiple features, including a ledge style box with side handrail and an up-gap-down rail gap. Black Bear Park will also once again be the home of Bear Creek’s 750 foot long halfpipe.

Grizzly Family Park, Bear Creek’s beginner level terrain park, will be created with smaller boxes, rails and jumps designed to make learning easier. The Bear Creek Freestyle Coaching Program, also new for the 06-07 season, will primarily utilize the Grizzly Family Park. Offered by the Bear Creek Ski & Snowboard School, this course is designed to provide the new freestyle skier or rider with a solid foundation for learned the park elements while focusing on park etiquette and Smart Style safety. The program will be offered each Tuesday evening and includes one a half hours of instruction and freestyle rental equipment.

Additional new features in the Parks at Bear Creek include a 10 foot high by 16 foot wide moveable wall ride with a variable pitch box top, a 35 foot flat-down box, a 40 foot down-flat-down box, a 40 foot handrail, a 35 foot flat rail and a 20 foot flat rail. Becker Subaru, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, has also donated a Subaru Legacy which will have a rail mounted to its roof. In addition, all terrain parks have been reconfigured to allow one point of entry, reducing cross traffic and creating a safer, more user friendly area.

Bear Creek will showcase the terrain parks during the third annual 2007 Showdown at Bear Creek freestyle competition series. Open to all levels of skiers and riders, the series includes a Slopestyle competition on January 18 a Big Air competition on February 1, a Halfpipe competition on February 15 and an Urban Slopestyle competition on March 1. All of the events will take place in the Cascade Park on Thursday evenings at 6:00 p.m. Bear Creek expects over 400 participants to compete in the Showdown series.

Bear Creek Mountain Resort features 330 wooded acres offering skiing, snowboarding and snowtubing during the winter and hiking, biking, fishing and boating summertime activities. Guests can plan an event in the spacious banquet halls, relax at our bar and restaurant, The Grille at Bear Creek, or vacation at the hotel, The Inn at Bear Creek, with indoor pool and indoor/outdoor hot tubs.

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