A new artificial snow sports park has been proposed for Moprgan Hill in California incorportating a Snowflex slope along with additional facilities including cricket fields, a sports shop and a Catholic high school. The slope would be located next to an existing Aquatics Center and Institute Golf Course and located east of the U.S. 101 road and Tennant Avenue interchange.

The project is backed by local property owners who want to switch the land use from farming to recreation in partnership with local government.

The Snowflex slope would be part of a 10-acre outdoor snow park for snowboarders and skiers. It would be located on the easternmost part of the development and is likely to be initially subject to an approximately $100,000 environmental review to see if it meets standards required. This will take about a year to complete.

The initial plans for the centre include a 600ft (nearly 200m) long main slope – one of the world’s longest to date, with three Jumps (a tabletop and kicker and a high rollers jumps), an 11-foot high elliptical quarter pipe with hip grind rails (flat box, down-flat-down, and up-flat-down), cornice drop off (possibly) and a bowl counter slope. There will be intermediate areas (blue/green/red runs), an extreme tube chute, a ski lodge and possibly other possible jibbing features, and a nursery slope.

According to local media reports, many farmers in the area feel that agriculture is no longer a viable use for the land, since suburbanites consider it an annoyance and rising fuel and water costs make it harder for smaller farms to make a profit. These farmers say a preserved farmland designation would limit their ability to get bank loans on their property, since agricultural land is worth less than land zoned for other purposes.

www.morganhillsnow.com

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