Written by ~ Annabel Pirrie, photos supplied by PPP
As autumn approaches, Queenstown is set to welcome New Zealand’s first synthetic indoor terrain park to the Remarkables Park Recreation Centre. Although it may seemcounterintuitive to say that you don’t need snow to snowboard, Powderpak Parks are setting out to prove just that by building their largest dryslope facility yet. Looking to open their doors in June 2015, Powderpak Parks, or PPP for short, plans to welcome riders of all abilities to access the indoor slopes from 9:30am to 9:30pm, seven days a week, all year round.
Above – a set up in Oz
Founded in Victoria, Australia, the seed for Powderpak Parks was first sown by a group of mates who decided to take snowboard progression into their own hands by building a backyard terrain park for neighbourhood family and friends. The back yard park was a hit and resulted in the creation of Powderpak Parks in 2013 and subsequently the erection of a “pop-up park” to test the Australian public’s taste for such a concept. Offering terrain that could be utilised year-round in any temperature, and with pricing far lower than a typical trip to the snow, it’s no surprise that PPP’s popularity soared and the company began to set their sights across the ditch.
PPP’s Queenstown park will measure 20 metres long by nine metres wide and will be covered with two synthetic snow carpets; Powderpak LSR (Low Slip Resistance), a looped turf with good edge control, and Powderpak Plus, a softer and more forgiving surface than LSR. Calling itself a “complete progression facility”, the park has interchangeable and removable features allowing staff to chop and change their set up to accommodate for all rider demands. The size of the park also allows PPP to run three lines simultaneously; most likely beginner, intermediate, and advanced, although the setup will depend on the overall skill level of riders present. With 510m2 of park space, shredders can expect a wide variety of jumps, rails, and jibs as well as a cushy airbag to land on; all of which will be viewed from an elevated observation deck.
Riders will be able to enter the park with a general admissions pass or sign up for some of the special events PPP has planned, such as progression programs, camps, and women only classes, as well as joint sessions with next door neighbour SITE Trampolines for some advanced air awareness lessons. PPP’s plans are sounding awesome and will provide a spot for snowboarders from across the Southern Lakes and beyond to get their jib on, any month of the year.
If you’re interested in finding out more on PPP, check out their website http://www.powderpaknz.com or if you want to support their endeavours, check out their Indiegogo page https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/powderpak-parks-queenstown-dry-slope-terrain-park
PPP is affiliated with Burton, Sandbox, Fyve, SnackBreak, and Yuki Threads,