A Kentucky couple has brought the rush of flying down the slopes to Loveland and will be opening an indoor ski and snowboard facility over the weekend.
Infinity Slopes, owned by Travis and Amy Corder, will celebrate its grand opening Saturday, offering three moving slopes to community members no matter their experience skiing or snowboarding.
Travis Corder said he, his wife and their children moved to Colorado around a year and a half ago from Kentucky. He said before moving here, he had no experience skiing or snowboarding because “there is nowhere to ski in Kentucky.”
When they moved here, the family decided to head up to the mountains to learn. But, when his daughter got sick just hours before their scheduled — and paid for — training lesson and they had to cancel, he said he realized just how expensive it was to become a skier or snowboarder.
He said they decided that if they wanted to get into the hobby they had to learn before heading up to the slopes. From there, he went and visited SNÖBAHN south of Denver, another indoor ski and snowboard facility, where he took a lesson and got the basics down. When he went back up to the slopes later on, his instructor noted that he could already take on runs more difficult than the training course.
Travis Corder said he then dove into the world of indoor ski and snowboard facilities, learning that it is popular in Europe but not as well known in the United States.
From there the Corders found the right space in south Loveland and ordered three indoor slopes from overseas.
Each machine resembles a large treadmill, with a rotating belt of a ProSnow, a special artificial ski carpet that is misted and simulates the sliding feeling of real snow and can move at just over 15 mph; the huge machines can also alternate their incline from 10 degrees and low speed for a lower and slower experience to a maximum slope of 18 degrees with a higher speed for a fast downhill bolt.
In front of each downhill is a mirrored frame so participants can see how they are moving, as well as an overhead projector aimed at the moving carpet to give skiers examples of different downhill weaving patterns to follow as they practice.
Skiers and snowboarders will not be able to use their own skis or boards, though, as the skis and snowboards need to have the edges dulled down by Infinity Slopes to not cut up the carpet. Customers will be given the right size skis or snowboards for them; Travis Corder added that residents can use helmets and boots provided on-site or bring their own.
One of the biggest differences that both Travis Corder and Anthony Neal, director of the ski and snowboard program, noted between the indoor facility and traditional skiing is the physicality.
“Thirty minutes on one of these machines is equivalent to a whole day on the mountain,” Travis Corder said. “People are used to (going) down a mountain; here the mountain is coming up at you.”
Neal said that even he, a seasoned snowboarder, took a bit of time to get used to the machine and how it works compared with traditional snowboarding, with the slope coming up at him rather than him going down it. He said part of the reason they offer one-hour sessions alternating 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off is to get people used to the differences. Travis Corder added it takes a great deal of core strength and balance.
But both said that it is a great way to get strong at the technical and fundamental aspects of skiing and snowboarding and will translate well to the actual mountains.
“If you can do this, going on the mountain is a piece of cake,” Neal said.
With the grand opening slated for Saturday, the Infinity Slope team believes the indoor facility offers a safe, more cost-effective way to learn how to ski or snowboard or keep the muscles limber for the next ski season. As they prepare to welcome in local residents, they also hope to create and foster a positive community.
Amy Corder said one thing they really aimed for when creating Infinity Slopes was providing an accessible way for people to learn or practice in a safe environment.
“The safety aspect you can’t even compare to what is on the mountain,” she said.
Neal also commented on the safety of the machines, pointing out it will stop if someone falls and passes a sensor at the front or back; each machine also has a control panel that includes an emergency stop button and each instructor carries a remote than can stop the machine during sessions. He also pointed out that those using the slopes will not have to worry about others around them while learning or practicing like they would on a typical slope.
“(On this) I’m not afraid of what’s behind me,” he said.
While he anticipates that a majority of people who come through will be there for beginner lessons, Travis Corder said the space is not merely a novelty, but a training and practicing facility.
He said he hopes the facility will open up the world of skiing and snowboarding to more people who don’t want to pay as much money to travel up to the mountains for their first experience down the slopes, as well as pros who want to keep practicing even during the off-season.
“It was (not a pleasurable) experience we had at the mountains, and I wanted to create something for families in the community to come and learn in a safe and cost-effective format,” he said. “It is going to give people an option to see the ski and snowboard sports in a different format and hopefully bring more people into the fold.”
“This is for everyone,” Amy Corder said.
Infinity Slopes, 1301 S. Roosevelt Ave., will celebrate its grand opening Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. After its grand opening, the space will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
According to the Infinity Slopes website, single private lessons can be purchased for $139 or bought in packs of three, six or 12 with a varying price scale; semi-private lessons, priced for two people, cost $218 for a single lesson or in packs of three, six or 12. Residents can also chose a drop-in group lesson for $69 for a single lesson or in packs of three, six or 12.
For the grand opening Infinity Slopes will have reduced prices, with a mini lesson for two at $40 and a mini private lesson for $25.
More information, as well as a way to schedule a session, can be found at infinityslopes.com.
