Winter themed park in Dallas

[Aporkalypse]

Year-round winter theme park planned for Dallas

Dallas Business Journal - 2:12 PM CST Monday

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/s...ml?surround=lfn

A North Texas development group aims to bring the Dallas-Fort Worth area its first year-round winter sports theme park.

Bearfire Group L.L.C., formed in 2004, says it has put together a team of professionals, including Orlando, Fla.-based Baker Leisure Group, Long Beach, Calif.-based Kirk Design Inc. and Burbank, Calif.-based Thinkwell Design & Production, to design and develop the Coolzone Winterplex.

The park has a $375 million pricetag and is slated for completion in late 2008. Construction is expected to begin in the fourth quarter. Bearfire, based in the Dallas suburb The Colony, has identified several possible sites in the Dallas area for the park and is finalizing negotiations, a spokeswoman said Monday.

The theme park will use snowflex, a new technology developed by Briton Engineering in Great Britain that uses a hydrogenated, multi-layered skiing mat that mimics qualities and conditions like those of mountain snow.

The project manager for the park will be McGillivray Consulting Group of Orlando.

Coolzone Winterplex is raising capital for the project and has reached an agreement with former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, who will assist in finding potential equity investors and will act as an adviser to the company.

[eastsider]

Interesting concept, but I am skeptical that it would actually be built. I read another article that said that this one planned in tha Dallas area would reach 20-stories in height, I'm guessing that it will be similar to the indoor ski slope in Tokyo (I think thats where its located).

[Southernyank]

Do you think this will be one of those, " if you build it" projects? How many people in Dallas know how or want to know how to ski? I guess it sounds like a nice idea.

[Aporkalypse]

Interesting concept, but I am skeptical that it would actually be built. I read another article that said that this one planned in tha Dallas area would reach 20-stories in height, I'm guessing that it will be similar to the indoor ski slope in Tokyo (I think thats where its located).

Likewise. The only thing that really makes me wonder is that Armey's behind it. It will be outdoor, BTW, the ski slope itself will not be indoors but rather outside, though it will be 20 stories.

Do you think this will be one of those, " if you build it" projects? How many people in Dallas know how or want to know how to ski? I guess it sounds like a nice idea.

You'd be surprised. There's a lot of money in DFW and the metro has nearly 6 million people, a good number of these are northern transplants.

[UrbanLifter]

Dallasites loves trendy projects and they love to drop their cash at the see and be seen places.

[eastsider]

The Bearfire Group now is look at building its Coolzone Winterplex in north Fort Worth on 527-acres that Intel Corp had bought for a semiconductor plant. The site is located at the intersection of I-35W and Eagle Parkway.

Brad Barrington, a local developer with close ties to the project, told the Dallas Business Journal the park's expanded concept will be similar to Ski Dubai -- currently the largest winter-sports theme park of its kind in the world.

Ski Dubai, which straddles an area equivalent to three football fields in the Emirate of Dubai, maintains chilling temperatures of minus-1 and minus-2 degrees, and boasts five separate ski runs of varying lengths and difficulty. It also includes a snow cavern, a "freestyle" zone, a retail pro shop and two cafes.

[dgreco]

interesting hopefully it works out.

[eastsider]

The Bearfire Group has officially announced plans for the Coolzone Winterplex. They have put the entire 527-acre site in north Fort Worth under contract for $25.8 million. They plan to build a 150-acre theme park centered around a 30-acre, 25-story tall mountain. The mountain will feature a synthetic surface called Snowflex as well as misting fans that will cool the ambient air by 20 degrees. Designers who have worked with Universal Studios and Disney parks have been brought on board to help design the $696 million project.

Besides a giant resort lodge and a 30-acre mountain, the planned Bearfire Resort theme park will have several other attractions:

Moguls, half-pipes and other extreme snowboarding and skiing experiences, as well as recreational slopes and bunny hills for novices

A European village with steeples and cobblestone roads for shopping

Fast-paced luge rides on a synthetic-ice surface called Easyglide-350

A winding path for ice skating on a synthetic-ice surface

Ice rafts, where several people at a time free-fall 252 feet down a slope

A snowball field with manmade snow

Night skiing, with the potential for a light show

A midslope viewing area that will serve refreshments

An amphitheater with professional winter sports performances

Preliminary adult ticket prices: $38 for a ski pass and $52 for an all-area pass

[woob]

The Bearfire Group has officially announced plans for the Coolzone Winterplex. They have put the entire 527-acre site in north Fort Worth under contract for $25.8 million. They plan to build a 150-acre theme park centered around a 30-acre, 25-story tall mountain. The mountain will feature a synthetic surface called Snowflex as well as misting fans that will cool the ambient air by 20 degrees. Designers who have worked with Universal Studios and Disney parks have been brought on board to help design the $696 million project.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Fort Worth ski park plan unveiled

[monsoon]

Interesting concept, but I am skeptical that it would actually be built. I read another article that said that this one planned in tha Dallas area would reach 20-stories in height, I'm guessing that it will be similar to the indoor ski slope in Tokyo (I think thats where its located).