Groundbreaking ceremony January 9, 2010; operation slated to open in spring of 2010
Hunter, NY – Hunter Mountain has teamed up with New York Zipline Adventure Tours (NYZAT) to provide the longest and highest ziplines and canopy tour in North America. Construction of the ziplines, towers and canopy tour will begin immediately; a groundbreaking ceremony will be held on January 9, 2010 to correspond with the culmination of Hunter’s 50th Anniversary. The ziplines, canopy tour and adventure tower are scheduled to open in spring of 2010.
“Greene County was the ideal location for this project,” said Jay Bialsky, owner of NYZAT, which also operates similar ziplines in New Hampshire and Jamaica. “The Catskills combine beautiful terrain and easy access from the NY metro area.”
NYZAT will build three (3) separate tours on Hunter Mountain, from mild to wild, providing fun for all ages. The longest tandem ziplines, extending from the summit, will be over 3000’ long and nearly 600’ off the ground. The three individual courses will total almost 5 miles of ziplines, sky bridges and challenge elements.
Guests will be accompanied on tours of up to 2.5 hours by professionally trained guides. The facilities will operate year-round, utilizing Hunter’s chairlifts, terrain and base lodge. All design and construction meets or exceeds the latest safety standards as outlined by the Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) and Professional Ropes Course Association (PRCA).
Mr. Bialsky also noted the support he received from Hunter Mountain, the Town and Village of Hunter, Greene County Economic Development, Tourism & Planning, Greene County Industrial Development Agency, New York State Office of Community Renewal and numerous other organizations.
“New York Zipline Adventure Tours will be the biggest attraction to hit Greene County since our ski resorts opened. There’s nothing like it anywhere near the NY metro area,” said Warren Hart, Director of Greene County Economic Development, Tourism & Planning.
Noting that the zipline is expected to attract 30,000 people during its first year and double that amount by its third year of operation, Mr. Hart added: “We expect the attraction to have tremendous spin-off benefits for the tourism industry here. People will be drawn to the zipline, then discover the many other recreational, cultural, lodging and dining opportunities in Greene County.”
NYZAT received a $200,000 low-interest Quantum Fund loan from Greene County, as well as a $200,000 grant from the New York State Office of Community Renewal. Dennis Lucas, Supervisor of the Town of Hunter, is the municipal sponsor of the grant, which is being administered by Greene County Economic Development, Tourism & Planning.
Division of Housing and Community Renewal Commissioner Deborah VanAmerogen said, “The Division of Housing and Community Renewal is pleased to be able to provide the final piece of critical financing to make NYZAT a reality at Hunter Mountain. This is another example of a strong private/public partnership yielding benefits for the local economy, providing another incentive for tourists to visit Greene County and more importantly creating twenty-nine (29) new, permanent tourism-related jobs for the residents of the Hudson Valley.
Hunter Mountain will assist in handling NYZAT’s marketing, public relations, communications and sales functions. The operation will be conducted out of Hunter’s base lodge.
“The new ziplines and canopy tour will provide another hugely popular and distinct reason to visit the Catskills,” explains Brian Czarnecki, Director of Marketing & Sales for Hunter Mountain. “We’re glad to have NYZAT join our team, and believe these adventure elements will be as exciting as anything we ever could have imagined. We’re elated to be able to offer such a distinct experience, available throughout the seasons at Hunter Mountain.”
“This project is a perfect example of the type of tourism investment needed to strengthen Greene County’s appeal as a four-season destination,” said Assemblyman Pete Lopez. “The innovation and creativity of the management at Hunter Mountain, together with the support of our state and local development agencies can only lead to more good things in the future. We must continue to promote similar partnerships with other businesses across Greene County.”
The groundbreaking ceremony will take place at 2:30pm at Hunter’s base lodge, in conjunction with Hunter Mountain’s 50th Anniversary finale. All members of the press are invited to attend. For further information, logos, photos or marketing materials, please contact Jessica Pezak at jpezak@huntermtn.com or via phone at 800-486-8376 x2339.
9 comments:
how about some new lifts??? your newest has to be 20 years old.
Your press release says: "The facilities will operate year-round, utilizing Hunter’s chairlifts, terrain and base lodge."
Please explain how you are going to manage skiers and zipliners at the same time. If this impacts lift lines in ANY way, I think the whole thing stinks.
It's not going to interfere. The lifts will provide a mode of transport up the mtn, the same way they do for snowshoers.
How could it NOT interfere with skiing lift lines?
The press release says "...the zipline is expected to attract 30,000 people during its first year and double that amount by its third year of operation..."
How many people per weekend day do you project to use this thing in the winter?
Hi again, volume will be seen in off-season, not in the winter. Business will be sparse during the ski season.
Stop complaining and get excited!
I did a canopy tour/zip line in Mexico and it was amazing. Skiers are going to love it as it is high speed, exhilarating adrenaline packed fun.
If the price is reasonable anyone who tries it will have no complaints.
rick koh
Can I ski and zip with the same lift ticket?
Why is it a canopy tour when there is no canopy? Also, is it platform based zipline or climbing up trees? The evergreens are kind of small up on Hunter.
Also, the ziplines usually runs between two mountains across a valley. Do you zip back and forth between Hunter and another mountain?
These are questions that will all be addressed in the future... for now, the answer is, "I don't know the exact answer."
Thanks. I did boatload of ziplines in Costa Rica of all size and variety and it was a blast. It will be great if I don't have to make a trip all the way down to the rain forest in order to experience this again.
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