Pop-Up Terrain Parks coming to Mammoth Mountain

January 14, 2011

A rail at the Art Park

The innovations among the Unbound Terrain Parks crew on Mammoth Mountain are roaring ahead.

This time, it’s the “Pop-Up Park.”

It’s a Terrain Park that will “pop up” at various sites on the mountain, and then be dismantled, never to be seen again.

According to Mammoth Mountain Ski Area spokesman Dan Hansen, this will allow “unique” park experiences outside the regular terrain parks, in spots in the mountain that parks players may have always wanted to have a park, but didn’t.

They are not permanent, lasting a maximum of four to six weeks.

Action sports manager Josh Chauvet said the idea has appealed especially to ski and snowboard companies as they do photo shoots for next season’s magazines and videos.

By building Pop-Up Parks, the ski hill will be able to provide different settings and backgrounds for what Chauvet calls “The Burtons of the World.”

The Pop-Up Parks follow the “Art Park” in the middle of the ski area, which gives metal artists and acrylic artists, among others, to build rideable rails, jibs and jumps, while also providing an art experience for the people riding up the chairlift.

Last weekend, the main Unbound Terrain Park off Broadway opened its 22-foot “Super-Duper” halfpipe in front of the Main Lodge sundeck.

The “Pop-Up Parks,” like the Art Park, are believed to be a one-of-a-kind experience in the United States, and why not?

Chauvet said he picked up the idea by listening to an NPR report about, of all things, moveable restaurants.

“There was this famous chef,” he said, “and he had given a lot of money to create a new restaurant but couldn’t figure out what he wanted to do.

“His friend had a shop and it wasn’t a restaurant but he said ‘Hey I’m thinking about creating this catered restaurant and bringing it every night, and it was an instant success.

“Three years later, he does pop-up restaurants and they sell out within two days online.

“I thought ‘Wow that would be a neat opportunity to create an exclusive experience as far as parks go.’

“There are all these locations we’ve wanted to use, but we couldn’t have a park there full time. That would create too much conflict. But we could do it for four or five weeks and move on.”