Four Season Recreation Planning

Planning for four-season recreation activities has come to the forefront of mountain resort design throughout the world in recent years. Increasingly, mountain resorts that had focused solely on winter recreation are now planning and developing other recreation facilities that will attract guests throughout the year. Similarly, there is a growing trend in new mountain resort developments where alpine skiing is not the dominant attraction and rather the resort offers a variety of four-season activities and facilities. A four-season recreation plan is integral to creating a mountain resort that is successful on a year round basis and contributes to the sustainability of the supporting commercial enterprises within the resort. Planning for year-round use of a mountain resort’s winter recreation infrastructure can contribute significantly to annual revenue and increase the return on investment.

Ecosign’s four-season recreation planning process includes an evaluation of each site to identify the recreation opportunities specific to the resort’s brand, the owner’s vision and the resort’s market focus. The physical capacity of the terrain is analyzed to identify and assess the potential for clusters and networks of four-season recreational activities. Ecosign then prepares a Four Season Recreation Master Plan with overlays for the winter and summer seasons. We can also provide conceptual design for the recreational amenities proposed such as mountain bike parks, trail networks, golf course routing plans, water play areas, spas etc.

Sightseeing lifts provide an opportunity for the general public to access scenic mountain terrain, while Urban Aerial People Mover lifts can help to mitigate transportation congestion in urban centers. The aerial cableway has an extremely low environmental footprint compared to more traditional methods of transport. Their small footprint on the ground below makes them an ideal solution for spanning environmentally sensitive areas, as well as narrow urban streets, corridors and right-of-ways.

Ecosign can evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of aerial sightseeing and people mover lift systems and then develop a master plan concept for their installation. Our extensive experience with aerial cableway and lift system technology aids us in the selection of the optimal alignment and equipment configuration. The design of pedestrian friendly terminal stations at either end of the lift and the selection of complementary activities are the key to a successful sightseeing and urban people mover operation.