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Snowflex Grand Opening

September 4, 2009

Crowds flocked to Liberty on Saturday, Aug. 29 for the grand opening of the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre. The year-round ski slope was finally ready for its debut after years of planning and construction.

Chik-Fil-A provided lunch for guests as they browsed various vendor tents set up in front of the Barrick-Falwell Lodge.

Professional snowboarder J.J Johnson opened the ribbon-cutting ceremony with a prayer of thanks and dedication.

Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. explained to the crowd that Snowflex was just in the beginning stage. In the future, all bare spots on the slope will be covered and two tube runs, a quarter pipe, a magic carpet conveyer lift and a 400-seat amphitheater will be installed.

Brian Thomas, inventor of Snowflex, was given a chance to thank Liberty staff and management for the “most exciting moment” in the history of Snowflex. While Snowflex centers are popular in countries like Hong Kong, Spain and Lebanon, the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Center is the first of its kind in North America.

Lynchburg Mayor Joe Foster, Virginia Senator Steve Newman and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bowie thanked Liberty for putting Lynchburg on the map and for opening Snowflex to the public.

To kick off the festivities, professional sky diver Jim McCormick made his 2988th dive onto Liberty Mountain, then skied down Snowflex. Professional skiers and snowboarders from the U.K. and U.S. gave an impressive exhibition of jumps and tricks. Even Chancellor Falwell tested out the slopes on his skis.

There were plenty of give-aways including a pair of skis, a snowboard, sneakers, snowboarding gloves and boots and a weekend getaway to a ski resort.

The Grand Opening came to a close just as the skies opened up with rain. The Liberty Mountain Snowflex Center is now open daily to the public. Visit liberty.edu/snowflex for hours and pricing.

Angelica Atkins
 

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