The Sky High Adventure Park in Ellicottville, NY Leaves You Feeling Sky High at Holiday Valley

This Summer, Holiday Valley Resort opened the first phase of 2 new summertime outdoor adventures in its' Sky High Adventure Park.  The aerial adventure park opened in June 2011 and has been a hit ever sense. The second phase, the mountain coaster, is scheduled to open in August 2011. Both attractions and a summertime time thrill factor similar to the the skiing and snowboarding in the winter ... being sky high!!!

The aerial adventure park has 8 skill / course levels; 2 red, 2 blue, 2 yellow, a single black diamond and a double black diamond (The Cammando). Each course has a zip line, with some having several. The courses are located on 4 acres of land. The catch is that it is entirely up in the trees. Some points are 50 feet high! The course is a mixture of various platforms at different heights. The objective is to make it from point A to point B and over come the obstacles. Much of the course is mental, first overcoming the fear of where you are and then how to get across the obstacle. Some of the obstacle / courses have blocks of wood, ropes, wire walking, hoops, board climbs and of course many fun zip lines.

The aerial adventure park is well organized; with education and safety in mind. The Sky High Adventure Park office is located by the Tannenbaum lodge and parking area. Once you are geared up with safety harnesses, helmets and straps; each participant goes through a training demonstration on a low level platform behind the park office. The participants learn how to prepare for the course's challenging activities; including ascending, descending, zipping, landing, detaching and continuing on with the obstacle course. Instructors are on the ground to supervise the activity, but may not always give you the solution. That is the challenge for each participant. If people need assistance, they are able to quickly respond and climb to the platform or location. The adventure park staff are all in contact with each other.

The looks on everyones' faces said it all! There were children over 7, adults, men and women all over the course. People who just completed that courses were already telling their stories on the way back to the parking lot. You could see the sense of accomplishment after a they mentally worked their way across a section of the course and looked back at where they had been. Then the reward came when they could attach to the zip line and fly to the next section of the course. Some of the zip lines extend across the ski areas. Wow that is a long zip! You talk about thrills, some of the platforms are 50 feet about the ground too.

The Sky High Adventure Park has age, agility and weight restrictions; so check out Holiday Valley Resorts website for all limitations. Additionally there are waivers to complete by each participate. The waiver can be downloaded from their site so that you can read and sign it before you arrive. This is recommended for large groups who plan on visiting the course. There are a variety of pricing packages; including 3 hour sessions, combination coaster and aerial park sessions, group discounts and other discounts.

Looking forward, the mountain coaster should be equally thrilling when it opens in August 2011. The coaster ride is over 4,800 feet long and 15 curves, 12 waves, 1 jump and a spiral section on the track. The maximum grade on the coaster is 28.5%, and you can control your speed with a break on the car. The ride is a cool steel track that runs down the mountain and through the trees and hillsides.

The aerial park and mountain coaster are a great addition to the year-round lineup of thrills at Holiday Valley Resort. In the winter, you can enjoy downhill skiing, snowboard, snow shoeing and more. In the summer, you can enjoy golfing, mountain biking, hiking and now the Sky High Adventure Park's aerial course and mountain coaster. That sky high feeling you get at Holiday Valley resort now stays with you year-round!