$200-Million Indoor Ski Hill Proposed for a Virginia County

What’s one way to bring joy to any piece of land lacking in it? By putting in a $200-million indoor, year-round ski hill.

Plans have been proposed for Fairfax County in Virginia to be the new home for a huge indoor ski area. The project is called Fairfax Peak and it’s proposed for a landfill site along Interstate 95 in Lorton, Virginia. If constructed, it would be the longest indoor ski slope in North America and one of the longest in the world, according to the Burn.

The indoor ski area would be 450,000 sq. feet of awesomeness that would feature 1,700 feet of ski runs and 280 feet of vertical skiing, the Burn reports. 

There would also be a terrain park consisting of jumps and rails, as well as shops and restaurants at the base. 

North America’s longest indoor ski slope may be coming to the county’s I-95 landfill in Lorton. We got a proposal from @AlpineXUSA for an indoor #skiing and #snowboarding facility called Fairfax Peak: https://t.co/EJDxCIoNz2 #ski #skitime #ThisIsSkiing #snowboard #snowpark pic.twitter.com/687wq1RAsR

— Fairfax County Government 😷🎃🗳️ (@fairfaxcounty) May 29, 2019

Other features listed on the Fairfax County website for the project include:

• A bunny slope for beginners and snow tubing run.
• Restaurants, ski shops, and a sky bar with a terrace at the summit.
• A 100-plus room luxury hotel at the base.
• A gravity-powered, mountain coaster that will slide from the summit to Occoquan Regional Park.
• A gondola to ferry riders from Occoquan Regional Park and the hill’s base up to the summit.

If approved, the project would be a partnership between Fairfax County and a company named Alpine-X. Fairfax Peak would be modeled after other indoor ski centers around the world like those in the Netherlands, the Burn reports.

According to the Patch, if the project is approved the first phase could be completed in as soon as 36-48 months.

However, there is pushback on the project as environmental concerns have been raised by county authorities, according to the Washington Business Journal. 

The project is still under review and awaiting approval.