By John Lindt, Valley Voice Newspaper

How do you get the West's working families to the ski slopes? You bring an indoors snow mountain to a Highway 99 location in the middle of the state. And you pick one of the most sweltering locations in this hot dusty valley. Sound like an unlikely way to "chill out"?

The CEO of Snow Sport Entertainment was in Tulare last week pitching plans to build a massive indoor ski venue the size of several football fields that would be part of the Tulare Motorsports Complex. "This is all preliminary stuff but we are definitely interested in Tulare," says Alec G. Sohmer.

Half a Million Visitors?
Sohmer says his company has built several indoor skiing playgrounds around the world and is modeling the California project on its Manchester, England snow park.

Sohmer met with city of Tulare officials last week and told them the firm was considering development of 15 acres on the 700-acre TMSC site to build a tilted 200,000-square-foot building for indoor snow sports. The building needs to be angled to simulate a downhill ski slope that would also offer snowboarding, luge and bobsled runs, he told a group led by City Manager Darrel Pyle.

Valued at $70 million, Sohmer said the project would employ 200 people year round and might expect to attract 500,000 visitors annually.

"So what do you want from the city" Vice Mayor Phil Vandergrift asked. Just a building permit, he was told, according to Vandergrift.

Look to pay about $35 to visit the snow park for an afternoon, the city was told.


By Aleshia Howe, Fort Worth Business Press, August 3, 2009

A one-of-a-kind indoor ski park and an Asian cultural center would be a significant project even in an economic boom, but developers of the planned World Villages of Grapevine are counting on the area's appetite for entertainment for support.

The Gardens of Grapevine will submit its second round of plans to the city of Grapevine for approval next month with plans already under way for the first phases of its massive mixed-use development called Villages of Grapevine, which will have entertainment, retail, residential and office space. But the primary attraction is a $70 million ski park called Texas Alps™.

For North Texas' first snow park, Gardens of Grapevine brought in Snow Sport Entertainment LTD, which will construct the 250,000-square-foot Texas Alps project. The project is expected to be complete within 24 months to 26 months from groundbreaking.

The snowy playground of Texas Alps will offer an indoor ski slope measuring nearly 600 feet, an indoor ice climbing wall and luge track, retail and restaurants. Cost for admission will be about $28 to $45 per person.

And though design plans have been introduced, depicting a large slope for the exterior of the building, Alec G. Sohmer, CEO of Snow Sport Entertainment, said the project could be expanded further to include a second slope -- something that's never been done.

"We've expanded this project and it may be the biggest we've ever done," Sohmer said.

Texas Alps was originally called Alpine Village, but Sohmer said the "unique" environment of Texas called for a Lone Star name, hence Texas Alps. And Grapevine was the perfect location in North Texas, he added.

"Grapevine is the Christmas capital of Texas and we'll go for a real Christmas feel, especially around the holidays," Sohmer said. "There will be a real Santa's Village and it will be something to behold. This could be a destination like no other. It will be the sort of destination that if any other city in America wants to put in an indoor ski park, they will come to Grapevine to see how to do it."

Grapevine Mayor William Tate said bringing in major developments such as Texas Alps takes a vision and patience.

"Grapevine is a long way from being through," he said. "And when we're through hopefully you'll be able to experience the heat of the equator and the cold of the North Pole."


Grapevine Council to Vote on Development Within Months
By Scott Price, The Grapevine Courier, July 29, 2009

It will not come as a surprise to residents of Colorado or New Mexico that the first indoor ski park in the United States is planned for Texas.

This 250,000 square foot, $70-million project is the first entertainment venue as part of the planned World Villages of Grapevine development.

Alec G. Sohmer, CEO of Snow Sport Entertainment, LTD., which is developing Texas Alps(tm), said that his company wants to work closely with Grapevine, which bills itself as the "Christmas Capital of Texas."

"I hear it can get quite warm in Texas in the summertime," he said. "We are going to have a quite cool 32 degrees year round."

Texas Alps will have an indoor ski slope 590 feet long and 328 feet wide to allow skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing and other activities. There will also be a 50-foot indoor ice climbing wall and a 200-foot luge track.

But before construction can begin the Grapevine City Counsel must first approve the project.

But with the excitement expressed by Grapevine officials, the project is likely to receive approval. Mayor William D. Tate called the ski park an exciting new concept.

"We don't get a lot of snow in Texas, and the kids will be excited about this," he said.

The cost to get into Texas Alps is planned to run about $28 to $45, which is a package deal that allows use of all facilities, Sohmer said.


By Melissa Newton, CBS 11 / TXA 21, July 22, 2009

Imagine snow skiing in the middle of summer without ever leaving North Texas. A new development, expected to break ground in 180 days in Grapevine, will give you that chance.

The 250,000 square foot development called the Texas Alps will include a 600 foot long indoor ski slope with real snow, a luge track, and an ice climbing wall. It will be the first of its kind in the United States.

The Texas Alps is part of a massive mixed use development but the primary attraction is the ski park.

"We're looking forward to being in the states for the first time and cannot think of a better area to do it," said Alec Sohmer, with Snow Sport Entertainment LTD., the developer of the Texas Alps.

Developers say Grapevine's central location, both in North Texas and in America, makes it an attractive site for such a project.

Grapevine Mayor William Tate said bringing major developments such as The Gaylord Texan, Great Wolf Lodge and the Texas Alps takes a vision and patience. "Grapevine is a long way from being through," he explained. "And when we're through hopefully you'll be able to experience a wide range of entertainment, and experience the heat of the equator and the cold of the North Pole."