Water and summertime go together like Mom and apple pie. So it makes sense that more and more winter resorts are looking to incorporate water activities into their summer operations. Not full-on water parks, necessarily, which are hugely expensive and an enormous commitment. No, areas are looking for, and finding, a variety of ways to dip their toes in water for relatively little expense.

“Water features are certainly on our minds,” says Tom Pettigrew, skier (and summer) services director at Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR). “It can be a complementary activity. Summers seem to be getting longer and hotter, and this gives people a chance to cool off. It’s a worthwhile consideration.”

“Water is a practical alternative,” adds Mark Weston, senior design project manager, creative development, of WhiteWater, a product supplier. “People have a great time with water.”

Low-volume water activities can hit a nice sweet spot for resorts. They help guests stay cool and entertained on hot days, and still serve as a comfortable activity in “cooler temperatures than if you’ re submerged in a pool or on a lazy river,” Pettigrew says.

Water features can also be themed to remain consistent with existing facilities or to help establish a theme, from traditional mountain styles to just about anything a resort might dream up.

Applicable facilities include mining setups, wet decks and splash pads, and both mazes and ropes courses that integrate water play. Even a small water play structure—which can also be the first step toward a full-on water park—with water slides, fountains, and sprayers, is a possibility. Here’s a look at each.


WET DECKS AND SPLASH PADS
“Our landing spot is probably somewhere in the wet deck world,” says Pettigrew. “It would be a playful option that would be interactive, as many of our rides are—that’s how a splash pad is. You can control the direction and volume of water.” PCMR may add such a feature to complement its climbing structures for 6- to 12-year-olds, which include a climbing wall and spider web.

Wet decks and splash pads consist of a sloped base that has no standing water, but allows for water play on top. Water drains into a below-ground tank for filtration and recycling. “The deck can include fountains and spray play features. These range from underground jets to features that cascade water from above. Water pumps and cannons are typical, too,” says Weston.

A wet deck or splash pad has a lot of advantages for winter resorts. “First, it doesn’t use a lot of water,” says Weston. Depths are less than two inches, which also eliminates the need for lifeguards. Most are easily dismantled and/or covered for winter so that snow can be made on top of them. As with other elements, a wet deck or splash pad could be themed to the mountain environment. And these features don’t require a waterpark-sized investment to get started, perhaps $150,000 or so.

You can also put a play structure on a wet deck; slides empty into a shallow channel of water that flows onto the deck.

Multi-level play structures, with a series of decks at different elevations linked by stairs and climbs, can include a selection of interactive water play features and slides. As the structures get taller, the slide options become greater. The current trend is to combine such structures with more iconic slides.

Play structures, combined with other activities, can keep guests entertained for a half or full day, Weston says. That type of engagement is a key goal, he adds—and one that’s not as easy to achieve in summer as in winter.


THE AQUACOURSE
WhiteWater’s new Aquacourse combines elements of ropes courses and wet decks. It adds sprayers, fountains, and water guns to the ropes course, and allows guests on and off the course to get involved in water play. Unlike a typical ropes course, the degree of difficulty is not high; this is about getting wet, not challenging one’s balance and agility. This results in a ropes course that’s suitable to younger kids and families, and also allows for a greater capacity.

WhiteWater has converted every challenge course element so that it’s bare-foot friendly. Think non-slip surfaces and smooth edges. Also, the landing pads are bigger, so guests can dally, use the water features and guns, etc. Because this is more water play than agility test, it’s feasible to put four to five people on a path/feature at once. The belay system allows guests to change their route from each pad, making it easy to dawdle as desired.

It’s possible to install a deck around the structure, so other guests can play and hang out there. People on the deck can man water guns and also serve as targets for those on the course—each can splash and harass folks on the other.

If the weather is cool, the water can simply be shut off, and the facility serves as a family ropes course, suitable for kids four to 14 or so.

The course itself occupies a relatively compact footprint, about 3,850 square feet. The typical layout is a hexagon but can be customized to many shapes, so long as it remains a continuous loop. Cost for the smallest course is in the $750,000 range; the course can handle up to 300 guests an hour.


THE AQUA MAZE
Much like the Aquacourse, Amaze’n Mazes’ Aqua Maze adds water to the basic maze concept. In the first such installation, at Splash Adventure, Ala., jets of water shoot up to 60 feet in the air from two water blasters within the maze, while three showers in fixed locations can be controlled by observers on platforms. A “car wash aisle” has motion detectors that trigger hidden sprayers. In other words, the Aqua Maze increases the sense of adventure of navigating the labyrinth about ten-fold.

And that can draw a crowd. More than 1,700 children and adults ran the Splash Adventure maze on opening day. That highlights another key aspect of mazes generally: they can handle a lot of traffic. That means that there’s rarely a line waiting to get in.

Again, like the Aquacourse, the Aqua Maze is more versatile than many water features. If it’s too cool for getting wet, simply shut off the water, and let guests play in the dry maze, notes creator Greg Galavan. And as with other water features, all sorts of custom themes are possible.

However, installing an Aqua Maze is a bit more involved than a standard maze, and a bit more expensive. Adding water means the maze must sit on a slab, typically about 64 feet by 68 feet, which drains to the center. It requires only a small amount of water, but it still has to be recycled, filtered and chlorinated. The automated sprayers and showers require electronic controls, and there’s the plumbing to consider, too. That includes a small 5 hp pump that delivers 180 gpm. The total cost can reach about $350,000 for a maze with all the bells and whistles, compared to $100,000 for a dry maze. Then again, the Aqua Maze is a bigger draw.

A water maze is also a bit less temporary than a standard maze. There’s that slab and the plumbing. So those aspects must be considered in siting the maze. But with quick-release connectors, it’s possible to assemble or remove the Aqua Maze in a few days. That allows the flexibility to dismantle and store it, with little or no impact on winter operations.


PANNING FOR GEMS
Perhaps the smallest-footprint and least-costly water elements are small mining operations, in which guests can pan for gems, stones, and fossils. Cold River Mining Co., one of a handful of such vendors, has installed mining operations at several resorts, among them Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Schweitzer, and Camelback’s Camelbeach.

“It’s a magical thing when kids find the rocks,” says Adam Marchacos of Cold River Mining Co. “They keep them forever.” Mining operations are aimed at kids 3 to 12, but adults often get sucked into the game, too. Often, mining serves as an excuse for parents of little kids to play in the water.

Cold River, like other vendors, packs a variety of gemstones and artifacts into the “ore” that miners sift through— more than 50 types of gems and stones, and more than 30 types of dinosaur bones, fossils, arrowheads, and other collectibles. “Emeralds, rubies, arrowheads, there’s a lot of value in the bags,” Marchacos says.

The setup, with a water tower, sluice, and small pump, can accommodate 6 to 12 miners at a time, depending on the length of the sluice. Typically Cold River Mining offers those in 12- and 24-foot lengths.

The sluice is part of a closed water system, with a pump and 180-gallon reservoir—this mining operation requires very little water. A baffle system on the trough and a catch basin prevent silt from clogging the cast-iron pump. It all runs on a regular 110 electrical line.

Theming takes place in a variety of ways: the water tower can take on a variety of styles, as can a roof over the sluice. Cold River also offers a display to help identify and explain the fossils and rocks. Cold River’s newest innovation is a vending machine that sells the ore bags; that machine can be customized as well. The machine is custom-built and heavy-duty, to handle the weight of the ore bags.

All this is a relatively low-cost operation. The 12-foot sluice, with delivery, and a supply of ore bags, runs about $8,000; the bags’ retail value is $5,800. Add the vending machine for $4,000, and a cleverly themed water tower, and project cost is still no more than $15,000.

Operational costs are minimal, too. A single staff person can man the operation and offer instruction and advice if needed. It takes a few days to learn about the rocks and artifacts guests will find.

As with some other summer activities, the setup can be assembled and dismantled easily, so it can be stored away for winter.

As resorts look to increase summer activities, it’s important to know that these are evolving quickly to include more interactivity. It’s not just resorts that are looking for ways for guests to be physically active—amusement parks and family entertainment centers are doing the same. Participatory activities are in. And that means that resorts should find ways to use their natural strengths to their best advantage. Summer holds a lot of potential for growth, but it takes thought and planning to turn potential into profit.




WATER ACTIVITY SUPPLIERS
Yes, there are many choices when it comes to adding water to
summer operations. Here are some suitable partners:

Aquatic Development Group: FlowRider, wave generation, water treatment
1-800-458-9283; www.aquaticgroup.com

Amaze’n Mazes: Dry and wet mazes
1-888-909-6293; www.amazenmazes.com

Cold River Mining Co.: Panning systems
(413) 219-3252; www.miningattractions.com

Commercial Recreation Specialists: Water elements, splash pads, spray grounds
1-877-896-8442; www.crs4rec.com

Funworks Design Group: Water slides, spray elements, play structures, theming; design
(832) 243-4680; www.funworks-design.com

Prime Play: Water rides and theming
(407) 378-5226; www.primeplay.com

Proslide Technology: Water rides and slides
(613) 526-5522; www.proslide.com

Rain Drop: Spray park and water play products
1-800-343-6063; www.raindrop.com

Sandy Creek Mining Co.: Panning systems
(419) 435-5891; www.sandycreekmining.com

Splashtacular: Slides, splash pads, wet decks, play structures
1-800-844-5334; www.splashtacular.com

Waterplay Solutions Corp.: Aquatic play equipment
1-800-590-5552; www.waterplay.com

WaterWorks International: Fountains, splash pads
1-800-932-3123; www.waterworksinternational.com

WhiteWater West Industries: Slides, FlowRider, Aquacourse, wave elements
(604) 273.1068; www.whitewaterwest.com