SAM Magazine-Harbor Springs, Mich., July 1, 2010-Are Superpipes becoming an endangered species? As at some other resorts around the country, Nub's Nob's Superpipe was the least-used piece of real estate at the area. So the area reshaped the walls and built a new race arena slope to provide a home for aspiring racers.

The venue is specifically designed to give racers the training they need. Based on a model that has produced Olympic and FIS champions, including Lindsey Vonn and Sarah Schleper, the area replaced the old handle tow with a fast rope tow, "which means racers build strength on their way up the hill while increasing the number of runs in the gates in a given training session," according to the resort. The area's new snowmaking layout means the race arena will be one of the first slopes to open.

At the same time, Nub's is expanding its terrain park. The halfpipe is getting longer and the wall height moves from 9 to 12 feet. Several new and unique jibs and boxes in the Rail Yard and a new jump area will also debut.

Nub's is also expanding its snowmaking system with the addition of eight Nub's Nob snowguns, bringing the area's total gun count to 270.

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