Gadling

If God had wanted man to ski in Texas, he wouldn't have made the place so damn hot. Texans, however, have a long history of doing what they want even if it means monkeying around with the natural order of things.

And so it will come to pass that Texas skiers sporting large belt buckles and cowboy hats will be hooting and hollering their way down the state's first manmade ski resort just two years from now.

That's when investors hope to finish building a 250-foot artificial mountain and 650,000 square feet of skiing area. While moving so much earth around to create the perfect slopes is hardly a challenge, circumventing Mother Nature's 90 degree temperatures is another story altogether.

Unlike other manmade ski resorts, however, the engineers at Bearfire Resort won't be making snow in the traditional way--Texas seasons are far too harsh for this to be possible. Instead, the creators of Bearfire plan to introduce an entirely different type of snow that is actually made from a patented, lubricated plastic known as Snowflex. I'll let the creators describe it in their own words...

Snowflex is a polymer composite consisting of a monofilament fibre and impregnated carrier layer. This sits on top of a unique shock layer, giving a responsive and reactive feel. Manufactured in tile form, Snowflex forms an homogeneous surface that can be made into complex features and shapes.

Hmm. I guess if you live in Texas, it's better than nothing.

Filed under: Skiing