Gotcha Glacier
by Janet Heller
Anaheim, California, long considered the entertainment capital of the West with its famous Disney theme park and resort, is about to get another major attraction. The city is the planned site for Gotcha Glacier, a unique new entertainment concept that will offer a snow, ice and water world containing the first indoor snowboard and surf park in the United States.
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The 435,000-sq.ft. facility, planned to open during spring 2001, will house two snowboard pipelines, a snowboard terrain park, a beginner ski and snowboard learning area, a free-skating ice rink, a surf park with six stationary wave pools, and a 35,000-sq.ft. indoor/outdoor skate park. Also included will be retail, food and beverage concessions, a fitness center, birthday suites, a children’s snow play area, interactive arcades, and a themed restaurant. The facility will be open 16 hours daily, 365 days a year and is projected to draw two million visitors annually. |
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The project has been over six years in the making and estimates are at $100 million for completion, funded in part by public money. The extreme sports facility will be part of the Anaheim area referred to as
“Sportstown,” which also contains Edison International Field (home of the California Angels) and Arrowhead Pond (home of the Mighty Ducks). Developers The Glacier of Anaheim, LLC and Ogden Entertainment are also hoping to capitalize on Disney’s $1.4-billion expansion, which is currently under development. Ogden, considered a leader in venue management, also operates the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim and several other Southern California attractions, offering possibilities for joint promotions and cross marketing. |
The Anaheim City Council approved the lease agreement in December 1998 for Gotcha Glacier to build an indoor extreme sports park. Originally the facility was intended to offer a skatepark, indoor soccer, and inline hockey rinks, but then Van’s built its indoor skatepark at the nearby Block at Orange. No problem, dude— the Gotcha development team decided to build a 42,000-sq.ft. indoor surfing park instead and made plans to cross-market with the Van’s venue.
Gotcha Glacier will stand 150 feet tall and feature three and a half acres of real snow in a climate-controlled environment, with temperatures maintained at approximately 30 degrees. A fully-sanctioned competition snowboard pipeline is the focal point of the project. According to Michael Gerard, Glacier’s chief of operations and marketing, “We plan to host ongoing events and competitions. The pipe is designed to meet the specs of both the amateur and professional associations. With the conditions controlled — and the venue media-ready — we’ll be able to take the visibility of the sport to a whole new level.”
Gotcha’s G-Land Surf Park, wave pools and all, will be located underneath the high end of the 100-foot-high snow floor. It will offered a themed atmosphere with sandy beaches, rock coves, waterfalls, and a floating river encircling the waves. Here surfers and body boarders can practice their skills on six stationary waves ranging from beginner level up to 12 feet high. And as with the “Board Room” (the upstairs snowboard area), the surf park will be pre-wired for television and sound. According to Gerard, “Our effort involves creating a controlled environment for sports that are often inaccessible to the masses. We want to integrate action sports, competition, and retail in a fun, family-oriented environment.”
Totally Knarly and Really Radical, Dude!
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Gotcha Glacier will also feature the largest indoor rock climbing surface in the United States as well as indoor sky diving. The rock climbing venue will be 75 feet high with 18,000
sq.ft. of climbing surface. |
Irvine, California-based Gotcha
International, both a partner and corporate title sponsor of the project,
is a recognized leader in active sportswear and manufactures the Gotcha
MCD and Girl Star clothing lines. Marvin Winkler, chairman and CEO of
Gotcha Sportswear and a Glacier partner, comments, “The future of retail
lies in the ‘Gen 2000’ or ‘Youth Quake’ population explosion. Also,
Internet ‘e-tailing’ is quickly gaining popularity. By mixing
entertainment with retail and developing real community centers like
Gotcha Glacier, we’ll be able to enhance the overall shopping experience
for our customers.” |
The project is also expected to bring real activities back to its patrons rather than offering just another “virtual” interactive experience. While Anaheim will be the first Gotcha location, the Glacier development team has set its sights on several other locations. Brad Kinney, CEO of The Glacier of Anaheim LLC, is excited about starting in Anaheim, but he says, “We’re already designed to fit into several other locations in major markets across the nation.”
In theory, Gotcha Glacier plans to conquer mother nature, offering perfectly groomed pipelines all year without any chance of too much snow being dumped the night before a competition. Acknowledging that there are several indoor ski slopes elsewhere in the world, Kinney still feels that Gotcha Glacier is unique. “Bringing these sports indoors is nothing new, but we’re the first in the world to build a permanent competition snowboard halfpipe indoors,” he says. “Where else can you ride 12-foot waves, work out, snowboard, shop, eat and ice skate all in one place any time of the year?”
For more information, contact The Glacier of Anaheim, LLC, 33159 Camino Capistrano #D, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675; 949-240-0188.
Note: The ESP editorial staff has learned that the groundbreaking for Gotcha Glacier has been postponed two times and that Ogden is planning to sell its entertainment and aviation venues. Watch future issues of ESP for updates.