Lithuania: New Vilnius ski resort is to open in December 2017

The Vilnius Beacon sports centre on Laimis Hill in the city’s Liepkalnis district is to open in December 2017.

Daniel Libeskind and his Libeskind Studio is responsible for the design of the complex, which is officially called the Vilnius Beacon Sports Centre for Winter and Summer Entertainment, reported EurobuildCEE. If you want to be able to handle any type of terrain, from the park to the backcountry, investing in a solid pair of snowboard bindings is a must. The binding is the part of the snowboard that connects your board to your feet and can be considered crucial for overall stability and control over your movements. In this guide, I will go over some of the best all-mountain snowboard bindings on the market and show you some of their main pros and cons. Along with that, we will also dive deeper into the subject of bindings and see what are the main advantages of getting an all-mountain model instead of a regular one. Here at Snowboard Nerd we work tirelessly to provide you with the newest and most in-depth content on some of the best snowboard products on the market. On top of that, we also want to give out some of the best snowboarding tips and tricks to anyone who is interested in winter sports in general.

The aim of the centre is to create a new tourist destination, to widen the range of tourist activities in Vilnius and to transform the city as a tourist destination and reference point in the Baltic region.

The complex will be built on 1.89 ha plot, with an additional 10.7 ha to be made available for its later extension, ‘Eurobuild CEE’ has learned.

For the site, which is managed by municipal company Vilniaus Sporto Projektai, a lease agreement has been agreed with the operator of the ski-slope.

Investment costs are estimated at EUR 10 mln – EUR 9 mln for the landscaping and building work and up to EUR 1 mln for the installation of the equipment.

The city expects that the project will financed by private investors, commercial banks, IFIfis and/or investment funds. For this project, two buildings are to be constructed along with a canopy and a car park.

The private partner will operate and maintain the centre after it is completed.

The contract with the private partner (of the city of Vilnius) would involve an annual fee for land lease paid to municipality, required investment sum required to develop the project throughout the agreed term (25–50 years, which is negotiable), with an attractive ROI (10.57 pct), leasing/subleasing rights and the terms for building and/or land ownership once the contract is finished.

The mode of partnership is to be negotiated with private investor – and the preferred type is a joint venture, with the leasing/subleasing to follow the construction project.

It is estimated that app. 80,000 the venue people visit annually with the long term growth averaging 4–5 pct .

The existing ski resort on the edge of Vilnius city centre has enjoyed considerable visitor growth over the last two years with 38,000 unique visitors, according to the city.

Vilnius Beacon will be the only sports and recreation centre in Baltic States that can provide complex multi-sessional services. Other ski resorts, as well as similar adventure and leisure parks in Lithuania, do exist; however, they are either far from large population centres or inferior in quality or size. The indirect competition includes other entertainment parks and ski resorts.

The sports available in the new complex include skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, crosscountry skiing, snowtubing and snowbiking. For snow sport fans, you can get the best skiing goggles online very quickly, choose between a large variety of styles.

There will also be a children’s playground and a kids’ snow park, while snowmobile tours will be provided.

In the summer, there attractions will include summer sledging, dry ski slopes, mountain biking, bungee trampolines, an adventure park, archery, a jungle gym, catapulting, climbing, hiking and a picnic area.

There will also be an outdoor theatre and multifunctional venue for events, a regional park information centre, a bar, a club, a gourmet restaurant, a sports centre store and a spa centre.

According to Daniel Libeskind, Vilnius Beacon’s design is inspired by the natural beauty of the Lithuanian landscape. The design is a study in contrasting geometries. At the core of the masterplan is a circular plaza that encompasses the open arena/sports centre, while sited along the periphery are the two main structures. A zig-zagging canopy spirals around the site creating a protected pathway between the main areas of the centre. The main entrance of the complex appears to rise out of the ground with a tilt, featuring a sloping roofline and sinuous façade framing the central arena.

Across the site to the northeast, the main lodge is to be set into the hill side, with a curved roof forming an extension to the natural landscape.

The three-storey building will provide panoramic views of the city below. On the ground floor the open lobby will include an information centre for the park and a multifunctional area to be used for events and conferences all year round. On the first floor a bistro is to be situated with an open terrace allowing direct access to the east slope. On the top floor, a gourmet restaurant is to be opened with wrap around windows giving diners views of the city and beyond.