# South Bay Freestyle Progression Lab

Working business plan recorded September 9, 2026 from the supplied concept brief. The complete source is preserved in [FACILITY-BRIEF.md](FACILITY-BRIEF.md). Figures and market claims below are supplied assumptions, not independently verified facts.

## Concept and positioning

Create a compact indoor ski/snowboard freestyle progression gym in Santa Clara, North San Jose, or Milpitas. Core program: elevated dry-slope jib and kicker lines, a purpose-built landing airbag, one serious supertrampoline, and coached aerial progression. Focus on serious freestyle training rather than general indoor skiing or a recreational trampoline park. An older industrial warehouse with useful geometry is preferable to expensive retail finishes.

## Customer and revenue hypotheses

Serve park skiers, freeriders, snowboarders, Tahoe athletes training off-season, competitive youth, adult learners, coaches, and teams. Offer open gym, hourly sessions, memberships, coaching, private lessons, clinics, camps, and team training. Summer is expected to be the strongest season; validate this through interviews, pilot sessions, and pre-sales. Skate/BMX crossover is a possible later addition.

## Facility program

- Ideal study envelope: 120 × 125 ft = 15,000 ft², 30 ft clear; compare 12k and 10k footprints and 24/20 ft ceilings.
- Dry-slope zone: approximately 3,500–4,500 ft², 8–10 ft start deck, stairs, guarded queue and separate starts. White mSnow-style surface only where useful. One or two active modular features, plus storage.
- Airbag jump: shaped modest kicker into a substantial low landing airbag, isolated from pedestrian circulation.
- Supertramp: approximately 2,000–3,000 ft² program allowance, a single high-performance bed with substantial padding, dismount mats, and unobstructed aerial space. Additional bed/wall tramp are future options.
- Support: approximately 1,500–2,500 ft² target program allowance for reception, modest lounge, gear/rental storage, racks, feature storage, workbench, bathrooms, and staff storage. No elaborate café.
- Circulation: 4–6 ft return routes, no crossing active runouts, protection at hard edges and columns. Shared landing infrastructure is an option only if operations and geometry support it; the initial model uses separate trampoline dismount mats.

Program allowances include functional space around equipment. The model's occupied-area metric measures the union of modeled rectangles, not the full business-program allocation or a leasable-area schedule.

## Capital and occupancy

Tentative initial self-funding: approximately $200,000 as an experimental risk budget. Target monthly occupancy: $15,000–$25,000, preferably near the low end. Keep fixed costs controlled; consider investors later if demonstrated demand creates an expansion opportunity. No validated revenue, break-even, construction, or runway forecast exists yet.

Before a lease commitment, quote rent and additional occupancy charges, equipment, construction, design, permits, insurance, staffing, utilities, maintenance, and working capital. The initial capital budget must be reconciled with these quotes.

## Prototype and timeline

1. Fall/winter 2026: research and backyard prototypes. A supplied mSnow kit assumption is 54 ft², approximately a 3 × 18 ft rail surface. Investigate a backyard supertramp, including drainage/retaining/permitting if recessed.
2. Winter–spring 2027: property search, use/approval diligence, negotiation, equipment engineering, and cost validation.
3. Spring 2027: intended build window, dependent on permits and procurement.
4. May/June 2027: tentative opening target.

## Market and property notes to verify

House of Air, FreeSlope, and MetroSlopes were supplied as demand-validation references. Their current offerings, scale, and economics have not been verified here. The reported House of Air rent increase is unverified hearsay. Corvin Drive was a benchmark discussion, not the chosen site; its reported 20 ft clear height was the main concern. Availability, pricing, sports-use permissions/CUP, and product durability claims all require independent confirmation.

## Next decisions

### Ramp-containment revision · September 9, 2026

The concept now places each 5 ft white run-in on a 9 ft-wide structure with padded shoulders and continuous solid side containment along the elevated slope. Side faces follow the slope and taper down at the lower transition. Close the deck front between lane entrances; mark a holding point before each run-in. These dimensions and details are illustrative design allowances, not validated containment specifications.

Reserve padded lower transition, rail-side, and runout space exclusively for riders. The model shows 16 ft-wide lower fall-zone reservations, keeps the return path outside them, and places a padded separator outside the primary jib fall zone. Riders leave the primary jib beyond its runout before joining the return path. Future lines must fit their own reservations; adding a second jib can conflict with the current stairs and walkway.

Proposed operating procedure: rider calls “DROP?” and holds; coach checks the full run-in, feature, side fall zones, landing, and runout, then calls “GO.” One rider per line; no release until the preceding rider and equipment are clear. Coaching controls starts and does not replace physical containment or adequate fall space. Containment height, padding, transitions, impact loads, and snag-free details require equipment-specific professional design.

Validate demand and willingness to pay; secure equipment footprints and manufacturer requirements; review aerial clearance, egress, accessibility, fire protection, structure, and permitted use with qualified professionals; price the complete build and operating runway; then identify the smallest workable warehouse. This Three.js model supports spatial discussion, not equipment certification or lease approval.