Take a look at any parking lot in the ski resorts of Colorado and one will see that the majority of vehicle license plates are from Texas.

Now, Texans will soon have their own place to ski, right in the Lone Star State.

The World Villages of Grapevine (Texas) announced today that construction will soon begin on a $70 million indoor ski slope called Texas Alps.

The snowy playground will combine winter and adventure sports, active lesiure and lifestyle retailing with 16 exciting Alpine themed boutiques and restaurants.

The slope, 175 feet tall, 600 feet long and 328 feet wide, will feature extreme skiing, snowboarding, tubing, skiing for beginners and snow play. It will also feature a indoor ice wall for climbing, luge track as well as two outdoor mountain climbing courses on artificical mountains standing as much as 100 feet tall.

Day time temperature inside the slope will be maintained at 32 degrees. At night when 18 tons of new snow is being made, temperatures will be lowered to a minus 10 degrees.

Admission pricing is estimated at $28.00 to $45.00 depending on the ski package purchased. The facility will require a staffing of 40 full-time and 200 part-time positions. One million visitors are estimated annually.

Texas Alps is being built by Snow Sport Entertainment which has successfully built three indoor courses in the U.K. Construction on the project begins in 180 days with the target opening slated for July, 2011.

The World Villages of Grapevine is a $1.6 billion complex that will comprise of three entertainment venues, retail shops, hospitality, residences and office space that will take five to seven years to complete. It is being built near the Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine, Gaylord Texan hotel and the Dallas Cowboys Country Club.

An entertainment venue currently under construction at the mega-complex is a 20-acre botanical garden that will become home to one of the largest Bonsai tree collections in the United States.

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