Vacation With an Anti-Terrorism Twist

M O N T R O S E, Colo., Aug. 20, 2004 -- At first glance, Elk Mountain Resort looks like any other luxury vacation spot. Nestled high in the aspens of southern Colorado, the brand new lodge sits on the edge of a sylvan lake. Visitors can enjoy fishing and horseback riding. But in addition to the flora and fauna, there's also a whole lot of firepower.

"When 9/11 happened," said owner Tom Forman, "it created a situation in the world that there a lot of people who are more concerned about self-defense now than ever."

Forman is doing his best to meet that concern. Some might call Elk Mountain a vacation resort for our perilous times.

"Save the world by day," reads one of the resort's ads, "and relax with fine cuisine by night."

The resort's shooting club is a state-of-the-art facility that offers vacationing families a chance to learn self-defense techniques, from shooting real ammunition at realistic targets to learning how to use an ordinary cane to foil attackers. The shooting club is called Valhalla, or after the warrior heaven in Norse mythology.

"We shoot realistically," said shooting instructor Rob Pincus, "with computer controlled light, and sound and smoke effects, three-dimensional targets that drop when you hit them or pop out at you."

The facility is basically a maze that offers fantasy scenarios. You can walk into a bar, identify the bad guy (a mannequin), and take him down. Or enter a mock Boeing 737 for the ultimate challenge of foiling a hijacking.

"Here's the scenario," Pincus told one of his students. Pointing to a mannequin slouched over in a first-class seat, he continued, "The air marshal is down, gun's on the floor, it's up to you to save the plane."

In a matter of seconds, the student grabs the gun and fires at the "terrorist," a mannequin standing in the door of the cockpit.