KLAS-TV Channel 8 News Las VegasWynn's Mountain on the Las Vegas Strip
Workers get in and out of the mountain through a tunnel under the main lake in front of Wynn Las Vegas.
Wynn Las Vegas Executive Director of Horticulture, Jim Gibbons says, "This mountain can stay here 100 years. It's build on solid concrete with pockets built into it to hold the plants."
Jim Gibbons takes Eyewitness News Reporter Edward Lawrence on a behind-the-scenes tour.Driving by Wynn Las Vegas it's easy to see the mountain Steve Wynn built in front of his hotel. What you have not seen, until now, is what's inside the mountain.
It makes for a great picture. Tourist Lelia Hirsch exclaims, "Driving by it's beautiful." It drowns out the sound of the Las Vegas Strip. It blocks the Las Vegas lights. The mountain also hides a secret. It's hollow.
Workers get in and out of the mountain through a tunnel under the main lake in front of Wynn Las Vegas. There's a workshop and freight elevator which rises onto the mountain. Wynn Las Vegas Executive Director of Horticulture, Jim Gibbons says, "This mountain can stay here 100 years. It's build on solid concrete with pockets built into it to hold the plants."
Gibbons designed the mountain selecting every tree and plant on it. He says the hardest part is constantly topping himself. Gibbons helped lay out the San Diego wild animal park. He also developed the rainforest in the Mirage, the plants at Treasure Island, and came up with the atrium idea for the Bellagio.
When asked if he plans to retire? He responds, "No. I don't need to. I'm retired doing this." The mountain will be his legacy. Gibbons says Wynn built it with the plants in mind. He adds it has perfect drainage, perfect soil in the planters, and the trees love it.
There are some staggering statistics associated with the mountain. The mountain stands 140 feet in the air. The tallest tree is 65 feet tall and weighs as much as two cement trucks. Still the most impressive part is what you cannot see.
Workers store props inside the mountain for a three minute show on the lake. Huge robotic arms which hook into the elevator makes the figures move. Gibbons says, "You wonder when we left Bellagio what were we going to do to top that. We did it. We built this mountain." The beauty will continue to dazzle tourists who may never know what's inside. The mountain weighs as much as a 90 story building.
When crews built it they started planting the tress closest to the casino and worked their way over the mountain to Las Vegas Boulevard. They used 470 giant trees. There are pine, agustum, purple leaf plum for color, and pistachio trees mixed throughout the mountain.
