A Warrior Run athlete makes her way across one of the obstacles at Big Tupper Ski Area in Tupper Lake in July 2016. This year, the Warrior Run will move to a course inside the village. (Enterprise photo — Justin A. Levine)

TUPPER LAKE — The Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce was informed that both the Tupper Lake Warrior Run and OkTupperfest would be relocated from their homes at Big Tupper Ski area to new locations.

Though no reason was given at the time, Jim LaValley of Adirondack Residents Intent on Saving their Economy, or ARISE, recently told the Adirondack Daily Enterprise that the events were being moved to make room for development plans to proceed at the defunct ski area.

“At this time, ARISE and the Adirondack Club Resort developers could not make promises given the possibility of other activities that could be taking place this year at the mountain,” LaValley said. “The ACR is working diligently with engineers, architects, and others to begin the process of laying out construction plans at the mountain. While the timing of this remains somewhat uncertain, it was felt that it was better to be safe this coming summer.”

Though LaValley would not elaborate on the exact scope of the construction plans, he did confirm that the relocation of the two events did not signal a trend for the ski area.

“We are looking at developing more and more (events at the site),” he said. “Big Tupper is part of the community fabric. It is so important to the whole region and must remain a centerpiece of our local economy. I see a very bright future — one that has a sustainable ski area with lots of activities going on all year.”

The fate of Big Tupper Ski area has long been the focus of much community hope and concern. LaValley is confident that the area can be revived.

“I have heard and seen a lot of the frustration people are expressing about the ski area over the past few months. What these folks may not be aware of is that the ACR has been working diligently on the various aspects of the project. It’s my hope that people will understand that none of us thought it would take us this long, but there is a tremendous amount of forward motion that is taking place.”

The Warrior Run obstacle course, scheduled for July 15, will now base its operations at Raquette River Brewing at 11 Balsam St. in the junction neighborhood. Doug and Sarah Bencze have offered to let the muddy obstacle course proceed on their land near the brewery.

A new location remains to be found for OkTupperfest, an autumn festival featuring live music, beer, and helicopter rides.