MANSFIELD — Rain didn’t stop some families from visiting Snow Trails on Saturday, Dec. 15 for the ski resort’s kick-off weekend.
Snow Trails, at 3100 Possum Run Rd., first opened its slopes for skiing and snowboarding last weekend, but only opened the Vertical Descent Tubing Park and started regular hours Friday.
“For kick-off weekend, the weather is always a factor. A lot of people look at the temperatures and say, ‘oh, did the snow all melt away,'” said marketing manager Nate Wolleson. “But we have so much snow … we build a deep base of snow to last through warmer spells. We know it’s Ohio weather.”
Among those braving the dreary weather were 13-year-old Michael Kennard and 14-year-old Jadyn Barney, both of Findlay. The boys had just received new snow boards as early Christmas presents.
“They couldn’t wait to use them. They said, they didn’t care that it was raining, as long as there was snow on the ground,” said Michael’s father, Don Kennard.
Kennard sometimes snowboards, too. But on this occasion, he chose to stay dry. He watched the boys from the bottom of the slopes, standing under an umbrella with the family’s dog, Duke.
“He doesn’t seem to stay under the umbrella,” Kennard said of the poodle.
It seemed that every time he was reigned back in to the shelter of Kennard’s giant umbrella, Duke would venture back out into the rain.
Nearby, Nathan Hill of Orrville was teaching his 4-year-old son, Ryan to ski.
“It’s his first time,” Hill said. “But if we come here a few more times, he’ll be more comfortable, hopefully.”
Hill has taught his other children to ski, too. Ryan is the youngest of four.
Snow Trails’ kick-off weekend continues through Sunday. Swagg will perform at 9 p.m. Saturday in The Snowflake Loft.
The resort’s hours for snow tubing vary; during peak days, glow tubing, a popular activity that was previously offered on a limited basis, will be offered every Thursday through Sunday. Reservations are strongly encouraged, as space in the tubing park is limited.
Hours for the slopes are typically 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends and peak days, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on non-peak days. The slopes will now stay open until midnight every Friday.
To see hours or buy tickets in advance, visit snowtrails.com.
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