Ski and snowboard slopes to open Friday at Snow Trails in Mansfield
Skiing and snowboarding season has finally arrived. Snow Trails opens Friday.
Mansfield's winter resort will open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, according to Nate Wolleson, marketing manager at Snow Trails.
The slopes "will remain open for an early season bonus weekend" from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
"Select trails, lifts and terrain park features will be available," Wolleson said in a news release. "The projected opening for Vertical Descent Tubing Park is not yet confirmed as additional snowmaking is still needed."
Operations will be suspended from Monday to Thursday, but the resort is scheduled to reopen 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 16.
The season's kickoff party is scheduled for 9 p.m. Dec. 17 at the lodge, 3100 Possum Run Road.
Ohio's only family operated ski resort
Snow Trails has been in operation since 1961, sporting six chairlifts and 19 trails. This is the resort's 62nd full year.
It was Ohio's first commercial ski resort, and is now the only one in the state that is family owned.
That's fitting, considering how family oriented the resort is today. It's common for people with decades of experience to take their young grandchildren to Snow Trails to get their first taste of skiing.
"You can go from beginner slopes to advanced slopes here," Wolleson has said. "It allows people the freedom to get what they want out of an amazing canvas like this."
An entire section of the resort is dedicated to education, and is conveniently located next to the locker and equipment area by the park's entrance.
Several lift, rental and education packages available at Snow Trails
This weekend's fun is possible thanks to the resort's snow-making efforts. Water pumps at Snow Trails can send as many as 5,500 gallons of water per minute to the 69 snow guns positioned around the resort.
The process starts with cold air and the right humidity. The wrong amount of either prohibits snow from flying across the slopes of Snow Trails.
The resort's base is typically about five feet deep by the middle of the season.
Several different packages are available for guests. There are educational and equipment-rental options for visitors as young as 4. Lift tickets and season passes are also for sale.
To learn more, call 800-OHIO-SKI or visit snowtrails.com.
ztuggle@gannett.com
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Twitter: @zachtuggle
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Snow Trails in Mansfield opening Friday for ski and snowboarding
