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Tubing
Fresh off the success of ski boarding, Ben and I were ready to try tubing. Once reserved strictly for backyards, tubing has become a major presence at ski resorts during the past decade.
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TUBING
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Not only is tubing easier than skiing and snowboarding, it's also a lot cheaper. Tubing parks generally charge by two- and four-hour increments. Prices range from $8 for two hours up to $15 for four hours; as with skiing, rates are cheaper during the week than weekends.
Snow tubing can be found 1-1/2 Boston:
Amesbury Sports Park 12 Hunt Road, Amesbury. 978-388-5788. [Get directions].
Yawgoo Valley Ski Area 160 Yawgoo Valley Road, Exeter, R.I. 401-294-3802. [Get directions].
Larger ski resorts north of Massachusetts tend to offer bigger tubing parks with more challenging runs:
CONNECTICUT
Power Ridge Middlefield. 860-349-3454.
MAINE
Mt. Abram Locke Mills. 207-875-5003. [Get directions].
Sugarloaf Sugarloaf. 207-237-2000.
Sunday River Bethel. 207-824-3000.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Black Mountain Jackson. 603-383-4490.
Cranmore North Conway. 603-356-5543. [Get directions].
Gunstock Recreation Area Route 11A, Gilford. 603-293-4341. Its Thrill Hill lives up to its name.
King Pine East Madison. 800-367-8897.
VERMONT
Smuggler's Notch Jeffersonville. 802-644-8851.
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There are several advantages to tubing at a resort rather than in a backyard. No inconveniently placed trees, no busy roads at the bottom of the hill and, most important, no walking back up the hill. Simply plop down on your tube (it's an inner tube wrapped in nylon with handles), hook it onto the tow rope and you're back at the top in less than five minutes.
Although snow enthusiasts of any age can manage a tube, it seems to have its strongest appeal among kids and families. On the snowy weekday afternoon we spent at Amesbury Sports Park, Ben and I were the only childless adults to be found. There were several families with young children and a few teenagers on the long, well-manicured hill.
Tubing parks are much like ski slopes, but with a few well-placed bumps along the way to make the ride more interesting. The view from the top of the hill is far more intimidating than the actual trip down, especially if you haven't been on a sled in a while.
My first run was a bit awkward. I wasn't quite sure how to straddle the tube. I tried sitting down with my legs folded beneath me, and ended up sliding down the hill back-first, spinning around in circles.
We turned to the lift operator for advice. He wisely recommended riding on our chests, our feet hanging off the back to steer the tube down the hill.
We quickly mastered the technique, then decided to copy two boys who were going down holding onto each other's tubes. We were having a great time, at least I thought we were. But Ben complained he was getting queasy. All the spinning left him feeling like he'd been on an amusement park ride. We managed a few more runs before his face began to turn green and my feet blue.
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