TUBING WAHOOO! YEAH!!

So, we’ve already established that I love the cold weather and the activities that it brings. Recently, we participated in another of my favorites, Snow Tubing.

We headed to Gunstuck for some family fun and adventure. We arrived early on a Sunday and while everyone else was jockeying for position in the lift lines, we made our way over to the tubing area.  There was only a handful of other people.  We took at least 10 runs in the first hour. Sometimes individually, sometimes as a foursome, sometimes racing in pairs. The conditions were awesome. The sun was shining it as just perfect.   I love to hear my kids giggle and scream with joy and excitement as we swoosh our way down the hill.

The staff at Gunstock is great about insuring everyone is safe and having a good time. They are more than enthusiastic about tubing and that adds to the fun. They’ll suggest differnt options and with your permission, they’ll give you a push or spin you around as they start you on your way down.

The second hour brought more people, so our total number of runs during that hour dropped from 10 to 7, but really, that was enough. We were all getting tired and ready for a break.

Gunstock sells tubing tickets for $16 for a two hour block (discounts are available for bulk purchases) and they limit the number of tickets sold for safety and enjoyment. According to their web site mid-days and Saturday nights are their busiest times. There also are height restrictions, so if you are thinking of going with small children, make sure you know the requirements beforehand.

When I awoke Sunday morning, I seriously considered staying in bed and going tubing later, I’m really glad we got their early and had more runs when both the slopes and us we fresh.

The colder the temperatures, the faster the runs, so if you are taking a less adventureous child consider going early afternoon on a slightly warmer day. Also, dress in layers because you may not think it looks as acitve as skiing, or boarding, but you can work up a sweat.

Here is a list of other restorts that offer snow tubing around the state. Have you been to any of these?  I’d like to hear your feedback.

• Cranmore Mountain http://www.cranmore.com/info/winter/tubing.asp
• Great Glen Trails http://www.greatglentrails.com/Winter-Page-61.html
• KingPine http://www.kingpine.com/snowtubing.php
• Loon Mountain http://www.loonmtn.com/info/winter/gravity.aspx
• McIntyre Ski Area http://www.mcintyreskiarea.com/tubing
• Pat’s Peak http://www.patspeak.com/snowtubing.htm
• Tenney Mountain http://www.tenneymtn.com/tubing_park.html