Mansfield, OH – Ohio’s Snow Trails ski, snowboard, and snow tubing resort will host its 51st Annual Winter Ski Carnival tomorrow and Sunday. The weekend festivities have been celebrated since the very first season in 1961-62 at Snow Trails.
There is something for everyone at Snow Trails this weekend, from the Bikini and Chippendale Slalom races to the SoBe Kid’s Challenge and two events to take place in the Tubing Park, the Yard Sale Pick-Up and the Cardboard Creation Race. The slopes and parks will attract many, and the Carnival even more, as Snow Trails gears up for an expected 5,000 visitors. The area will be open from 9 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. for regular skiing and snowboarding Saturday and Sunday. The Vertical Descent Tubing Park will be open from 9 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday. Thanks to major recent investments in snowmaking technology, Snow Trails is presently covered top to bottom with up to four feet of snow on its runs.
The first day will begin with the slopes opening at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The Ski Patrol Bratwurst Burn will begin serving brats and cold beverages at 11 a.m. as the first event of the day, the SoBe Kid’s Challenge, takes place for youngsters close to the Terrainasaurus Park. The course will be set and ready to signal the first qualifying heat of the Skier and Boarder Cross race at 12:30 p.m. before the next event of the day, named the Yard Sale Pick-Up, will take place at 2 p.m., showcasing participants 15 years old and under competing to pick-up all items placed in a Tubing Park lane while tubing down the hill.
The weekend’s popular Bikini and Chippendale races will take place beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday. A presentation for the 51st Ohio Ski Queen and awards for the day’s activities will be held at 4:30 p.m. in The Snowflake Loft, located on the second floor of the Ski Lodge. Saturday night’s entertainment begins at 9 p.m. in The Snowflake Loft with the band “Shucking Bubba.”
The second day will begin once again with the Snow Trails Ski Patrol firing up the outdoor grill at 11 a.m. as the Carnival Giant Slalom race gets underway. The Guest Costume Contest judging is scheduled for noon on the Ski Lodge deck. It’s all part of the fun, as Snow Trails will host the popular Molson Couples Fun Race, also at Noon, which draws a crowd to view teams of participants 21 years of age and older, on this extreme obstacle course.
A second event added to Carnival activities in the tubing park, named the Cardboard Creation Race, will begin at 1 p.m. Prior to the race, competitors will construct from cardboard, paper, and tape only, an object to be judged for design and piloted the furthest distance down one of the Vertical Descent Tubing Park lanes, while still intact and in the fastest time.
Set as the grand finale of the Carnival is the Mountain Dew Slush Cup at 3:30 p.m., where daring individuals on snowboards or skis try their best at skimming across an icy pool of green colored slush and water. Most do not make it across the lengthy pool, proving to be a treat more for the spectators than the participants. The day’s awards will follow at 5 p.m. in The Snowflake Loft.
For more information call 800-OHIO-SKI or visit the resort website at www.SnowTrails.com.