No, there are not mountains in Ohio and yes, it only snows enough to cover the ground maybe 4-5 times a year however hitting the slopes is quite easy for South Western Ohio residents, if you like skiing on ice that is.
Having grown up in Ohio, the idea of experiencing the thrill of carving off-piste on powder only came to fruition in Warren Miller films and magazines.
Whether you are a seasoned ski-bum or bunny hill groupie, there are actually a few decent options (for the Midwest that is) right here in Southwestern Ohio.
Mad River Mountain Resort
Mad River Mountain (MRM) is located in Zanesfield, OH (between Marysville and Bellefontaine on US 33), Mad River Mountain was opened in 1962 and will starts it’s 48th year in operation this season.
The season typically runs from December to March and offers fun for all levels, abilities, and desires. This family friendly resort has an instruction program, restaurant, ski/snowboard pro shop, and best of all, a bar.
Lift tickets are reasonable (compared to $100 a day in Vail, CO) and are approximately $30 during the week and $42 on the weekend. MRM also offers discounts for multi-day purchases, military discounts and more.
- Mad River Mountain Resort has 23 trails ranging in skill level and difficulty
- 144 Ski-able/Ride-able acres
- 1,460-foot mountain elevation
- 300-foot vertical drop
- 2 Lodges, The Mad River Lodge and The Timberline Lodge, with kitchens and restrooms
- Indoor/outdoor picnic areas
- Learning Center
- National Ski Patrol
- The Adaptive Adventure Sports Coalition
- Welcome Area & Customer Care Center
- 6 Chair Lifts, 3 Hand Tows, 2 Rope Tows & 3 Carpet Lifts
- Ski/Snowboard accessory shop
- CAPITOL PARK terrian park featuring upwards of 22 features and jumps throughout the year
- AVALANCHE TUBING PARK with 10 lanes that are 900 feet long and a carpet lift
- Over 8 acres of beginner learning area
- 7,000 gallons of water is pumped up the hill per minute, bringing you the best quality machine made snow available
Check out www.skimadriver.com for more information about Mad River Mountain Resort
Perfect North Slopes
Perfect North Slopes (PNS) is located in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. From I-275 take the US 50 Exit 16, follow ski area signs north on Indiana Route 1 to ski area entrance.
Address: 19074 Perfect Lane, Lawrenceburg, IN 47025
PNS is similar in respect to MRM in that it offers something for everyone. If you are a skier/boarder looking for a little more challenge, PNS does provide a pseudo-black diamond experience on a few of their trails, which drop off 400 ft., run through trees and occasionally have some manky moguls.
Passes at PNS are a flat $45 a day (8 hour session). Along with your lift ticket, PNS provides rentals, lessons, multi-day purchases, and military discounts.
- 100 Ski-able/Ride-able acres
- Perfect North Slopes offers 23 Trails ranging in easy to Double Black Diamond
- 800-foot mountain elevation
- 400-foot vertical drop
- Lodge with Cafeteria and restrooms
- Indoor/outdoor picnic areas
- National Ski Patrol
- PNS Adaptive Snow Sports School
- Welcome Area & Customer Care Center
- 5 Chair Lifts, 6 Carpet/Hand Tows
- Ski/Snowboard Pro shop
- 2 Terrain Parks
- TUBING PARK with 23 lanes
- Over 25 acres of beginner trails
- Longest run over 1 mile
Check out www.perfectnorth.com for more information about Perfect North Slopes
Bottom-Line: You are trying to ski in Ohio, where it snows on average 18-25 inches a year, don’t get upset when your skis scrape across the ice inducing flashbacks of elementary teachers scraping their nails across a chalk board. However, ice aside, you have 2 good options that are fairly inexpensive (compared to most resorts) and are only an hour and a half from Dayton. If you want longer runs, steeper descents (if you think 400 ft. is steep) then head to Perfect North. When your kids start building jumps in the yard and you need a drink and warm fire, bring them to Mad River Mountain’s great terrain park. You know you are too old for the rail slides, don’t kid yourself.
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