For the first time in seven years the lights are on at
Powder Ridge! Ok, so many New England
ski areas boast vertical drops of over 2,000
feet; and most are over 1,000, but
still, the 22 trails, reaching 525 feet in the air, are a welcome re-appearance
on the Connecticut skiing landscape.
First opened as Powder Hill in 1959, when people thought
nothing of walking uphill in order to ski down, the new Powder Ridge Mountain
Park and Resort will aim to make up in enthusiasm what it lacks in size. The area has a history of innovation. It opened the first four-person chair lift in
New England in the 1970s and at the start of that decade the owners tried to
leverage the off season qualities of a ski park to host a Woodstock-esque rock
concert. Pressure from area residents
cancelled the concert, but crowds came anyway.
Big ideas continue to drive the
new owner with year-round activities planned that include mountain biking, swimming,
hiking, obstacle navigation, and tubing—in addition to snowboarding and
old-fashioned skiing. Multiple bars and
restaurants might even make Powder Ridge, (easily accessible from interstate 91)
a destination for socializing without any outdoor foreplay.
Two-thousand foot runs like the top-to-bottom trails at
Powder Ridge can be thought of as small skiing.
But skiing small has its place.
Skiing small in Connecticut can mean skiing in the evening after work
instead of watching reality TV, or running on a treadmill. Skiing small can mean having time to learn to
ski on a weekend afternoon after doing chores in the morning,
and without the expense of an overnight away.
Skiing small can mean kids learning to ski even when moms or dads have no interest. Skiing small can mean an
urban high school student entertaining Olympic dreams.
So, good for Powder Ridge!
And Mohawk Mountain, and Mount Southington, and Sundown and
Woodbury. These are places to play in
the snow, to be outdoors, to stay close to home. These are great places to ski!
