A Brand New [Winter] Blast for the Entire Family

By Kirby Adams

There is something new up north this winter and you don't have to worry about breaking a leg on skis or twisting an ankle on your snowboard to enjoy it. Paoli Peaks is introducing Artic Blast. “Think of a water slide on snow,” is how Brandy Ream described the newest addition.

When the park opens in mid-December (weather permitting), there will be 10 lanes, about 700 feet long, cut into the hillside just for inner tubes. Twenty bucks will get you a special pass for the Arctic Blast section of Paoli Peaks and an inner tube for unlimited runs for two hours.

All the skill you'll need is the ability to sit and laugh. Paoli provides tubes; no experience, special training or equipment is necessary. Something called the Wonder Carpet brings you back to the starting point. Personally, I was hoping you'd have to hoof it back up to the top for a little added exercise, but you do get to ride on something like the moving sidewalk in the airport only this is on an incline. Anyway, I am sure that the Wonder Carpet makes the two hours a lot more fun!

At Artic Blast, the entire family can hang out together, unlike a day on the ski slopes where, in many cases, ability levels are so varied that it is tough to stick together. If you have kids that you want to introduce to skiing and snow boarding, Paoli's Kids Camp makes a triumphant return weekends this winter. Passing on personal experience, my girls love learning with kids their own age and ability level.

At Artic Blast, there are colorful characters dotting the kid's slope, a huge tunnel to ski through, a magic carpet that brings them back to the top, lunch and much more. The program, gives the kids the chance to have fun while learning the fundamentals. Parents can take their own lessons, sit in the lodge, use the new tubing facility, or spend the morning and afternoon skiing or snowboarding themselves. My Dad started my brothers and sister and I skiing when we were 8 and 9 years old and it made it a whole lot easier than waiting until we were older. I highly encourage getting your kids involved while they are young, flexible and the slopes are less than one DVD away.

November is important to this story because you can save some major cash if you take advantage of the season pass cutoff dates. This, parents know, is of major importance when you start adding more than one child to the total at the cash register. One season pass cut off comes up on Nov. 8 so move fast! A student pass price cut ends on Nov. 15.

There is one more deal that I want to be sure to pass on because I think it could mean the difference between some of us having the opportunity to learn or pass on the sport to someone else as possibly a gift. For $139, you get five visits — one a week, plus a lesson and your rentals. For those of you who are really new to this, rentals mean you get to borrow skis and poles and ski boots, or a snowboard and boots. The reason I wanted to let you know about this is because the problem I have always had with snowboarding is not taking enough lessons in a row. I will take two or three then quit. With this deal you are committed, and the price seems really fair.

So if this is the winter you want to really get out and enjoy the weather, head to Paoli Peaks and enjoy the snow, instead of just spending the season shoveling it. You might even pick up a new sport.

For more information, visit www.paolipeaks.com .

Kirby Adams is the consumer reporter for Kentuckiana's News Channel WHAS-11, Team Captain for Team Crusade and a sports and fitness buff. You can e-mail Kirby at kirby.adams@whas11.com. Kirby is also a member of Kentuckiana HealthFitness' Editorial Advisory Board.  

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Kirby Adams
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