Thomas Woodley, sophomore, in mid-jump in the slopes of hidden valley. Woodley is a frequent skier at Hidden Valley Ski Resort. “You gotta work with what you have and we have man made snow with ice, and a lot of people have absolutely no idea what they are doing, but I can’t say it’s not fun,” Woodley said. This is a review piece on Hidden Valley.

As the dragging cold months of winter continue to roll around, students find no snow on the ground and nothing to do but curl up in a blanket and watch movies. To take yourself out of the boredom, The Hidden Valley Ski Resort, commonly known as Hidden Valley, had their annual opening on Jan. 6. On this day, Hidden Valley makes their first four to eight inches of artificial snow to kick off the season. Along with being a popular place to go, Hidden Valley is the only skiing location in the St. Louis area. Students around Kirkwood have made the trip up to Hidden Valley to see what the fun is all about.

Hidden Valley Ski Resort is located in Wildwood and consists of an 80-day skiing season. As to how they make their snow, the park creates 3,000 gallons of water (12 inches) of machine-made snow in a 24 hour period. The only way for the snow to be successfully made is for it to be made in an area at 20 degrees fahrenheit.

One major activity is the Polar Plunge: an activity that allows you to slide down multiple 1,200 foot slopes in a tube where you are able to race your friends and others at the resort. Over the 30 acres of terrain, people are able to ski, snowboard, race, or take lessons to become better at these activities.

The prices and rates at Hidden Valley vary based on the activity and the duration of time you spend there. Rates for passes along with ski or snowboard rentals will range anywhere from $5 to $75. For lessons and races, the price will depend on your skill level and how long you plan on taking skiing and snowboarding lessons.

Although Hidden Valley is no Colorado or Utah, it is an opportunity for skiers and snowboarders to get out and do what they like to do. It gives people the chance to learn how to become better at these activities. More importantly, it allows people to get off the couch and have fun in the winter. For more information about the only ski resort in St.Louis, visit http://www.hiddenvalleyski.com/.

Ice in his veins
Flow your way through the winter break-spring break stretch