Snow activities to try before winter season ends

Sydney Glover
Feature Editor

Winter may be coming to an official close on the 20th but there is still plenty of snow left on the mountain, meaning there are still new activities to try. Sure there are the well-known activities like skiing and snowboarding but there are also other, less commonly known activities. 

The first activity to try out is Snowshoeing. This is an exciting beginner friendly activity to enjoy while the snow is still nice and thick. Up at Timberline there is a .75-mile snowshoe trail; it is groomed daily to ensure the best snowshoeing experience. Additionally, it is very affordable, only costing $24 for a whole day of snowshoeing.  

Another incredible snow activity that is more commonly known is cosmic tubing. Located 36 minutes from Sandy High is Skibowl which is home of the only cosmic tubing in the world.

 “I went to cosmic tubing at a Skibowl, any age can do it so I was able to go with my 4-year-old nieces, which was very nice,” junior Delaney Liebelt said. Cosmic tubing is an activity for all ages and as Liebelt stated, “it’s a thing to at least do once; but make sure to go with a group of people because it makes the experience more enjoyable.” This option is more  expensive at $38 per person for an hour and a half of tubing. 

Sledding is not allowed at the Timberline hills due to safety; however, Timberline recently bought Summit Ski area. Here you can go sledding using tubes; you will need a tubing pass but it does include a tube rental which helps to make this experience more affordable. 

Another place to go sledding is the Snowbunny Sliding Area Sno Park that has free access, but you are required to have an ODOT Sno-Park parking permit. Additionally, there is the White River Sno Park which has the biggest parking lot for day-use recreation on the mountain. In addition to having a parking permit for Snowbunny, you will need one for White River as well. 

Finally, there are many places up the mountain to go snowmobiling. These places include Frog Lake, Skyline Road, Trillium Lake, White River East, and Bennett Pass. All but White River East have groomed trails which would be the best choice for beginners. If you don’t happen to own a snowmobile, which most of us probably don’t, you can rent one at Government Camp. You will also be required to have a permit. 

Winter activities like snowboarding and skiing can get pretty expensive especially for beginners; therefore, these are some great affordable alternatives. So before it’s time for spring activities try out some new winter ones while you still can.