Sledding when you were a kid? Awesome. Now, try to think about hauling yourself up a slippery hill, and the thrill kind of dissipates, huh?
Of course, an advantage of adulthood is that you can always pay someone else to do the hard stuff for you. Head to Whitetail Resort (13805 Blairs Valley Road, Mercersburg, Penn.), about 100 minutes from downtown D.C., where you can get hauled to the top of the hill by a simple (but very important) rope tow.
If you're not ready to slide down a moutain with sticks strapped to your feet, tubing's for you. And if you actually have spent a day skiing or snowboarding, you'll find that tubing is a great second-day or nighttime activity, when your muscles are aching from expanding all that actual energy. Just hop on your innertube and hook onto the towline that takes you up to the top.
Childlike wonder restored.
With 10 tube shoots, and instructors there to guide you, you’ll be gliding down the peaks in youthful bliss in no time. After you’ve finished your winter exhilaration, enjoy a nice hot cup of cocoa outside by the firepit. The resort also offers a huge pizza lunch, ice cream, soda, pretzels and more.
Be sure to dress warmly and remember your waterproof ski pants -- you're not skiing, but you'll likely end up tumbling out of your tube at some point.
Snow tubing rates range between $18 and $26 per person, for one or two hours ($8 unlimited for kids ages 2-4). Open Mon.-Thurs. 4-10 p.m.; Fri. noon-10 p.m.; Sat.-Sun. and holidays. 9 a.m.-10 p.m. See lodging info here.
