A small family ski destination has become the largest tubing park in New England.
“We have up to eighteen lanes of snow tubing,” says Pam Fletcher, a former Olympian and now the events, marketing and sales manager at Nashoba Valley Ski Area & Tubing Park in Westford, Mass., her family’s business. “We can even extend upon that depending on how much snow we have in a season. We have 100 percent snowmaking out at the tubing park.”
Nashoba, an especially popular spot for local children to learn how to ski, added the tubing park in 2001 after doing research on winter destinations along the East Coast. “We realized we had a piece of land with its own entrance that would actually do a great job as a tubing venue,” says Fletcher. Now, more than ever, the destination is boasting big mountain amenities close to home, a convenient travel option for busy families this winter.
Fletcher’s father opened Nashoba Valley in 1964. She grew up on the slopes and became an expert skier. She was part of the U.S. Ski Team for nine years, joining the Olympic team in the late 1980s. “I owe it all to the mighty little Nashoba,” she says, laughing. Instructors at Nashoba are gearing up to give thousands of lessons this year. The ski area also offers special activities for kids during December and February vacations. It’s less than two hours from Hartford. “I think one of the things that is probably the greatest benefit of our business is the location. It’s very easy to get to. We are right off I-95 and Route 2,” says Fletcher. “It’s easily accessible from the Boston area, from the Providence area, from the Hartford area. We have a number of hotels nearby if people want to make a weekend of it. But, you don’t have to make the long trek up north.”
Nashoba Valley has 75 acres of skiable terrain. The “mountain,” open day and night, features 11 lifts on 17 trails, appealing to skiers and snowboarders of all abilities. The longest run is a half-mile long. One section in particular attracts adventurers, interested in fancy moves on the slope. “The terrain park is one of the greater big mountain amenities that we have,” says Fletcher, noting that, every week, features in the park change, so it is a fresh experience. “The kids really enjoy that. They have big mountain hits, hits that are like 40 to 50 feet high.” Fletcher believes that the scope of the terrain park is unique in the area. The on-site eatery, The Outlook Restaurant, offers fine dining and catering all year long. The lodge also includes cafeteria-style dining and a retail store.
The tubing park has taken Nashoba’s appeal up a notch. Although skiing and snowboarding require knowledge and coordination, tubing is easy. “It’s a great way to get out and enjoy the winter and you don’t need any skills to slide down the hill,” says Fletcher, explaining that the park hosts many school, church and corporate outings.
The 40-acre space is home to 600 tubes, four lifts and plenty of snowmaking, a “labor of love” for the staff. “Because we’re so close to the ocean, we have to be really calculated about when you make snow, how you take care of the snow,” Fletcher says about grooming both the tubing park and ski trails. “Snow quality is of such great importance to us because that, we believe, is what keeps skiers coming back.”
But, tubing is not for the faint of heart. The loss of control during the speedy ride can be exhilarating and daunting. During the filming of a Fox 61 DayTrippers segment at Nashoba Valley, 12- year-old Madelyn Sumner of Killingly, Conn., said the tubing hill is fast and furious: “Yeah, I screamed the whole time!”
Her little sister Grace agreed: “The first one, I was a little scared, but then I liked it because it’s awesome.”
THE TUBING PARK is open from 1 to 10 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekends. A two-hour ticket costs $32. For more information about Nashoba Valley Ski Area & Tubing Park, log on to skinashoba.com or call 978-692-3033.
