You can now go snow tubing in sunny Florida. The state just got its first alpine park
Thanks to the ongoing pandemic, you still can’t gather with the old folks for Thanksgiving and probably shouldn’t see anyone who’s not in your inner circle at all.
But Floridians, you can do all the snow tubing you desire.
The long-anticipated Snowcat Ridge alpine snow park is now open in Dade City in Pasco County, north of Tampa.
A Friday ceremony to celebrate the (really) super cool venue was attended by none other than Santa Claus, who took a ride down the slopes, ClickOrlando reports.
The 58-acre venue features a 60-foot-tall, 400-foot-long “mountain” with a so-called magic carpet lift conveyor system normally seen in water parks.
Visitors are provided with single, tandem and six-person rubber tubes for ideal slipping and sliding opportunities. There’s also an “igloo” where you can experience actual snow; a holiday park for shopping, hot chocolate and chilling; and a bunny hill for beginner tubers.
Last December, when the park was still in its planning stages, CEO Benjamin Nagengast said Snowcat Ridge would be “unlike anything anyone else has seen before in the Sunshine State.”
But that was then — when we didn’t know our coughing co-worker could kill us — and this is now. And we’ve seen a lot in the Sunshine State since then. In all seriousness, the facility has had to adjust to health and safety guidelines amid rising coronavirus cases.
On its website, the park lays out a comprehensive safety plan “in accordance with state and local laws and CDC guidelines.”
COVID safety protocols include mask wearing when “social distancing is not possible;” temperature checks at the door; and hand sanitizing stations throughout the facility.
A warning on the bottom of the home page flashes, “COVID-19 is an inherent risk in any public location where people are present; we cannot guarantee you will not be exposed during your visit.”
General admission tickets start at $24.95. Reserve at SnowcatRidge.com
