Mad River Mountain is a

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partial ...

and

snowboard Snowboards are boards where the user places both feet, usually secured, to the same board. The board itself is wider than most skis, with the ability to glide on snow."snowboarding." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 17 Mar ...

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...

in Valley Hi,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The elevation of Mad River Mountain is with a vertical drop of , and it has a ski season that runs from approximately mid-December through mid-March. The resort, which opened in 1962 as Valley Hi Ski Area, is owned and operated by

Vail Resorts Vail Resorts, Inc. is an American mountain resort company headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. The company is divided into three divisions. The mountain segment owns and operates 40 mountain resorts in four countries, Vail Resorts Hospitality o ...

, who bought the resort from

Peak Resorts Peak Resorts was a publicly traded company based in Wildwood, Missouri that operated ski resorts in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast portions of the United States. It was bought by Vail Resorts in 2019. History The company was founded ...

in 2019. There are 20 trails of various skill levels, a tubing park, two terrain parks, and two beginner areas. Of the resort's 11 total lifts, there are 6 surface lifts, 3 double chair lifts, 1 triple chair lift, and 1 fixed quad lift. Since the annual natural snowfall averages only , Mad River Mountain has the largest snow making system in Ohio, with 130

snow cannon Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun", also known as a "snow cannon". Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This allows ski resorts to improve the reliabilit ...

s that cover all of its trails. The resort lies off

U.S. Route 33 U.S. Route 33 (US 33) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs northwest–southeast for from northern Indiana to Richmond, Virginia, passing through Ohio and West Virginia en route. Although most odd-numbered U.S. routes are north– ...

east of the city of Bellefontaine. It is located southeast of Campbell Hill, Ohio's highest point, and it is near the source of the Mad River. The resort's iconic bar venue called 'The Loft' caught fire on September 16, 2015, and was considered a total loss. Local firm Thomas & Marker Construction was chosen to prepare the resort for the 2015-2016 winter season. The site was demolished and temporary structures were erected in October 2015. A new lodge has been constructed.

Notable employees

In the early 1980s

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

medalist A medalist (or medallist) is an artist who designs medals, plaquettes, badges, metal medallions, coins and similar small works in relief in metal. Historically, medalists were typically also involved in producing their designs, and were usually e ...

Putzi Frandl Josefine "Putzi" Frandl (later ''Crotty'', born 5 July 1930) is an Austrian former alpine ski racer. She was among the world's best ski racers in the mid-1950s. She competed in the 1956 Winter Olympics, the 1958 Alpine World Ski Championsh ...

was employed as a

ski instructor A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partial ...

at the resort.Bellefontaine Examiner, Olympic Skier at MRM January 13, 1983

Louie Vito Louis Philip "Louie" Vito III (born March 20, 1988) is an Italian-American professional snowboarder. He is an Olympian, Winter X Games, and U.S. Grand Prix Champion. Early life Louis Vito was born in Columbus, Ohio, but grew up in the nearby ...

, Olympic snowboard medalist got his start at Mad River Mountain, and sponsors a rail jam and food drive for a local pantry each year.

References

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External links

Mad River Mountain
Ski areas and resorts in Ohio Buildings and structures in Logan County, Ohio Tourist attractions in Logan County, Ohio Vail Resorts