Yawgoo Valley is the only surviving
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...
resort in
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
. It is located on a hill in
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
, south of
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
and opened in the 1965–66 season as "Rhode Island's first chairlift served ski area."
As one of the southernmost ski areas in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
, Yawgoo relies heavily on artificial
snowmaking
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 ...
. Lift tickets range from $28 on weekdays to $45 on weekends. Yawgoo valley also offers a snow-tubing park with eight lanes and two lifts.
The area's title as the first lift service area in RI was appropriate, as it opened at a time where chair service was now expected of any ski area. As a result, a large amount of skiers went to Yawgoo Valley instead of the 4 other RI ski areas, who all still relied on T-Bars only.
While Rhode Island's other 4 ski resorts would close over the next few years, Yawgoo Valley's use of 2 chairs and keeping up with more modern ski area technologies such as better snowmaking equipment kept them operational.
They also operate one of only six tubing parking in the entire Southern New England area (RI, CT, and MA) for additional revenue from both skiers and non-skiers.
Trails
Yawgoo offers 14 skiing trails served by two chairlifts,
snow tubing
Tubing, also known as inner tubing, bumper tubing, towed tubing, or kite tubing, is a recreational activity where an individual rides on top of an inner tube, either on water, snow, or through the air. The tubes themselves are also known as "donu ...
in the winter and, in the summer, a water park with of water slides. Because of its southern location, the trails are generally easier, including the 4 blacks (though they are still not for beginners), as they rarely face the extreme weather and temperatures the resorts further north do, and is also less steep since it has a very small vertical drop (compared to most, though not all, other mountains in New England)
Trail List:
Beginner:
-Novice Area
-Upper Hub's Folly
-Upper Ledges
-Crossroads
-Down Under
-Gnarnia
-Learning Area
Intermediate:
-Lower Hub's Folly
-Yellow Jacket
-North Forte
Advanced:
-TNT
-Lower Ledges
-Outback
-Jack Attack
References
External links
Yawgoo Valley– official site
Yawgoo Valley– NewEnglandSkiHistory.com
Buildings and structures in Washington County, Rhode Island
Ski areas and resorts in Rhode Island
Exeter, Rhode Island
Tourist attractions in Washington County, Rhode Island
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