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Issue: 958 Date: 1/1/2009
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Missouri Ski Resorts Open Near St. Louis, Kansas City
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| Skiers enjoy the slopes at Hidden Valley Ski Area, Wildwood, Missouri |
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Missouri hasn't yet experienced a major snowstorm this winter, but there's plenty of snow at the state's two ski areas, Hidden Valley in Wildwood near St. Louis, and Snow Creek in Weston near Kansas City.
The state's two ski resorts opened last week, thanks to extensive snow-making systems that each operates whenever temperatures fall below freezing.
Tim Boyd, owner of Peak Resorts in St. Louis, which operates the ski areas, notes that snow-making technology has continued to improve. Each ski area operates energy efficient snow-making machines - based on fan technology - placed strategically along all the ski runs. With 24 hours of continuous operation, the snow-making machines can create over a foot of snow and cover 100 percent of the terrain.
Visitors to Snow Creek have multiple options to enjoy the slopes. The resort added "snow tubing" last season - no skill required. Hidden Valley, in Wildwood, southwest of St. Louis, is the older of the two resorts and is marking its 26th anniversary this season.
Hidden Valley is developing a master plan for future expansions, including snow tubing and additional ski runs.
Today many visitors to ski areas prefer snow boarding. Hidden Valley and Snow Creek create "terrain parks" for this mostly younger crowed, with jumps and challenging features that equal those found at larger resorts, Boyd notes.
Both Snow Creek and Hidden Valley offer on-going classes in skiing and snowboarding. More than 10,000 elementary and junior high school students - representing approximately 200 private and public schools in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois -- participate in an introductory skiing field trip program.
Boyd says that Missouri's ski resorts provide a "unique winter recreation resource," attracting visitors from states south of Missouri. At Snow Creek, skiers arrive from communities throughout Oklahoma while Hidden Valley attracts skiers from as far south as Memphis and Jackson, Mississippi.
"It's amazing how many people in southern states love to ski, and the ski areas in Missouri provide many of them with an opportunity to ski within a day's driving distance," Boyd says.
The ski season at both resorts runs into March. Skiers can check out snow reports and get rate information for each ski area online at www.skipeaks.com. Information also is available by calling Snow Creek at (816) 640-2200, and Hidden Valley at (636) 938-5373.
Snow Creek and Hidden Valley are part of Peak Resorts headquartered in St. Louis. Peak Resorts operates 11 ski areas scattered around the East and the Midwest.
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