MORGANTOWN — Sledding at Chestnut Ridge Park on snowy days isn’t new, but the ability to make snow at will is.
The people who visited the park and its free sledding hill Monday were the first to experience snow made from the county’s new snow maker.
The park received the machine a few weeks ago using funds from the 2016 Parks and Trails Levy, Park Superintendent Amy Hettick said.
“We were able to make snow for the first time yesterday,” Hettick said on Monday. “It took all day.”
She ran the machine from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and was able to cover most of the hill, which is about 100 yards long and a 20% grade. An overnight snow helped fill in the gaps. The hardest part of using the snow maker was getting the 9,000-pound machine into place, about halfway up the hill.
The hill is free to use for those who bring their own sleds and the park rents snow tubes for $5 per hour. Hettick said the tubes are faster than what most people have.
The park also offers a warming hut with a wood stove and sells warm drinks including hot chocolate, cider and coffee for $2 or $1.50 to fill a thermos.
In addition to the usual park regulars, a lot of new people came out for the first time on Martin Luther King Day, Hettick said. She credited the social media buzz over the snow machine for the busy day.
That’s exactly how Amy and Drew Pridemore found out about it.
The two both work for WVU and since they had the day off, decided to bring their 5-year-old son Reid sledding for the first time, Amy said.
“Trying to make some memories, get some videos too,” Drew said.
The park is open from 9 a.m.-5p.m. daily.
Hettick encouraged voters to pass the 2020 Parks and Trails Levy.
It was previously reported the snow maker cost $122,120 and the 2016 levy also paid for a tow lift to transport people to the top of the hill.
