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Nearby Alpine Ski Area, Lodging, and Restaurant are worth the trip...

We've all heard the disparaging remarks about the poor skiing in Ohio. The truth
is, though, if you really enjoy skiing or snowboarding and you do not want to travel too far,
at least one Ohio ski area can be a great escape.

For many years, I have thought about driving south to Snow Trails near Mansfield,
but simply hadn't taken the time to do so. On a recent weekend, my wife and I decided
to explore the area. We made the roughly 90 minute drive from Cleveland Heights in
the morning, skied all afternoon, stayed overnight, and drove back the next day.

Snow Trails is a nice ski area. It has thirteen trails, the longest being about 2000
feet in length with about 300 feet of vertical. The beginner area has gentle, even
slopes that were not crowded. The intermediate runs are long enough to get in more
than a few turns and there are a couple more challenging runs and terrain parks. The
snow coverage and conditions were quite good, even though they had had a lot of rain and
warm temperatures the previous week. The snow making and grooming were above
average. The lifts were adequate and there was no waiting in lift lines, even though it
was a holiday weekend. For more information, go to: www.snowtrails.com.

We stayed the night at Spruce Hill Inn and Cottages, located on the slopes
adjacent to Snow Trails. We were very much impressed by these new cottages. Our
unit was part of a quaint, double cottage. It had a large bedroom-living room area with a
nook near the entrance that included a sink, small refrigerator, and microwave oven.
There was also a large, full bathroom that included a jacuzzi. The unit was cozy, clean,
and very well kept. We found the hostess, Elizabeth, to be very accommodating, with a
ready, pleasant smile. A nice touch was a large selection of DVD movies that could be
borrowed from the main lodge free of charge. For the $85 introductory rate per night,
it is hard to beat. I haven't stayed in anything nicer in my trips to Colorado or
Utah! More information can be found at: www.sprucehillinn.com.

For dinner that evening, we drove a short distance to Malabar Farm Restaurant,
about eight miles from Snow Trails. This French restaurant, located in a restored
stagecoach inn, has some of the best French cooking around. I had roast duck with a
large helping of french fries. Both were excellent. My wife had some of the best veggie
lasagna she'd (or I’d) ever tasted. For dessert, my cherry crème brulee was as good as
any I've had in France! My wife’s “small� order of ice cream (Ben and Jerry’s) was four
scoops. www.malabarfarmrestaurant.com

To heck with the all the snooty skiers who have nothing good to say about skiing in
Ohio, this is a terrific place to get away for a weekend!

Our club, NASA Lewis Ski Club, has over 200 avid skiers, mostly adults, but has many family members as well. We will keep Spruce Hills and Snow Trails in mind for future outings.

Thanks again,
Gene Addy
President, NASA Lewis Ski Club

We spent the weekend at Spruce Hill cottages for our 22nd anniversary and loved it. The cottages were clean, cozy and very comfortable. Loved the jacuzzi tub. The tour of Malabar Farms was interesting and the food at Malabar Farms restaurant was superb. We will certainly plan to return.