Tube park to open on Ohlson Mountain
Slip sliding away
Sue Strutz takes a ride down a run at the Extreme Tubing Park on Ohlson Mountain Road last Saturday. The new lift-operated park opens Saturday.
Photo by Ben Stuart, Homer News
Hold on to your hat and drink your Red Bull, because this ain’t your grandma’s tubing hill.
Extreme Tubing, Homer’s first lift-operated tubing park, opens Saturday at Mile 3 Ohlson Mountain Road. Owners Bill and Sue Strutz are betting kids and adults alike are itching for some adrenaline-charged winter fun. The recipe for excitement at Extreme Tubing is simple.
The park will provide up to 50 thrill-seekers modified inner-tubes with handles and groom four wickedly fast downhill runs. Then it’ll let gravity take over.
After the 700-foot long ride down the large hill on the Strutz property near the Ohlson Mountain rope tow, tubers ride a lift to the top of the hill and repeat.
Depending on the conditions, downhill speeds can reach upwards of 25 miles per hour. But there are special skins that can be added to the tubes to slow them down. No hiking is required and the round trip will take only five to 10 minutes, said Sue Strutz.
The idea has been in the back of the pair’s minds for four years, but huge insurance costs made it impossible until now, Bill said.
Now with the paperwork out of the way, the runs in place, the lift operational, and the tubes purchased, the Strutzes are hoping for a little more snow.
“It’s been a great year (for snow), but we could use a few more inches,” Bill said Saturday.
They got those inches over the weekend but Wednesday’s rain halted progress. They still plan on opening Saturday, however.
Extreme Tubing will run three two-hour sessions Saturday from noon to 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and a lighted night session from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
“It seems it’s just more fun under the lights,” said Bill.
The Strutzes have also groomed a cross-country ski loop near the bottom of the hill so that parents who don’t want to tube can get some exercise while their kids play. There is no charge for skiing. All tubes are provided. Sleds, snowboards and other winter toys are not allowed on the hill.
Each two-hour session will cost $12 for ages 14 and over and $10 for kids ages 6-13. The group rate for parties of 20 or more people is $10 for ages 14 and over and $9 for kids 6-13.
Kids must be taller than 42 inches to ride the hill. Children under age 18 must have a parent’s signature. Call 235-5119 for more information or e-mail extremetubing@xyz.net.
Ben Stuart can be reached at ben.stuart@homer news.com.