This looks fun!

https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/economy_and_business/tourism/snow-tubing-resort-slated-for-winter-opening-near-harpers-ferry/article_eaee4d6c-ddb5-5e92-b445-05629f3addc0.html

A new snow tubing resort is expected to open near Harpers Ferry in late January or early February, according to a resort spokesperson.

The resort, Snow Riders, will offer 16 tubing lanes that run around 700 feet long, said Michael Martin, marketing director for River Riders Inc., the resort's parent company.

Snow Riders will be off U.S. 340, near Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

It will have 10 snow machines that will build a 3-foot base of snow before the resort opens, "Mother Nature permitting," he said, noting that the snow machines require a certain temperature range and humidity level to operate.

Martin said Snow Riders is completing a maintenance building and connecting its utilities.

Snow Riders will employ around 50 people, Martin said.

The resort is part of adventure sports company River Riders's venture expansion of outdoor activities to all four seasons, he said.

"There's not too many winter activities you can do in the outdoors" around Harpers Ferry, Martin said. "So we want to be able to serve guests who come around and [want to] really just experience adventure."

River Riders already offers rafting, tubing, zip-lining and an adventure park in the Harpers Ferry area during warmer months.

Martin expects that the snow tubing resort will operate between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m., with vibrant disco lights and accompanying music in the evening hours to light the path for tubers, which he compared to the ambiance of nighttime bowling alleys.

With the purchase of a ticket, tubers will have unlimited rides down the hill for a 90-minute period, Martin said, and will be taken up the hill by a "magic carpet," a conveyor belt-type mechanism that Martin called a "hefty investment."

To bolster customer safety, he said, Snow Riders is registered with the National Ski Areas Association, which holds the resort to a set of safety standards.

"We're putting a big emphasis on safety and compliance," Martin said, and added that the company hired a compliance manager to help oversee operations.

The resort has a height requirement of 42 inches for potential riders.

In addition to the snow tubing hill, the resort plans to open a new restaurant and bar, Martin said.

He said all of these commodities — snow tubing, dining and the lodging the resort already offers — will draw tourists.

Martin said the tubing runs can accommodate up to 100 people an hour, which will bring in more visitors during what's typically a slow season for merchants.

Dennis Jarvis, executive director of the Jefferson County Development Authority, also touted the tourism opportunities Snow Riders will provide for Harpers Ferry and greater Jefferson County.

"Our office tries to attract outdoor recreation projects and this is a great endeavor for tourists to enjoy the outdoors of the community," Jarvis said.

The resort's website, snowriders.com, touts its close location to Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, both a little more than an hour's drive away.