All right fellow outdoors lovers, it is Saturday afternoon. The sun is shining, the air is chilled with crispness and the afternoon is errand free, sounds like snowtubing to me.

So, long underwear, turtleneck, sweatshirt, jeans, two pairs of gloves and a winter jacket later; I am ready to rough the winter weather. My friend and I pack up are enthusiasm and steer down route 2 in Exeter.

A couple of minutes later and we are at Yawgoo Valley (yep yawgoo not yagoo). The snowtubing park is at the top of the hill before you get to the main resort. We park and try to walk like the adults we are suppose to be. Two tickets please, each for an hour.

We are handed our passes and instructed to put them on our coats, go to the bottom of the stairs and wait for some one to help us. We dance back and forth, looking at the other tubers and the slope and the kids and the adults. A woman comes over and asks us if we ever have visited before. We both shake our heads no and she goes over the brief rules (keep the hand loop inside the tube, wait until the person at the bottom stands before you go, and move quickly so that the next person can go down the slope).

Tracks for the tubes at Yawgoo Valley (Photo by Audra Ryan Dolan)

We get into our line, waiting and watching. I get to go first. I sit at the top of the slope with my bottom in the tube. I hold onto the handles and wiggle to edge and push myself off. Forwards, now backwards, sliding and flying down before I am caught by the upturn of the slope and the safety net. The only thing better, we did not have to walk all the way back up the hill.

We quickly dismissed our childhood memories of running up the local ‘big hill’ with our wooden sleds and swimming pool floats, and handed another Yawgoo staff person the hand loop to the tube. He waited for the next hook on the pullee rope, and hooked us on. We each sat back in our tubes and road back to the top of the slope.

Now we have gone down in the traditional sitting, gave forwards a try, now how about a spin. Asking for a push or to be spun is not just for the young. Sit at the top of the slope with your bottom sunken into the tube and your feet dancing, look up and smile big, use your please and thank you’s then hold onto the handles as you spin and whip down the slope. Now do not go shy and miss out on the tummy twisting excitement, Yawgoo has some great spinners.

Besides the snowtube park, Yawgoo also prides itself on their rocks, slopes and slides; oh my. Yawgoo Valley in Exeter, Rhode Island fills your year, as they have for the past 35 years, with outdoor activities that are close to home.

While maintaining the 12 trails and snowtubing park that they already have, Yawgoo is also working towards improving. Their newest effort is their recently opened Terrain Park with new rails to challenge snowboarders. And they make this possible well through the winter months with their snowmaking and grooming equipment.

In addition to their winter excitement, the resort embraces the other months of the year with activities like a climbing wall open daily from April through October, 11am to 5pm for ages five and above.

This 32 foot climbing wall has four surfaces, two that are vertical and two with overhangs, all sides complete with a harness and assistant to assure your safety and eliminate any fear of falling.

And while your at Yawgoo in those months, April through October, you may also want to take advantage of a short game of golf at their Pitch & Putt golf course that has nine holes with fairways 32 to 90 yards, designed for ages eight and above.

Ok, we got rocks, slopes and , oh yeah, slides. Skip the beach traffic and salty mouths and take a trip to the two slides, 20’x60’ swimming pool and 20’x20’ wading pool that cool the summer sun at Yawgoo from June to Labor Day.

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Yawgoo not only can help you entertain yourself and any possible guests but they can help cater your company, from a family reunion of 50 all the way to a corporate outing or wedding reception of 500.

Yawgoo is available online at www.yawgoo.com. You may also want to call (401) 294-3802 to get their list directory to find out snow conditions (updated daily at 7:30am) and operation hours, directions to the resort, ski school staff room, lift and rental rates, the main office, etc.

As for snowtubing, that is a weekend pleasure for ages five and older. The park is open Friday 4pm-8pm, Saturday and Holidays 10am-4pm and 5pm-8pm, then on Sunday 10am-5pm. You may want to call ahead for conditions or any extended hours at (401)295-2276 and rates are $9 for one hour or $15 for two.

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