New Hampshire

Snow Tubing at Pats Peak in Henniker, New Hampshire

Not the word’s best skier? Snow tubing at Pats Peak in Henniker, NH offers a family-friendly way to have fun this winter.

By Annie Graves|Jan 03 2017| Print icon

Snow Tubing at Pats Peak in Henniker, New Hampshire

The moment of truth...

Credit: Annie Graves
Even native New Englanders have gaps in their areas of supposed expertise.
Snow Tubing at Pats Peak in Henniker, New Hampshire

The moment of truth…

Credit: Annie Graves
The moment of truth…
Credit: Annie Graves In winter, we grapple collectively with light deficiency, black ice, stalled cars, and super cold, with varying degrees of good and bad grace, but overall we’re fairly secure in our grasp of winter, despite the tendency of weather forecasters to spin each winter storm as a snowy Armageddon. Lucky for us, to balance things out, we have also perfected the art of winter play, day or night.
A ski lodge with skis and snowboards propped up outside on a snowy evening. People are walking by the lodge, and the area is illuminated by outdoor lights.

Day or night.

Credit: Annie Graves
Day or night.
Credit: Annie Graves From ice fishing, skating, and cross-country skiing, to sledding, ice gliding, snowboarding, and downhill racing, there’s a sport for just about every skill level.
People are snow tubing on a slope; one person lies on their stomach on a blue tube while others stand holding their tubes.

It’s not that exhausting…

Credit: Annie Graves
It’s not that exhausting…
Credit: Annie Graves We know winter. And most of us are generally familiar with at least one or two types of winter sports. But every now and then…
People in snow tubes being pulled up a hill via a tow rope at a snowy outdoor park.

Something new…

Credit: Annie Graves
Something new…
Credit: Annie Graves …we try something new. And that’s what keeps winter fresh. Ski resorts are getting awfully creative with their offerings these days, so even those of us who aren’t the most graceful skiers or snowboarders have options. And that’s what we tried out last week. An option. Skiing is serious business. Snow tubing is not.
People enjoy snow tubing on a snowy slope with blue safety netting in the background. Some individuals are preparing to slide down while others are already descending.

Coming and going.

Credit: Annie Graves
Coming and going.
Credit: Annie Graves
The fact that the two can coexist, side by side, at a ski resort is fantastic. The skilled and the unskilled are sharing the slopes, and who’s to say who’s having more fun?
A person dressed in winter clothing is holding an inflated snow tube in a snowy outdoor area, with others in the background preparing for snow tubing.

A proud moment.

Credit: Annie Graves
A proud moment.
Credit: Annie Graves
A snowy ski resort with people gathered near buildings, some holding ski equipment, others skiing. Trees and distant mountains are visible under a cloudy sky.

The lodge.

Credit: Annie Graves
The lodge.
Credit: Annie Graves
Less than an hour’s travel from home, we were pulling into the parking lot at Pats Peak in Henniker, NH. This adorable, family-built, -owned, and -run ski resort looks like a place where hobbits would go to ski—the old-time Tyrolean vibe mixes with jazzy skis lined up like swizzle sticks at the foot of the mountain. Four Patenaude brothers put the place together 50 years ago, with retro-cool ski lodges constructed from trees cleared from the mountain. It’s no stick-in-the-mud ski resort, either—26 trails, assorted glades, night skiing, and terrain parks, but that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to tube. And most of us have never gone before. We’re a mixed group, ranging from a couple of fearless top-notch downhill racers, to a few of us who vote green every time, and one lovely resident of Hawaii who had never seen snow before this trip East. In other words, we are the full spectrum.
Two people dressed in winter clothing stand on a snowy hill with blue and yellow inflatable snow tubes.

Ready for takeoff.

Credit: Annie Graves
Ready for takeoff.
Credit: Annie Graves
Snow tubing, let me make it clear, requires practically no skills whatsoever.
A sign in the snow reads "TUBERS DRAG YOUR FEET!" with a large innertube positioned nearby and a vehicle and wooden structure in the background.

The directions.

Credit: Annie Graves
The directions.
Credit: Annie Graves
After the first run, the fear of the unknown has been removed, and you’re free to concentrate on the essentials. Holding on to your tube. Throwing yourself down the slide when the monitor kid tells you to. Avoiding the snow banks to the right and left of the run, unless you want to bounce. Riding up the lift and climbing out of your tube with some speck of grace (those who made it look easy put us all to shame).
People waiting in an area marked "Unload Here" while snow tubing; one person is managing a rope lift, and two individuals are maneuvering their tubes on the snow-covered ground.

Here’s one version.

Credit: Annie Graves
Here’s one version.
Credit: Annie Graves
Two people are at a snowy tubing area. One is managing the tubing equipment while the other is running on snow holding a tube. A sign reads "Unload Here." Trees are visible in the background.

The action version.

Credit: Annie Graves
The action version.
Credit: Annie Graves

And with grace.

Credit: Annie Graves
And with grace.
Credit: Annie Graves
Apart from that, grin and enjoy the wind blowing through your teeth and the scratchy sound of compressing snow under your donut. It’s fast, it’s fun, and it’s certainly something that at one time in my life I would have mocked.

Oh, the cookies are tube-sized, too.

Credit: Annie Graves
Oh, the cookies are tube-sized, too.
Credit: Annie Graves
By the way, we’re way too quick to jump on that bandwagon these days. Mocking can flatten out all the fun like a pancake. So here’s the takeaway from this little winter experience. Get out in the cold. Find something fun and unexpected to do in your own back yard. Something you’d never dream of doing. Don’t just shovel it. Play in it.

Pretty at night.

Credit: Annie Graves
Pretty at night.
Credit: Annie Graves
It can change the way you feel about winter. Have you ever enjoyed snow tubing at Pats Peak? Pats Peak. 686 Flanders Road, Henniker, NH. 603-428-3245; patspeak.com This post was first published in 2014 and has been updated. 

Annie Graves

A New Hampshire native, Annie has been a writer and editor for more than 25 years, while also composing music and writing young adult novels.

More by Annie Graves

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  1. What a great blog!!! So much fun!!! Oh, this brings me back to when we used to ski up at Pat’s…isn’t tubing the BEST??? I never knew that was available till recently, so I’ll be up again and again!! Just love that regular (read: unskilled) people can enjoy winter fun and frolic, too!! Good for Pat’s Peak, good for us!!

    And love the background and history of this friendly mountain. This description says it best: “…the old-time Tyrolean vibe mixes with jazzy skis lined up like swizzle sticks at the foot of the mountain…”

    Awesome!!!

    Reply

  2. Thank you so very much for your article, Pat’s Peak in Henniker, NH | Go Play in the Snow by Annie Graves. I did not know they had snow tubing that not only children but adults can enjoy. I will definitely be traveling up to Henniker NH this winter to check it out. With our children all grown and on their own it is nice to know my husband and I can once again enjoy sledding like we did when they were younger.

    Reply

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