Snow and cold weather often put a limit on the activities one can do during the winter, leaving Ohioans with few outdoor activities to choose from.

But Brandywine Ski Resort is offering skiing and snowboarding during special events, such as College ID and Midnight Madness nights.

Although College ID nights are finished for the year, Midnight Madness is still happening. On select Fridays, skiing and snowboarding is $26 from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

“It’s a good way to meet other people,” said Tyler Hall, a student from the University of Akron. “There are kids from different colleges and places here.”

Brandywine is one of two ski resorts in northern Ohio. Scott Martin, a Brandywine employee, said Brandywine primarily brings in college students.

“It’s a fun time,” Martin said, “and a lot of people show up.” “The bar is always packed with people that come in after they’re done skiing or snowboarding.”

Martin said many people come just for the $1 drafts.

But even though Midnight Madness draws in such a crowd, Cassie Creer, 19, said the volume of people doesn’t affect the service.

“There were a lot of people there, but the lines weren’t very long,” Creer said.

Creer said her group hardly waited for the ski lifts or to get food.

Midnight Madness nights are always sponsored by a company that provides freebies for the attendants. Martin said well-known companies such as Monster Energy and Chipotle have sponsored the Midnight Madness nights.

“Chipotle gave out free burritos and even had a burrito-eating contest,” Martin said.

On Feb. 12, Red Bull will be sponsoring Midnight Madness with a Red Bull party that will have a DJ, movie, fire pits and a bar in the snow.

Brandywine also has the Polar Blast Snow Tubing Chutes. These aren’t your typical sled riding hills, though.

“There are 20 tubing lanes, and they’re huge,” Martin said. “They’re longer than three football fields.”

The chutes range from basic, smooth chutes to some with small bumps and steeper hills. Two conveyor lifts, similar to moving sidewalks, carry riders up the hill.

“It’s more fun if you take a big group of people because then you can tube down the hill together,” Martin said.

Extreme Tubing, another late night event, is on select Friday and Saturday nights from 8 p.m. to midnight for $25.

The Chalet Toboggan Chutes, located in Mill Stream Run Reservation in Strongsville, has two 1,000-foot ice chutes.

The Chalet is open Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 10:30 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. An all-day pass for adults is $8.

Contact off-campus entertainment reporter Brittany Schmigel at [email protected].

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