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Wet socks, frozen eyelashes and icy walkways are just a few indicators that winter is in full effect in Syracuse. But snow doesn’t have to be all bad. In fact, it opens a new world of possibilities for having fun and trying new activities in the greater Syracuse community.

Here are just a few places for students to check out if they want to hone their skiing and snowboarding skills, slide down snowy hills on a tubing trip or try something new, like a snowshoeing hike.

Barnes Center at The Arch

Many students may not know that the Barnes Center at The Arch offers students free access to the Drumlins Country Club, which offers cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in addition to transportation and necessary equipment.

The offerings don’t end there, however. There is also a four-week ski and snowboard program at Labrador Mountain that students can sign up for on the Wellness Portal. This program starts Feb. 5 and runs each Saturday until Feb. 26.

The fee is $105 for Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF undergraduate students without rentals and $195 with rentals included, and covers transportation, lift tickets and two weeks of lessons.

SU senior Andrew Prado-Alipui was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Barnes Center has a breadth of winter sports options for students.

“All those activities are stuff that I haven’t done before personally, so it’d be cool to try it out,” Prado-Alipui said.

The inclusion of transportation and equipment in the program fees was impressive, he said. Dylan Antigua, also an SU senior, had a similarly positive reaction to the list of activities.

“It’s a good thing for (students) to have on campus, especially for people that come from areas and cities where (winter sports) aren’t widely available,” Antigua said.

Beaver Lake Nature Center

If you enjoy hikes but have never gotten the chance to explore the natural wonders of Syracuse during the winter months, consider snowshoeing at Beaver Lake Nature Center. The center is located 15 minutes northwest of Syracuse and offers nine miles of hiking trails.

Dave Schubert, senior naturalist at Beaver Lake, said snowshoe rentals are available on site for visitors who don’t have their own and cost $5 per hour. They can be used alone by those who are already comfortable snowshoeing or rented by people seeking out a guided tour.

“You can rent them on the weekends and weekdays from 9:00 (a.m.) till 3:30 (p.m.),” Schubert said. “(On) Wednesdays, we also offer a guided hike at 1:00 (p.m.).”

Starting Valentine’s Day weekend, Beaver Lake will open at night for about a week to visitors who want to hike under the light of the full moon. This is a special event that the center ran successfully in January and hopes to continue, Schubert said.

Some trails are designated for multiple uses, so visitors can choose to walk or snowshoe through the hike depending on their personal preference, he said. Additionally, two snowshoeing trails are special hikes that are not open during the summertime.

“There’s one that’s 2.3 or so miles, and the other is about 1.5 miles,” Schubert said. “They’re open only for snowshoeing, and they’re kind of through the forest.”

For students who need transportation to get off campus, the Barnes Center also offers group reservations and ticketing for Beaver Lake’s Moonlight Snowshoe Hikes through the Wellness Portal. Transportation is included in the cost of the ticket, which ranges from $5-$10.

We are open today everything from skiing to tubing.
Hours are 10am – 5pm

A photo posted by fourseasonsgolfandskicenter

Four Seasons Golf & Ski Center

Four Seasons Golf & Ski Center produces artificial snow during the winter season so that visitors don’t have to worry about closures if there’s not enough natural snowfall to cover the trails, operations manager Bill Hane said. The winter activities center is beginner-friendly and hosts snowboarding and ski trails that will help students develop their winter sports skills.

Snowboarding and ski equipment, including skis, snowboards and ski boots are available to rent on-site or by calling the Four Seasons rental shop, Hane said. Visitors will need to bring their own winter coats, snow pants and boots to stay warm and keep from getting their clothes wet, though.

“A great pair of waterproof mittens or waterproof gloves are your friend,” Hane said.

Four Seasons is open Thursday through Sunday each week, as well as on holidays. The Barnes Center offers weekend tubing trip reservations starting at $5 for SU and ESF students, or you can purchase a tubing or ski/snowboard lift pass directly from the Four Seasons website.

“Come out and give us a try,” Hane said. “It’s a fantastic place to learn to ski and snowboard or have a fun day to get outside.”

Published on January 26, 2022 at 11:50 pm

Contact Dakota: dcchambe@syr.edu