Mini-Hill Profile: Yawgoo Valley, Rhode Island

The nation’s smallest state also has one of the country’s smallest ski areas. The Providence Journal (“Area Ski Resorts Say: Let it Snow,” January 3) offers a quick review of three ski areas. Blue Hills Ski Area (350 vertical feet) and Wachusett Mountain (1,000 vertical feet) are both in Massachusetts. Rhode Island’s only downhill area is Yawgoo Valley (240 vertical feet).

The folks at Yawgoo get credit for truth in advertising when they call their business a valley, not a mountain.

Says staff writer Katherine Imbrie, “Yawgoo isn’t a mountain at all. It’s a 240-foot valley approached by a road that dips and drops right along with the ski runs next to it. Driving in, you can look to your right and watch the skiers and tubers go from top to bottom.”

That description sounds like a few ski areas (Afton Alps, Welch Village) I have been to. Put the car into low gear and start moving.

It’s hard for places with limited terrain to hold your attention for long. But they do offer a place to slide, and snowboarders, especially beginners and freestylers, will make use of what they have available. Yawgoo has been around for 45 years. Here’s to another 45 years of introducing people to the joy of snow.