Powder Ridge Mountain Park and Resort in Middlefield, which reopened this year after having been dormant since 2007, is a one of a kind winter destination. They are the only ski area in the United States to require patrons to wear helmets.
“I’ve been wearing them for years now. And they’re safe. And, you don’t even know they’re on. It’s a wonderful feature to have and everyone should wear a helmet,” said Jan Kokes of New Jersey, who was enjoying his first trip to Powder Ridge with his grandchildren from Plainfield.
There have been numerous occasions this winter where ownership has felt thankful and justified for their decision to require helmets.
“Yesterday alone, we had two rental helmets come back to us fully cracked on the backside. Now, what that means is they were not reported so person walked away perfectly fine,” said Sean Hayes, an owner and CEO for Powder Ridge.
Another reason Hayes feels justified in his decision: 25 percent of patrons of most ski areas rent equipment, but Powder Ridge is at over 50 percent. What that tells Hayes is his hill has many inexperienced winter warriors.