Ever wonder what happens to ski resorts during warm weather? Instead of boarding up for the summer and losing revenue, ski resorts in Virginia, North Carolina, and Oregon are offering dry tracks for tubing. Sounds like fun, right?

"By adding this new feature, it's keeping our ski area business going for the summer," said David Vance, Canaan Valley's assistant ski area manager.

The resort spent $56,000 for two 306-foot runs at the base of the resort's Meadows I slope, using the technology manufactured by Italy-based Neveplast.

According to Neveplast's Web site, the low-friction synthetic carpets, known as Tubby tracks, have the same slippery properties as snow.

"It's a great summer venue source for ski areas, and the customers seem to be enjoying it - screaming all the way down," said Ryan Locher, Neveplast's U.S. sales representative.

Ski resorts have long offered summer luging and bobsledding on slippery tracks without the snow, and some also have wet slides for tubes. The Tubby system is different because it uses inner tubes but no water.

Installation at Canaan was simple. Locher helped assemble the tube runs in about five hours.

The sheeting is fastened to the terrain. Each 4-foot-wide run has raised edges and slightly lowered centers to keep riders on the track. The resort's inflatable tubes already used on winter slopes had shell linings attached to their undersides to help them glide along the orange-and-green track.

For enthusiasts, it's hard to beat the price. At Canaan Valley, two-hour tubing sessions cost $10 per person. The sessions, limited to the first 50 people, are held three times daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Riders must be at least 42 inches tall.

"This is great for kids and grandparents alike and is something we can do together," said resort guest Glen Jarrell of Charleston. "My grandson enjoyed racing me to the bottom."

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