Everyone deserves a snow day. How will you play?

At family friendly Snowstar in Andalusia, there are endless ways to enjoy fresh powder and the chill of a Midwest winter day. Maybe you start your experience by joining their highly trained teaching staff for a lesson in the basics. Maybe you prefer the challenge of racing down the professionally designed freestyle run. Or maybe you’d rather roast marshmallows from the cozy comfort of the warming hut.

Whatever your preference, Snowstar has something for everyone.

“No matter who you are or where you’re coming from, we’re going to try to put a smile on your face,” said Doug Harper, half of the park’s new management team along with his wife, Jennifer Harper.

The 2021-2022 winter season will be the second under the management of this local family, who also owns and operates Superior Seawalls, Docks & Dredge, Superior Marina in East Moline and Superior South Marina in Andalusia. But they’ve been familiar with the park and all its activities for 15 years or more.

“One of our first dates was here at Snowstar, and we drove up from where we were living in Peoria at the time,” Harper said. “The park has been a big part of our relationship and our family since the very beginning, and we want it to be a part of yours, too. When you come here, you’ll be treated like family.”

Snowstar visitors will notice a number of process improvements and cosmetic changes to the park this year, including:

• Additional offerings and activities designed with the whole family in mind
• Now accepting online reservations
• New ticket window shed and snack trailer
• Expanded warming hut
• New lighting and signage throughout the park
• Additional camera systems for safety
• Updated lift decks and re-opening of lift #2
• Galaxy tubing after dark

Not an avid skiing enthusiast? Not a problem. The tubing hill is one of the facility’s most popular experiences because everyone from little kids (ages 3 and older) to little kids at heart can sail down the 68-foot drop with no skill required.

“I’ve seen 70 and 80-year-olds on the tubing hill and having the time of their lives,” Harper said. “But you’ll want to reserve your spot in advance because the spots fill up fast. Last year we had it booked out two weeks in advance.”

Although snow activities are the focus this winter, the fun doesn’t stop once the powder melts. Snowstar is open year-round, offering zipline tours, the Quad Cities’ only champion-level disc golf course, paintball, event rentals, four unique food and beverage options and more.

“This place is a big deal for the community,” Harper said. “We saved more than 180 jobs last year, which is huge considering everything negative going on in the world during that time. We look at everything we do from a customer’s perspective — what could make this a better experience? This is our passion. We believe in our community and want to invest in it and see it thrive. It’s definitely an exciting time for our customers and employees.”

For all the latest information on Snowstar’s hours and offerings, visit SkiSnowstar.com or find them on Facebook.

About Snowstar

Snowstar’s family-friendly facility delivers all the fun of the Colorado slopes right in your backyard! With 15 skiing and snowboarding lanes, a 28-acre terrain park with 40+ features, 11 snow tubing lanes, four unique food and drink options, a state-of-the-art tune shop, gear rental and more, there’s something for everyone.

Sean Leary

Sean Leary is an author, director, artist, musician, producer and entrepreneur who has been writing professionally since debuting at age 11 in the pages of the Comics Buyers Guide. An honors graduate of the University of Southern California masters program, he has written over 50 books including the best-sellers The Arimathean, Every Number is Lucky to Someone and We Are All Characters.