As students return to campus, the cold air no longer brings thoughts of the upcoming holidays. Wishes for a white Christmas are far behind students as the new year arrives and the single digit temperatures set in for January and February, making students face a chilly commute to classes.
As wind whips across the quad chilling even the most bundled up of students to the bone, the new semester seems to start slow and drag on until warmer spring weather makes its welcome appearance at AU.
While students are already dreaming about spring break, there are a couple of local activities worth braving the cold for, and opportunities to enjoy the winter season from indoors.

Alice Noble Ice Arena public skate
Located just a half hour from campus in Wooster, the Alice Noble Ice Arena provides wintertime fun in their public skate sessions.
This affordable activity is a way for students to get off campus without making a major trip. There is public skating time available most days of the week with admission set at $9 and skate rental at $3 each.
Dates and times for public ice skating can be found at nobleice.com

Build a snowman in the Quad
With one snowstorm already under its belt this year, Ashland University has proved it can be the perfect place to play on a snowy day.
Snowmen begin to appear on the quad, with a smattering of snow angels to be found along campus sidewalks.
The snow that fell on the long weekend for Martin Luther King Jr. Day inspired all manner of winter activities from snowman building and winter walks to snow forts assembled for snowball fights on the intramural field.
While there is an inclination to stay inside and watch it snow, there is still wonder to be found in being an adult and playing in the snow right here in your own campus backyard.

Snow Trails skiing and snowtubing
Right down Interstate 71 in Mansfield lies Snow Trails, a winter resort offering snow tubing, skiing and snowboarding.
The activities are available for anyone no matter the skill level, though snow tubing is popular among students and campus groups at AU. There is even the opportunity for glow tubing after the sun has set where the track is lit up in a variety of colors while you slide beneath on the ice.
Snow Trails is open to the public Thursday-Sunday by reservation only for snow tubing and Sunday-Saturday from 4p.m.-9p.m. for skiing and snowboarding. Prices vary by activity, and reservations can be made online at snowtrails.com

Winter Olympic games watch party
The new year is bringing not just the colder weather, but also a world-famous tradition: the Winter Olympic Games. This year’s games begin on Feb. 4 in Beijing and bring athletes from around the globe to compete in activities from luge to curling to figure skating.
If playing in the winter weather is not for you, then grab some friends and watch some of the world’s greatest athletes go head-to-head in pursuit of the gold medal.
To the AU community, the Olympics can be taken into special consideration with one of Ashland’s own athletes coming off a win in the Summer 2020 games in Tokyo. Katie Nageotte, 2016 Ashland University alumni has found success in her Pole Vaulting career and brought the gold medal back to the heartland this summer with a vault over 16 feet.
From the opening ceremonies to the final medals being handed out, a Winter Olympics watch party is the perfect way to enjoy the winter weather from the comfort of the indoors.

Medina Ice Festival
Heading North on Interstate 71 will take you to Medina where the annual Ice Festival returns for its 28th season.
From Feb. 18-21, festival-goers can enjoy ice carving contests, countless creations on display in the square and the fire and ice tower on Friday night where a battle of cold versus hot ensues.
There is also a variety of local businesses and restaurants on the Medina square open for shopping and dining during the weekend festival. At the end of the weekend, visitors can explore the square on a self-guided history tour.
More information on the festival can be found at mainstreetmedina.com

Cheer on winter sports at AU
Winter sports season at AU is seldom a boring one. The men’s and women’s basketball teams are both in the heat of their seasons and have played exciting games so far.
Additionally, the swim and dive team continue their season and prepare to head to championships near the end of February.
STUNT is still gaining ground at AU as a new sport and are hard at work preparing for their competitions, as well as indoor track, which has been on the road to several meets this season.
Basketball can be seen on Bally Sports Network as well as Armstrong cable through AUTV-20. Coverage is also available on Ashland’s own 88.9 WRDL FM Radio.