Discussion: rski

I'll have mine, if the opportunity presents itself... =)

but no overdoing it if you're still sick!

woo! hopefully the roads in park are paved then!

And I just better not be still sick by then!

What times the next few days (in Cincinnati) will you want to rollerski?

The first place that comes to mind is Sharon Woods. The bike path around the lake would be suicidal---you really should stick to the roads in the park. There is a road with no cars that gently climbs from the Sharon Centre (more or less) to the Harbor area. The road with cars is steep and curvy and maybe rough. Another spot is if you park at the Sharon Centre and look east (?) to the two roads that have signs for authorized use only---these are the reserved shelters. If you ask the rangers, they might lower at least one of the cables. I've heard it called the "Honeysuckle Loop". It has some steeper rolling hills----but!!!---it has cables blocking off parts of it. I would start on the road to the right and hope there is no cable until a big parking lot. If you go to the left road, it is a nice climb, but two chains a few hundred meters apart, one at the bottom of a steep hill. If you walk down, it is the big parking lot. I'll try to get a map. {Edit: This loop is used for "Holiday in Lights", so it might actually have no cables. You might ask a ranger (in the Sharon Centre).}

You might look at Winton Woods park. They won't let us map it, but it is quite big and should have hills.

There is an 8-mile long bike-path loop at Miami-Whitewater (about 35 minutes from the hotel) near Harrison (I-74 just east of the Indiana border). Mostly flat.

Oxford's Hueston Woods is farther away, but has an eight or ten mile 2-lane road loop around the lake.

Mt. Airy is mostly flat, and the one hill is a road with no good stopping point at the stop sign at the bottom of the hill.

Sunday at East Fork should have skiable roads, but mostly straight-ish. One big hill near the lake. (There are two roads, but the campground road might be closed.) Both should have adequate "run out" at the bottom, but check it first.

The south side beach area at East Fork (at least a 20 minute drive---maybe more) would be ideal. Flat, some rollers, and 2 or three big hills. I don't rollerski, so I can't say if there is enough "run out" (?) at the bottom to be safe. The boat ramp should be okay. The beach---maybe---I think so.

At Sharon Woods, there is one place that would be a pure hill workout, but it might be too steep.

Park at the harbor or near the dam. The dam is the low point between two pretty steep paved hills. There are pedestrians near the dam (crossing the road), but yelling would probably be adequate. Basically, your speed downhill would carry you into the hill in each direction, but there should be enough "flat" between to not let you carry too much speed into the uphill.

It shouldn't be too busy with cars, but it might be in the last few hours before dark. Also, there is a parking lot at the bottom, so cars might pull out unexpectedly. It might work, though.

This is the safest place I can think of to try near the hotel. If the swim club parking lot is blocked off, you can park probably anywhere on Windwood Rd.

http://goo.gl/maps/BlWv2

The swim club is near the low point, and it isn't terribly steep, but it is a long hill. I am not that familiar north of the swim club, but you should be able to find hills.

You might try printing out this subdivision for use as a map. The roads are really wide in there.

Last one tonight---

http://goo.gl/maps/vQE1g

This Eagle Ridge / Woodbridge / Rupp Farm / Deer Path area definitely is hilly. The only busy road is Eagle Ridge, but it should be wide enough so that you can climb Eagle Ridge, and put together a low-gradient descent using Woodbridge or Beckett Ridge to Deer Path. Drive it first. It's been a while since I've been over there. I'm not sure how safe it would be to descend from Deer Path to Rupp Farm, but I think it is okay. Also, Beckett Ridge is busy, but it is very wide.

I just remembered a hill opportunity at Mt. Airy. If you enter the park from Colerain Ave, you immediately hit a fork. Go right, then take the very first right. This is the road to the Arboretum (sp?). You could ski back and forth between the two hills on the Arboretum road, or ski along the flat ridgetops inside the park. (I'm not sure of any embargo, but if you do it Saturday the embargo would be moot.)

Sat afternoon might be the most likely time anyways, so maybe that's a good option. Thanks for all the info!!