WV River Riders Extend Winter Season with Help from WV EDA

At the heart of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, WV River Riders is proving how strategic investment, and a little help from the West Virginia Economic Development Authority (EDA), can turn a seasonal attraction into a year-round destination.

In 2022, River Riders introduced snow tubing to their lineup of outdoor adventures, offering a new reason for visitors to explore the Eastern Panhandle during the colder months. But because Harpers Ferry sits just 500 feet above sea level, traditional snowmaking methods were unreliable, often delaying the season’s start until January.

“The first two seasons, we weren’t able to open until later than we had hoped,” said Harry Longerbeam, General Manager of WV River Riders. “So we looked into a newer type of snowmaking that required some additional investment.”

In 2023, River Riders secured a low-interest loan through the EDA and purchased advanced snowmaking machines capable of operating at higher temperatures.

The result? A full two-month extension of the winter season.

“With the help of the EDA, we were able to open in November instead of January,” Longerbeam said. “That’s a game changer for us.”

The expanded season didn’t just boost business—it created more stable jobs.

“Typically by October or November, we’d shut down 90% of operations and work off a skeleton crew,” Longerbeam explained. “Now we’ve been able to triple the size of our winter staff and keep people on all year long.”

The EDA’s financing program offered an interest rate at about half of what the business would have found on the open market, helping make the investment both practical and impactful.

“We live on top of Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. — we could move any time we wanted,” said Longerbeam. “But I’ve lived outside the state, and you always come home. The loan we took advantage of helped make that dream more alive than ever.”

Longerbeam called the process of working with the EDA “very helpful and easy,” and encourages other businesses to explore the opportunities available through the EDA.

To learn more about how the West Virginia Economic Development Authority helps small businesses grow, visit eda.wv.gov.