Top 3 Ski Areas in Pennsylvania?

7 Springs - Good woods (if you follow locals first thing on weekday mornings)
- Good lifts - rode the HS 6Pack w/ a dude who claimed he made 75 laps (@750 vt'/) the day before
- Apres rules - if you like crowds, you can pass out in the Foggy Goggle and never hit the floor
- If you don't like crowds avoid the resort from Fri 11am-Sunday 5pm and, holidays.
Blue Knob - Great (although limited) NE-a little like terrain
- Good place to practice 'firm' snow technique

poconovfr said:

ok having grown up in the poconos and pretty muched ski here still.......dam......and having worked at many of the above discussed hills and still work at one of said hill.....dam.....and watching these ski areas grow from the seventies till now.......


Camelback: Massive terrain expansion in the last 15 years and two high speeds make this the place to ski. Great snowmaking system and most of the groomers ski. They will let things bump up and leave them as long as possible. Best woods skiing of all the mountains...just don't get caught. Most of it is lift served some you have to hike for. Park is great and as Alex mentioned you can hide in there on the weekends especialy when the place is zoo like. Ski it midweek days and you are basically alone. It has gotten busier with midweek passes at $199 but still no one there. Ski it on a weekend and feel like a cow at a slaughter house. School groups are plentiful midweek nights as well but usually cleared out by 7:30-8. Locals tip: Wednesday night race league. Find yourself a roster spot and it's twenty bucks for two race runs an all mountain night ticket and dinner. Tough to beat.



Alpine: Great family hill for the family just getting started skiing. Great bar.

Click to expand...

Ahhh. Alpine & Camelback

I skied at Alpine when it was 2 T-Bars a Poma. We used to build hay bail jumps and Patrollers helped. I have fond memories.

Camelback, I liked it before it was homogenized. When The Hump actually had trees on it. When The Asp had turns. When Margies had the turn at the bottom. Now every trail is set up like a bowling lane, straight down with no character.

Philpug said:

Ahhh. Alpine & Camelback

I skied at Alpine when it was 2 T-Bars a Poma. We used to build hay bail jumps and Patrollers helped. I have fond memories.

Camelback, I liked it before it was homogenized. When The Hump actually had trees on it. When The Asp had turns. When Margies had the turn at the bottom. Now every trail is set up like a bowling lane, straight down with no character.

Click to expand...

Nice rememberance of Timber Hill. I've been going to Camelback since about 1964 and never remember trees on Hump (On Laurel Glade, Yes Rodo too) but you are right that they straightened out several trails (Including Hump) from the original Walter Folger design. Most of that was done for snowmaking purposes. They are so snowmaking dependent that it make sense.

Wavewheeler said:

Thanks for the heads up! Hopefully we will get more snow everywhere this year! I'm not adverse to heading up to Elk despite the added distance for an overnighter or even a day trip and if we get a really nice dumping I will definitely check out Blue. Sometimes we get more snow "down here" then up north, as in 2010-11, so you never know.

Click to expand...

Here's a suggestion. Combine Elk with say Plattekill for a weekend. Stay someplace like Binghamton NY. It be a great big circle (go back via NY 28 and Thruway) but those 2 would provide for some entertaining skiing.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

4aprice said:

Here's a suggestion. Combine Elk with say Plattekill for a weekend. Stay someplace like Binghamton NY. It be a great big circle (go back via NY 28 and Thruway) but those 2 would provide for some entertaining skiing.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

Click to expand...

I really want to try Elk, but I can get to the less crowded on the weekends Plattekill in about 2 hrs and midweek I can get to the way bigger Hunter in 1.5 hours. Elk seems to be around 2.5 hours for me. For another 1/2 hour or so I could be at Gore (3hr+).

I have not skied in Pa since the early 1980s when I went to school in Pa and Blue was known as Little Gap. They were great for getting some turns in but I am happy that I am closer to the Catskills for day trips.

x10003q said:

I really want to try Elk, but I can get to the less crowded on the weekends Plattekill in about 2 hrs and midweek I can get to the way bigger Hunter in 1.5 hours. Elk seems to be around 2.5 hours for me. For another 1/2 hour or so I could be at Gore (3hr+).

I have not skied in Pa since the early 1980s when I went to school in Pa and Blue was known as Little Gap. They were great for getting some turns in but I am happy that I am closer to the Catskills for day trips.

Click to expand...

Your in Bergen County so that makes sense. Hunter and Elk are about equal distance for me.(2 hrs on the dot) I actually think Elk fits in quite well with Catskill's skiing thus the suggestion to Wavewheeler. If your closer to the Catskills by all means I would recommend the Catskills (and further north). For those who have the Pocono's in their back yard (like me) or are further south accept them for what they are and use them. Sure beats not skiing at all.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

I skied Elk once & thought it was alright. Can't really give a good opinion about the place because skiing was very limited when I was there. They only had the one chair outside the base lodge turning with only a few trails open. The other lift which is the one you first see when driving in wasn't running. That lift looked like it had the more challenging runs on the mountain.

Camelback what can I say. My brother in law lives in Tannerville & I don't even bring my ski's with me anymore when I visit. Someone mentioned earlier that CB has an elevation advantage over other PA ski areas. Well my brother in law used to live in Tobbyana (sp?) which is closer to Mt. Pocono. One time when I was going to visit him I planned on skiing CB but when I got there it was pouring rain & no snow on the ground so I went straight to his house in Tobbyana(sp? again). There was over a foot of snow at his house from the storm & they didn't get any rain. To bad there are no ski areas up that way.

4aprice said:

Nice rememberance of Timber Hill. I've been going to Camelback since about 1964 and never remember trees on Hump (On Laurel Glade, Yes Rodo too) but you are right that they straightened out several trails (Including Hump) from the original Walter Folger design. Most of that was done for snowmaking purposes. They are so snowmaking dependent that it make sense.




Here's a suggestion. Combine Elk with say Plattekill for a weekend. Stay someplace like Binghamton NY. It be a great big circle (go back via NY 28 and Thruway) but those 2 would provide for some entertaining skiing.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

Click to expand...

If you would like to call it a glade skiers right when we have snow.....when we have snow skiers right to the turn and the pine tree jump. And when the snow fence wasn't at the bottom you could hucka-boom down onto Tut.

I've only tried Elk, Blue & Shawnee. Elk is a really nice place with great snow, good bumps and enough vert. Lifts are slow and pitch is moderate (hence great snow?). The only place that competes with the Catskills - whatever that's worth.

Blue had a fence around the ski area. I never knew that was even possible. Who are they trying to keep out? Really killed the vibe for me. Unlike others, I didn't feel anything there was challenging - maybe a little more than Elk but PA isn't exactly the place for challenge. They do make bumps so kudos for that.

Shawnee is great because it's easily under an hour and a good place to take the kids. It's "warm" - very low altitude and faces West IIRC - which might be bad for snowmaking but it's good for my kids. A HSQ on a mountain this size is insane but I actually like it.

Philpug said:

Ahhh. Alpine & Camelback

I skied at Alpine when it was 2 T-Bars a Poma. We used to build hay bail jumps and Patrollers helped. I have fond memories.

Camelback, I liked it before it was homogenized. When The Hump actually had trees on it. When The Asp had turns. When Margies had the turn at the bottom. Now every trail is set up like a bowling lane, straight down with no character.

Click to expand...

.......man that is why I love this forum. Some of you guys just make me smile.
Camelback is what Camelback is. Gone are the days of true locals ripping bumps til mid March with patrol and what was left of ski school. Gone are the days of the true parking lot 5 and 6 spring parties. Gone are the day of the mid-station double.Now we have a zip line that took out one of the best lead-in-good-drop head walls on the montain.A goofy mountain coaster and more herbs than locals. Grafitti on the chairs has been a nice touch as well. But until the kids are ready to head north it's where I grew up and still my home mountain....for better or worse.

I remember the first bump comp at Alpine sponsered by John and The Ski Loft. Turned out to be a fun day but it was a one time deal. The next year it was amply renamed the 'Big Air Contest" My buddy Brad dam near landed in the bar. Ah good days they were.

Have driven by it several times in the summer on US route 6.
If ever I am out that way in the winter I am definitely hitting it. The steeps look serious from the road.

http://skidenton.com/winter/mountain/trail/

Stache said:

Have driven by it several times in the summer on US route 6.
If ever I am out that way in the winter I am definitely hitting it. The steeps look serious from the road.

http://skidenton.com/winter/mountain/trail/

Click to expand...

Denton is another on the list of want to but probably never will. Elk and Blue Knob are on the list already. Maybe I should take a tour of PA.

poconovfr said:

.......man that is why I love this forum. Some of you guys just make me smile.
Camelback is what Camelback is. Gone are the days of true locals ripping bumps til mid March with patrol and what was left of ski school. Gone are the days of the true parking lot 5 and 6 spring parties. Gone are the day of the mid-station double.Now we have a zip line that took out one of the best lead-in-good-drop head walls on the montain.A goofy mountain coaster and more herbs than locals. Grafitti on the chairs has been a nice touch as well. But until the kids are ready to head north it's where I grew up and still my home mountain....for better or worse.

I remember the first bump comp at Alpine sponsered by John and The Ski Loft. Turned out to be a fun day but it was a one time deal. The next year it was amply renamed the 'Big Air Contest" My buddy Brad dam near landed in the bar. Ah good days they were.

Click to expand...

Poconovfr: You crack me up, meaning you speak lots of truth. Never thought I'd hear someone lament the death of the old Sullivan Double. You still got the Cleopatra Triple (I ride it when ever its open).

Bumps are one of my major issues with the operation. Been in the Locker Room a long time and know alot of the higher up's (including Art). I've tried to hammer home to them to get some bumps up on the skiers right of Cliffy (from where it widens out, to the bottom of the headwall, small flat, and then a small set on what I call the little headwall (real little) to where the trail thins.) I know you mentioned the groomers, and I agree they are good but one advantage Blue has over Camelback is that they have a guy who seeds moguls really well and I don't think Camelback does. The moguls 2 years ago on Rocket were not put up well. I think bump lines on Cliffy would be a huge spring time hit and rated by skiers as high as Tunk and Challange.

Of course everything at Camelback is the bottom line. They don't have the low e guns on Cliffy and I've never asked if they will go to low e over there, the current gun placements are on the other side of the trail but they could still blow enough on it to get it done. Its also not within sight of the base lodge (image is big at Camelback). On the plus side, they are trying to get input from the skiing population. One of the management guys put up a white board at the slope exit from the locker room. He said he was recording comments and reporting them to highers up. You bet I filled that board up daily (good things when they did well). I will tell you I'm indifferent to the Zip Line and Mountain Coaster but they do use some of that money on the ski side too. The tailgate parties? Like I said (the bottom line) Camelback eyed another way to make money with the one party in Sun Bowl Lot with Art.

As with any business there's plenty to like and dislike. They have been and I belive still are the largest entity in the Pocono's (employees, visitors etc.) I think its a great place to have in my back yard. When the conditions are right I have downright fun there. Thirsty Camel is IMO one of the best ski bars I've seen anywhere. I think the amount of non skiers who come up just for the bar (and the bands) is a testement to that. As a family, we have been treated very well there including my daughter who worked there and my son who skies in the racing program. We've met and had really good times with many others. For me I use it as a great big training room. Have had no regrets using it as a home mountain.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

Top 3:

1. Elk
2. Elk
3. Elk

Really no comparison. Best terrain, best snow (most natural snow by far of any eastern PA mountains), and best vibe. Bumps on multiple trails by mid-season. Tree skiing is the only thing lacking.

But if I were to include other mountains, I would rank:

1. Elk
2. Sno
3. Jack Frost

Sno has some of the steepest runs in PA on the lower part of the mountain (usually with bumps) and is rarely crowded. The snow making is very good as well. They could do a couple things to make the mountain better (like opening up tree skiing and letting a trail on the upper mountain bump up) and they need to run the top to bottom lift more as some trails up top are really inaccessible without it.

Jack Frost is a small mountain but they make up for their lack of vertical by getting more snow than anyone but Elk and letting you ski almost anywhere on the mountain. Which means the most tree skiing in the Poconos.

I can't include Blue due to having the worst snow and worst crowds. If you can go mid-week after a snow storm, you can have good skiing there and they do have good terrain. But the negatives, clearly outweigh the positives.

BTW, none of my top-3 mountains have high speed lifts. High speed lifts on a 1000 foot or less vertical mountain are almost silly. All they do is get more people on the limited terrain at once and let the conditions deteriorate more quickly.

I haven't been to Camelback since I was skiing on straight skis. Probably sometime around 1996 maybe?

Anyways, I was looking at the google map image of that place the other day and I had no Idea they built a giant waterpark at the base of the ski area. What do they do with all of that stuff during the winter? It looks like there are many features that are built in the "flat" area between the lifts and the lodge.

Remember the "all night ski"'s at Camelback? The first one was FANTASTIC, the weather was great, maybe high 30's and the snow conditions were spring like with bumps all over the place. It was a great success for them. The second one was blistering cold and an icefest, a miserable night. I am not sure how many they did after that.

jimmywilson69 said:

I haven't been to Camelback since I was skiing on straight skis. Probably sometime around 1996 maybe?

Anyways, I was looking at the google map image of that place the other day and I had no Idea they built a giant waterpark at the base of the ski area. What do they do with all of that stuff during the winter? It looks like there are many features that are built in the "flat" area between the lifts and the lodge.

Click to expand...

I know that some of the areas are filled with empty barrels, like the kids area and then snow is made over it.

I passed my level II exam at Elk years ago; it hasn't changed much.
I liked the mountain and the layout...I also liked that bump run they leave ungroomed where that triple lift is.
It was mid-winter and fairly slick that week/weekend but they made snow a few times to recoat those bumps and make them fun to ski.
I was impressed.

Blue
Elk
Camelback

Sno needs some serious upgrading. Also, last time I was there midweek they weren't running the Long haul lift which made it a PITA!