Elk Mountain, PA 2-11-12

[millerm277]

Date(s) Skied: 2/11/12

Resort or Ski Area: Elk Mountain, PA

Conditions: Soft MG early, stiffening up late

Trip Report: Everything except Lehigh and Upper Seneca was open.

Good conditions on everything, no hardpack or ice to be found anywhere. Lines at the front doubles peaked at around 5-7 minutes around 11AM and 2PM, ski-on after 3:30. Back double + Quad were never more than a 2-3 minute wait.

Seriously, this is a short TR because there's nothing to complain about. Everything open had plenty of cover, wall to wall or nearly so, staff was friendly, and conditions were good everywhere. The double/quad side of the mountain was softer, probably because it gets hit by the sun more. Upper Tunkhannock had some bumps, but they were irregular and not a lot of fun.

Otherwise, MG cruising, and you could hold as extreme of an edge as you wanted to carve with on most of the runs.

ROTD would be Slalom when it reopened after grooming at 4pm.

 

[Cornhead]

Elk is the nearest PA resort to me, so I haven't been to many others. I did ski Shawnee once, but only because my buddy was staying there. I try to get to Elk at least once a year, been twice already this year. Highpoint of my season, so far, was six inches of fresh at Elk on Saturday, Jan. 21st., seemed like a foot, pretty sad. Thanks for the TR.

 

[〽❄❅]

^copy that, was the best weekend of the season so far!

Anyone going to brave the winds tomorrow?

 

[Cornhead]

Hitting my home hill, Greek Peak. There's a LES advisory in effect, four to seven inches predicted for tomorrow, and tomorrow night, fingers crossed. I'll have to head up there Monday night also, if it snows. I'd love to call in sick, but we're buried at work. Haven't been able to say that in a looong time. Maybe things are finally turning around, on both fronts.

 

[ScottySkis]

I have to check out that hill one of these days.

 

[spring_mountain_high]

I have to check out that hill one of these days.

you'd like it...it's got a similar vibe to plattekill

 

[legalskier]

Elk is sweet. Nice to see it's 100% open. I plan on hitting it on a mild day when I can take full advantage of those bump runs.

 

[ta&idaho]

I was there yesterday afternoon for a few hours. Fun little hill. Makes great use of the 1000ft of vert--consistent pitch, no runout, good trail layout and variety. Surprisingly good snow conditions throughout the day. Relatively few people on the slopes, except for some packs of racer kids. Slow lifts, but no lines.

For a day trip from the New York area, I'd still prefer Hunter (more challenging terrain) or Plattekill (if there's enough natural to fill in the woods) most days, but Elk would be a compelling option if you were looking for a good variety of meandering cruisers plus a few steeper groomers and a bump run or two, and you prefer uncrowded slopes to high-speed lifts.

 

[bigbog]

^copy that, was the best weekend of the season so far!

Anyone going to brave the winds tomorrow?

Wednesday @Sugarloaf! Wednesdays are $39 for state residents... Wish it were Tuesdays...temps are perfect today & tomorrow....slightly warmer on Wednesday...but gotta scrunch on spending for next couple weeks.

Lake Ontario = such a dynamo for skiers.....

 

[spring_mountain_high]

Elk is sweet. Nice to see it's 100% open. I plan on hitting it on a mild day when I can take full advantage of those bump runs.

looks like they're making some snow this week too...good on them

 

[ta&idaho]

looks like they're making some snow this week too...good on them

They were blowing on two runs on Sunday, one on each side of the mountain. Seems like they're taking full advantage of this snowmaking window.