oakapple
New member
Date(s) Skied: December 28, 2009
Resort or Ski Area: Mount Peter Ski Area
This is slightly dated information, but I thought that perhaps some folks would be interested in this lesser known ski area, which does not even have a profile page on this site.
Mount Peter is the little mountain that could. Once upon a time, there were many of these small, family-owned ski resorts. They still exist, but there are fewer of them all the time. One can understand why, as within reasonable driving distance there are larger mountains with a much wider variety of terrain and a much higher vertical.
Strangely enough, Mount Peter Ski Area was founded 74 years ago by Macy’s Department Store, as a place to show off their winter fashions. Macy’s has long since severed its ties with the place, but its close proximity to the city—just a shade over an hour from the GWB—may be its best asset.
Mount Peter has just two main lifts (both fixed-grip doubles), with just a 450-foot vertical. They claim to have 13 named trails, but several of these are just “Upper” and “Lower” such-and-such; another is the bunny hill. Another (“Outback”) seems never to be open—a pity, as it’s a rather interesting-looking blue with terrain features. I suspect they don’t have snowmaking there.
To make up for these drawbacks, Mount Peter charges just $40 for a weekend/holiday lift ticket, $20 on other days, and beginner lessons are free. It was this latter offer that brought me to Mount Peter. My son had never skied in his life, so I figured that the mountain with free lessons was a good place to start.
This strategy worked out well, but we quickly exhausted Mount Peter’s potential. One day at Mount Peter is about as much as anyone needs in a lifetime, unless it’s your neighborhood mountain. We got the sense that a lot of their business comes from kids who live nearby, and drop in after school. They are open till 9pm most nights.
There is nothing wrong with the little niche that Mount Peter fills, but unless you live nearby, there are better options.
Resort or Ski Area: Mount Peter Ski Area
This is slightly dated information, but I thought that perhaps some folks would be interested in this lesser known ski area, which does not even have a profile page on this site.
Mount Peter is the little mountain that could. Once upon a time, there were many of these small, family-owned ski resorts. They still exist, but there are fewer of them all the time. One can understand why, as within reasonable driving distance there are larger mountains with a much wider variety of terrain and a much higher vertical.
Strangely enough, Mount Peter Ski Area was founded 74 years ago by Macy’s Department Store, as a place to show off their winter fashions. Macy’s has long since severed its ties with the place, but its close proximity to the city—just a shade over an hour from the GWB—may be its best asset.
Mount Peter has just two main lifts (both fixed-grip doubles), with just a 450-foot vertical. They claim to have 13 named trails, but several of these are just “Upper” and “Lower” such-and-such; another is the bunny hill. Another (“Outback”) seems never to be open—a pity, as it’s a rather interesting-looking blue with terrain features. I suspect they don’t have snowmaking there.
To make up for these drawbacks, Mount Peter charges just $40 for a weekend/holiday lift ticket, $20 on other days, and beginner lessons are free. It was this latter offer that brought me to Mount Peter. My son had never skied in his life, so I figured that the mountain with free lessons was a good place to start.
This strategy worked out well, but we quickly exhausted Mount Peter’s potential. One day at Mount Peter is about as much as anyone needs in a lifetime, unless it’s your neighborhood mountain. We got the sense that a lot of their business comes from kids who live nearby, and drop in after school. They are open till 9pm most nights.
There is nothing wrong with the little niche that Mount Peter fills, but unless you live nearby, there are better options.
