Talk about it: Skiing in Pennsylvania

Where is your favorite place to ski in Pennsylvania? What's your favorite trail? Discuss with other skiers.

Does anyone know where I can find decent Cross Country XC trails within one hour of Upper Bucks county?
Thanks!

I am looking for XC trails near Up Bucks PA?

Favorite place is Blue Mt. The folks are great, the boarders are empathetic to good skiers and everyone is friendly. The Razors Edge and Challenge are decently steep and the fast six-pack makes up for the quick runs. Barneys Bumps would give anyone a work out. Paradise and Lazy Mile are good for cruising and scenery. Camelback was great fun for one outing and look forward to returning. Big Boulder is very close but better for boarders. Jack Frost has a nice run that follows a river view. I love living here but really appreciate the extra vertical drop of the NH and VT mts I grew up skiing. But you can't beat the skiing here, 2 hours outside of NYC. All skiers speak the same language in the East, "where are you going out west to ski this year?" Ha, I am glad I grew up skiing ice, it sure helps. So, Blue Mt in Palmerton (Danielsville PA)is my favorite so far.

ha ha skiing in PA what a joke! You got to be kidding me! Hell, there are better conditions in Nebraska or Kansas!! Come to think of it there are probably better skiing conditions in hell!! Come to Colorado and we'll show you skiing!!

shcmoo wrote:

ha ha skiing in PA what a joke! You got to be kidding me! Hell, there are better conditions in Nebraska or Kansas!! Come to think of it there are probably better skiing conditions in hell!! Come to Colorado and we'll show you skiing!!

Even though i live in Pa, i must agree, skiing in Pa sucks compared to Vt and Co. The ski resorts are small and limited to about 60 trails. Also, are snow season is short and usally not that much snow. I usually drive up to vt whenever i get the chance.

This has been a pretty good year for skiing in the Poconos. While there was not a lot of natural snow, it was cold enough to make lots of manmade. Since manmade snow has gotten so much better last few years... the resorts have done a great job keeping it on the mountains.

As for the negative comments... of course, the Poconos are not Colorado. If you expect them to be, you're an idiot.

That being made clear, city folks can get a lot of skiing in during then season within 1 to 2 hours of home at reasonable prices.

Camelback is the best area, with the most trails, Jack Frost second, Shawnee third, Blue Mountain is forth (but only because it is so remote, otherwise third) and Big Boulder fifth.
These are according to size and trails. Boulder is probably best for boarders with a little higher elevation and better snow.

The best way of finding hotel reserervations it to visit www.PoconosHotels.com or call 800-805-3559 and talk with a Poconos Specialist. Don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to next year aready.

Rick

I gave up on PA - the two hour trip often got 50% longer when you add in the GWB and Cross Bronx. I head North and don't miss the Keystone State. I'm glad others are able to tolerate it though.

Sorry to be negative here, but skiing in Penn and the east coast in general is awful. I'm not huge into skiing/boarding but coming out to CO was a world of a difference. Nice, soft snow, no ice. Powder lots fo time, and the moutnains are so big and the runs 5X the length and width of ones I've been to in Penn, that you don't often run into other people or extremely crowded ares. I know, its common that skiing out west is better, but I could never ski the ice slopes of the east coast again

Does anyone know where can I rent a cabin in or around Blue Mountain or SnoMnt Pennsylvania?

I don't know how you can say blue mountain is a good mountain. How can the management justify charging 41 dollars when almost all your time is spent in the lift line or trying to dodge someone sitting in the middle of the trail. and once you get on a trail they are horrible with much overcrowding and pure ice. Bottom line i used to go to blue but now that their prices are so steep and the amount of people their just makes not enjoyable anymore.

I suppose it is easy to trash Pennsylvania skiing, especially when referencing all the banana belt ski spots mentioned in these posts.
However, there is one area of Penn's Woods that has a very strong record of pulling down snow amounts that consistently rival seasonal snow totals of many of the USA's top resorts: The Lake Effect Snowbelt area in NW PA. 2006-7 = 226"; 2007-8 = 166"; and THIS season, we've recorded 130" thus far. True, the area is a little short on big vert, but we are blessed with the rolling foothills of the Alleghany Mountains and the woods are absolutely polluted with trails. Pick your terrain carefully and there are abundant challenges for all levels of free-heeled skiers. The tree skiing can be tight, but there are also gas lines and power lines for open field swishing.
Uh, we do lack an abundance of mechanized means to do yo-yo skiing, but hey, you can't have it all.

Don't forget about Elk Mountain and Seven Springs. As far as PA mountains, they have a good number of trails, and I think Elk ranks up there with Camelback, but I'm not sure which one actually has more trails. PA skiing does kind of suck, but this season has been a decent one. I just got back from Killington VT (skied 2 days up there), and I'm a bit frustrated to have to ski PA again, but hey, at least I'll be skiing. I might have to head up to VT once more before the season is over.

glad you guys dont know about the lake effect in the finger lakes backcountry,especially you avalanch surfers in colo. ski the east

Trash PA skiing all you want, but if you live out here and hold down a real job you can only realisticaly get up to VT 2-3 times and out west once, so if you really love to ski, you have to work with what you have. Elk is by far the best place in PA to ski. Its clean, not much in the way of lines, tight bumps carved by good skiers and a decently steep slope. Plus you can ski in/ski out park which is cool for lunch and general tailgating. Blue is great on a weeknight when its not crowded, but the Saturday crowds are too much for me to bear. I do like Jack Frost when its nice and they have a great bar. All you out west folks just keep doing your thing and stop hating. I make sure to get a trip out every year and we get it, the Rockies are bigger then the Poconos, but some of us love skiing enough to ride wherever we can.