Heck-the Foggy Goggle alone is worth the trip to 7 Springs!
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Mid-Atlantic Gathering @ Laurel Mountain / Seven Springs, Feb 7 to 9 2020
- Thread starter dbostedo
- Start date
Heck-the Foggy Goggle alone is worth the trip to 7 Springs!
Humm, this is tempting even if 7S is a zoo on Saturdays..
https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-r...unt=6&arrival=2020-02-07&departure=2020-02-09
https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-r...unt=6&arrival=2020-02-07&departure=2020-02-09
I completely understand your hesitation. After all, February 9 is Stop Swap and Save day.
http://www.stopswapandsave.com/
I mean who in their right mind would spend a day chasing iffy snow when there's a chance to haggle over sketchy carbon and alu bits in a barn at the Carroll County Ag center?
Edit: Sorry, two barns and an extension.
That place is cool.
Well TWO barns..no contest then!
Well they have a lot of rocks in their heads..sooo...
Yeah I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. So trying to figure out who goes where and for how long.
Before you get all excited, this place is slopeside but at Hidden Valley, not Seven Springs. Hidden Valley is about a 20 minute drive from Seven Springs.
Hidden Valley is an excellent ski area for young families who have beginners or intermediates looking for a more laid back resort experience. Hidden Valley has a 470 foot vertical drop and trail ratings would be mostly green and blue. Even their advanced terrain is maybe advanced intermediate pitch for short sections. The snowmaking system, TechnoAlpin, makes excellent quality snow and there is a lot of uphill lift capacity. HV has a children's ski school.
Seven Springs is the only one of the three that has daycare for children, Kid's Corner, "walking age" through 5 years old. They also have a dedicated kids program called Tiny Tots for ages 4 to 7 full and half-day. Mountain Adventure is for kids 8 to 15 and another program for teens 16 and up. Mountain Adventure, Kid's Corner have their own separate facilities all separate from the snowsport office although Kid's Corner is in the same Skier Services Building. Mountain adventure is house very nearby on the ground floor of the ski lodge.
Laurel is a bare-bones basic ski area. Laurel's snowsport school offers group and private lessons but there are no dedicated facilities for young children.
Reminded me of one of the Gathering homes we rented at BK. Shame so far. Are there home rentals at Seven Springs that offer similar (easy) access to the slopes? I've never been to Seven Springs -- as a basis of comparison, how bad are the Saturdays compared to the Poconos on a Saturday (assuming one's been to both)? I know the itinerary is Laurel on Saturday, but if we come, it'll be with some park-loving teens who will likely stay put that day.
I agree that a ski house could flip the script for Saturday and Sunday. Skiing Saturday morning early taking a break at the house from about 11:30 until late afternoon when the crowds settle down could be a form of crowd management. That's only if a ski house is in play though.
And the last few times, we shin-digged it at the ski house with an open invitation to all Gathering attendees during that Saturday lunch period.
Check Airbnb. I found a bunch; some are already booked in February, some are not.
Cool. If you're looking, with kids in sleeping bags (aka not taking up beds), a 4 - 5 br ski house has stretched pretty far in past Gatherings -- I think we had 8 or 9 Pugski members in the ski house at the last Mid-Atlantic Gathering.
Thread Starter
TS
There is a lot of easy ski-in/ski-out at Seven Springs. And a lot of it is pricey. I don't remember the price at BK or T'line for sure, but I'm guessing Seven Springs will be a lot more expensive. (Of course, BK is particularly cheap.) I think there are a lot of smaller condos and townhouses at Seven Springs, and a 4 or 5 bedroom house isn't common... but a townhouse might be.
Personally, I'll be staying with my parents and driving for Friday and Saturday.
Sounds like lodging should be pretty easy to come by so we'd likely snap something up as it gets closer, but if a group house or condo materializes, we'll seriously consider it.
Thread Starter
TS
I've never rented there, so I don't know for sure. But Seven Springs is very popular and close to Pittsburgh, so some research is in order. I knew a couple of families growing up who had places there and never rented them out.
Of course, that was the early 90's, and AirBnB and Homeaway didn't exist. So I took a look.... and there isn't quite as much slopeside as I seem to remember. Homeaway shows 17 listings that are "ski-in/ski-out" with 3 bedrooms or more for the weekend in question. (I put "ski-in/ski-out" in quotes, because that's owner determined, and clearly there are 2 listing at least that are by no means slopeside, but are listed that way. And some are a short walk rather than true SI/SO.)
Prices seem to start at ~$1500 for 3 nights (3 bedroom/2 bath). There are some 1 and 2 bedroom condos too for less money.
Somerset's probably where we'll drop anchor too if we can make the Saturday lineup.
Some stoke from seasons past. Heres a link to an article by Jim Kenney about last year’s get together at Laurel: http://www.dcski.com/articles/1574
Here’s a link to an article he wrote about Seven Springs back in 2010:
http://www.dcski.com/articles/1242
Some stoke for the coming season. Seven Springs fired up their snowmaking today:
Here’s a link to an article he wrote about Seven Springs back in 2010:
http://www.dcski.com/articles/1242
Some stoke for the coming season. Seven Springs fired up their snowmaking today:
Just a quick update. I got us group rates at Laurel for any single session. All you need to do is ask for the "support Laurel Mtn" rate at the ticket counter at the time of purchase. Prices can be found here: http://www.laurelmountainski.com/ski-ride/day-groups/. Stay tuned for further details.