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Mid-Atlantic State of Mid-Atlantic Ski Areas 2019-20

Johnfmh

Johnfmh
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Just found this thread. I’ll make two comments.

1. The former Peak Resorts: like @JohnL, I probably will only hit Whitetail (and maybe Liberty), three days next season. I am also hoping to make 1-2 trips to New England, and at least 1 and maybe two trips West. I ski a lot of the Epic resorts so I really thought long and hard about the Epic Pass, but in the end decided to “pass” for this season. Why? I ski midweek a lot at the Tail, preferring to to ski on a regular day off or even take leave than face the madness of the weekends. Midweek tickets are significantly cheaper. I also want flexibility and do not want to be boxed into skiing certain resorts. I’d rather ski Waterville than Sunapee if I ski New Hampshire, for example. I am on a temporary duty assignment in Europe and will not have a chance to ski much in December, either in Europe or the US. I may change my tune for 20-21 if Timberline remains shuttered.

2. CV: I am not a huge fan of this resort (because of the flattish middle mountain), but ski it anyway since it is now the only game in town in the valley. The improvements added seem a more than incremental but less than game-changing. They will help but not solve the snow, lift, and terrain issues at CV. Like everyone else, I think CV is watching how the Timberline saga plays out before doing anything major. BTW, it’s been radio silence on that thread for weeks now. No news whatsoever.
 

Coach13

Making fresh tracks
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So word is Blowshoe has a micro brewery, any one been there or tried their beers?

Blowshoe ha-that made me spit soda on my screen! I love to ski there mid-week with good snow but...whoever coined the phrase, “you can’t get there from here” had that place in mind. Most of the time though when I think of snowshoe, once I consider the time and the expense I end up on a plane headed west .
 

Johnfmh

Johnfmh
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Blowshoe ha-that made me spit soda on my screen! I love to ski there mid-week with good snow but...whoever coined the phrase, “you can’t get there from here” had that place in mind. Most of the time though when I think of snowshoe, once I consider the time and the expense I end up on a plane headed west .


Yep. Not worth the drive. I stopped going there years ago for just that reason.
 

Laurel Hill Crazie

AKA Rob Davis
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Would that be the Irish Catskills or the Jewish Catskills?

I'm tempted to make a post with ethnic stereotypes but I won't. :D

Back to JohnL's original post. It will be interesting to see how Seven Springs season pass base will be affected by the Epic and Ikon incursions on their flanks. In the past, I've been buying Laurel only season passes but I went with the 7S, HV, LM Highland Pass this season and also bought an Ikon Base. This might be the last year I buy a resort specific pass. PSAA Dedicated Skier pass will suffice for local skiing in the future. Agreed that Laurel needs to go 100% snowmaking to be a full-time factor except in rare good years. Blue Knob needs to repair its snowmaking and get Extrovert and High Hopes open. I don't see how joining the Indy Pass entices more skier visits, there is always a good deal for BK online. How will t-line shake out indy or part of a corporate stepchild?
 

4aprice

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Maybe we should have a Catskills thread, a Poconos thread, and an Alleghenys thread named after the mountain ranges the ski area are located.

Ok, some perspective here. Live in the North Jersey area half way between Times Square and the Delaware Water Gap. Pa and in specific the Pocono's are in the back yard. Camelback in particular is where we purchase a season pass. We pretty much raised our kids there my son went into racing, daughter into ski school. Grew up skiing almost all of New England.

The back ground is because when the boy raced in the Pa league we had to go west to 7 Springs and WIsp once a season. The Pocono's to me are much more like the Catskill's and Berkshires then the Allegheny;s. Once west of 81 the landscape is different. Jokingly we used to say that that 6 hour trip to 7 Springs could put us at Sugarbush or Stowe in the same amount of time. Not a choice we would make on our own.

Pocono's are more Northeast then Mid Atlantic.
 

dbostedo

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So what beer do you guys and gals like to drink after a day of bashing bumps to killing blue cruisers?

Serial question since I am make beer professionally now. Working on a ski area specific adult libation.

Anything other than an IPA ... there are approximately a billion of them now, and they're way too prevalent on bar/restaurant beer lists.
 

Laurel Hill Crazie

AKA Rob Davis
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...Jokingly we used to say that that 6 hour trip to 7 Springs could put us at Sugarbush or Stowe in the same amount of time. Not a choice we would make on our own...

I know exactly what you mean. I always drive right by the Pocono resorts and keep driving until I get to Vermont. With the cost of lodging being roughly equal it makes no sense to me to stop at the lesser hills that have about the same vertical and terrain as resorts that are less than 2 hours from me. There was a brief time a good friend of mine lived and worked in the Poconos. I skied Jack Frost, Big Boulder, Elk, and Blue. My buddy never wanted to ski Camelback, too crowded. The only exception might be Elk. If I'm ever driving by en route from Vermont I might stop for a few hours. That's not too likely. The only resort that was the exception to my 2-hour rule is the ill-fated Timberline, WV. In addition to the Gatherings we held there, I use to do that for a day trip and even paid for overnight lodging on occasion. The one exception I would make for another Pocono visit would be an organized Gathering.
 

jimmy

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Yeah, I would like to ski Elk someday.

We usually stay in a Comfort Inn in Scranton on the way home from Vermont. There is a view of Montage from the lobby but never been there either. I remember asking the front desk clerk once if the ski hill was open, he answered "what ski hill?" Haha they are all about the skiing in Scranton.
 

RodneyBD

Hatfield made rain for L.A.
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Anyone have any insight to the state of Wisp? They have a new GM. Despite having 33 billion gallons of water at the base they make less snow than other regional resorts. There is some decent skiing if all the trails are actually open.
 

cantunamunch

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Yeah, I would like to ski Elk someday.

We usually stay in a Comfort Inn in Scranton on the way home from Vermont. There is a view of Montage from the lobby but never been there either. I remember asking the front desk clerk once if the ski hill was open, he answered "what ski hill?" Haha they are all about the skiing in Scranton.

The funny thing about that : Scranton is the southernmost Barnes and Noble that had ever bothered to stock XC ski mags and buyers guides.
 

4aprice

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I know exactly what you mean. I always drive right by the Pocono resorts and keep driving until I get to Vermont. With the cost of lodging being roughly equal it makes no sense to me to stop at the lesser hills that have about the same vertical and terrain as resorts that are less than 2 hours from me. There was a brief time a good friend of mine lived and worked in the Poconos. I skied Jack Frost, Big Boulder, Elk, and Blue. My buddy never wanted to ski Camelback, too crowded. The only exception might be Elk. If I'm ever driving by en route from Vermont I might stop for a few hours. That's not too likely. The only resort that was the exception to my 2-hour rule is the ill-fated Timberline, WV. In addition to the Gatherings we held there, I use to do that for a day trip and even paid for overnight lodging on occasion. The one exception I would make for another Pocono visit would be an organized Gathering.

Why would you drive from W Pa to Vermont? That must be brutal. Even with making a pit stop in the Pocono's. Flying out west would take much less time

I'm not huge on the driving either. Camelback is the local bump, the back yard, less then 1 hour from home. Weekends at Northern New England Ikon destinations are 4-5 hours away and worth it for 2 days but anything over that and its down to Liberty International Airport and out to the Rockies. We have the Catskills with in a 2-2 1/2 hr drive from here but if I get on to that New York Thruway I'm going up to VT/NH.

Skiing wise my location isn't too bad. I'm lucky to have the VT/NH option but I know a lot of people who live quite a ways away from the Pocono's and rely upon them for their skiing.
 

wgo

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I would love to fly out west more but in my case it would be a family of four, not just myself. Makes a difference when you are talking at least $1000 to fly out, plus the cost of either renting skis for 4 people or checking ski gear for 4 people.
 

Laurel Hill Crazie

AKA Rob Davis
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Why would you drive from W Pa to Vermont? That must be brutal. Even with making a pit stop in the Pocono's. Flying out west would take much less time

What wgo said. Also, why would I spend about $260 to fly round trip to Burlington when I could spend about the same for a round trip to Denver....if I book about a month in advance and there's the rub. Also, there are few direct flights to ski country from here so the time I spend in a cramped airline seat, layovers to change planes in addition to the drive time to and from the airports plus the early arrival at the airport required for security, I can drive to Stowe from here in the same time and be a lot more comfortable including a sit down meal at a real restaurant. So, this winter I'll drive to VT a couple of times for a few weeks and also fly out west for 3 weeks in Utah and Wyoming. I couldn't afford the later if I didn't do the former.
 

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