Mid-Atlantic Laurel Mountain, PA trip reports and other musings.

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

I want to share with all of you some thoughts from others about my home hill, Laurel Mountain in western PA, a state-owned but Vail operated ski area. First, this link by Pat McCloskey, a Laurel regular and PSIA III.

https://chroniclesofmccloskey.com/2...Lq642VpnlTn5-UwVN3IseAQg6RpQty7WPKfSzXTavtapk

Also, this by Ryan Radtka from last week:

Last out of state trip for this guy. Drove 4 hours east of Columbus to Laurel Mountain and was pleasantly surprised. Depending on who you ask, lower Wildcat is the steepest ski run in PA. It definitely gave me that out west feeling!
It’s my first “upside down” resort which is kinda cool to boot up and ski directly from the lot. Lodge is small but comfy with a decent bar. Theres tons of history here and the locals have a lot of pride telling you everything about it. This place has closed down multiple times with the most recent being over 10 years long. I was obsessed with the mini rescue cat outside. Even though it’s Vail owned, go out and support it. It has so much potential if they added more snowmaking/trails. Only one lift on the whole mountain.
If any Epic pass holders from Ohio are looking for something open, you could do worse than the Laurel Highlands right now. At 7springs right now and I’m blown away how much they still have open.


Unfortunately, Ullr has not been kind this year. Laurel will close this Sunday and reopen next Friday for the season's last weekend.

 

[Roundturns]

Wow, I remember Pat McCloskey when he taught at Seven Springs. Remember him demonstrating hop pivots on Tyrol . He was a very talented skier.
And there’s everybody’s friend, Dixon Rich in the pic. Another Seven Springs legend.
Getting harder and harder each season to maintain the “stoke” with the mild winters of late.
You guys are real skiers for sure .

 

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

I see Dix almost every time I've been to Laurel, which is at least twice a week, minimum. Pat is often there when he is not skiing the big hills out of state. The original plan to rehab Laurel's infrastructure included 100% snowmaking. Instead, 7 Springs wanted an easier way for novice skiers to get to the lift so the money went to widening Broadway, adding a new trail with an old name, Innsbruck, and grading Deer Path to meet a relocated new quad. At least the GM of all three of the Vail-owned/operated Laurel Highland resorts, Brett Cook, skis Laurel on occasion, and the mountain ops crew have done a great job making snow, grooming, and repairing/maintaining the infrastructure. This season, Vail has done right by Laurel including making snow yesterday right up to the time the rental company came to take the air compressors. The Epic Pass brought a lot of new faces to the mountain. I think it was a record attendance year for Laurel despite this terrible winter. I hope the money in Colorado takes notice.

 

[Roundturns]

Maybe next year we get some winter! Website at 7 Springs listing YTD snowfall at 91 inches. It’s just really disappointing it doesn’t get to last long with all the rain .

 

[cantunamunch]

5 years ago on this day