I grew up near two small ski areas in the Lehigh Valley, does anybody remember Apple HIll, in Foglesville, and Big Valley/Hahn Mountain, in Lenhartsville? I think they both went bust a long time ago. These places cost around $10 for a night of skiing in the 70's- still expensive when you consider that a day pass at Stowe was around $35. I skied at night at the tiny places, ans sometimes during the weekday, so I could get home at the same time I usually got hoe from school, then skied at CB on the weekends. CB was crowded even back then, but the more challenging runs there made the additional cost and drive time worth it. Still, the ice, and rocks on the Rocket at CB were nothing compared to the majesty of Northern Vermont!
EVERYTHING is more expensive now, and almost everybody I know has had to move from place to place to service their career. We don't always have the option of living in ski country, and we can't force our kids to ski if they don't like the cold or the pain of falling, etc. (I think you have to be a bit of a masochistic thrill seeker to learn to ski.), so we begin to develop other habits. That's what I did. I moved down south and never considered southern skiing, until a guy I worked with kept on nagging me to go with him to Wintergreen, Va. I was surprised to see so much snow on the slopes! I put the skis on and after the first ten yards of gliding I felt like I was back home again! No skiing for 25 years- What was I thinking? My skiing addiction had been rekindled, and that weekend I bought some some equipment and began getting out there as much as I could, skiing for free as a Ski Bus Captain.
Anyway, I moved back to Pennsylvania, and I'm ready to put more time on the slopes. Not sure how I'm going to be able to afford it though. It's not so easy to fool the left attendants these days, and sneak on the lift line like I used to when I was in HS. I thought of running some ski bus trips, but that market's not so great where I live in Lewisburg. Maybe I'll have to join the Ski Patrol some place.
I'm ready for somne advice...I'm wondering where I should consider my home Ski area, living where I live. I don't think Jack Frost is worth the money for the ticket, nor is Camelback. There's Sawmill an hour away. Cheap but nothing advanced, except for the park, and I'm pretty old for trick skiing. Do they have moguls/decent snow? There's Denton 2 hours away. Cheap, and I hear it's pretty decent for 600 ft vertical. Then there's Elk, 2 hours, but significantly more expensive than Denton, and Blue, which is supposed to be really nice, but crowded on weekends. And then there's the carpooling thing. I hope there are some avid skiers in the Lewisburg area who want to carpool, 'cause it just ain't the same when you're alone.
