Ride Delaware ?

This is a Blue Knob report? I don't see a reference to Elk...

I was simply saying that if you feel like hitting it, consider it open... I wouldn't poach that trail on a board, but I would poach off the blues off the quad... There is some fun stuff over on that side...

Poach a green trail? With this type of winter, there is usually plenty of snow through the first week in April... I was at CB with you last year and there was tons of snow up till closing day... Take it or leave it, I love spring skiing...

I'm a huge Elk groupie... I only get to board there once or twice a year, but I enjoy every bit of it... To start it off, there is no comparison... While I held a season pass at Blue and Camelback, and they can be compared and bitch about who is better all the time, I just can't compare Elk and Blue. Elk has a smaller vert by 82'. Whoop d fucking doo... Elk has slow lifts... I usually go there for a whole day and stay open until 4:30 when they start shutting down the quad side due to the setting sun. I get a full day of runs in and never get tired... If your looking to go somewhere, pound some quick runs out, and then go home, like most of our Blue crew does, then this is not the mountain for you. That being said, and you can all bitch and moan about it all you want, Elk is always a solid 5 degrees colder than Blue... Their grooming is superb... You won't find nearly as many death cookies, and often, none at all... There are very rarely crowds, and even then, the snow stays excellent way past Blue because the slow lifts monitor snow traffic... The food is definitely cheaper, but I'm not sure if I regard the quality to be as high... Parking is a little bit of a pain at Elk and a shuttle is often mandatory on weekends when the upper lot is only open to passholders... On another note, Elk is very laid back. It is rare to see a ski patroller since most of them are retirees... On most weekdays there are only 2 and they won't bitch at you for anything... I have gone off piste and they haven't cared... I have flown down the bunny slopes, they haven't cared... I am sure that they will give much more of a shit on a busier weekend, but as a whole, a very down to earth atmosphere... Unlike Blue though, Elk is incredibly difficult to access... While Blue is only 15-20 minutes from the A, Elk is like 20 minutes from I-81 and the exit is a good 25-30 minutes from anything closely resembling civilization... Take it or leave it, you won't be disappointed...

Unfortunately GSS, and I know you can relate, working in the family business often means that you do a majority of the work when need be. The rents went on vacation and we got pounded by 3 snowstorms in a row... I've been manning the complex and monitoring construction... Haven't gotten out much at all this year... I am sitting at 8 days... This time last year I had already posted 18... I am hoping to get out and boost that number soon... Plus, I will start making weekly weekend trips to hit CB, Bell, and Elk late season as crowds start to diminish... TRs will be posted as soon as I get out...

I'll be the rebellious one then, and say that Lehigh is basically open... I mean seriously, they have like 2 ski patrollers on the whole mountain... I was going off the quad and poaching last year right in front of the ski patrollers and they really didn't care... Just to be safe, I wouldn't be too risky about it, but you probably won't get caught... Did the same at Belleayre... Good times, good snow...

I'm a huge Elk groupie, so my opinion is slightly biased, but in the last 5 years I think they have won ski magazine best snow award for conditions and grooming 4 times... Maybe only 3, but thats still impressive... I have only ever had one really bad day at Elk and that was after a Nor' Easter (rain and 65 degrees on the front side, flurries and 25 on the flip side). Most of the time there are so few people that there are still groomer lines left by then end of the day, and they routinely blow snow through Mid-March, especially on the moguls where they blow snow almost every night... I can't imagine you'll find better grooming in NEPA... Good luck to all you haters...

I definitely have a soft spot for Elk, but I do believe that they have the best conditions in NE PA... I am thinking of maybe going there on Saturday... How is the snowmaking progressing? Think they will have the quad open by Saturday? Snowmaking down to it?

I'll probably be back up at Hunter again this Friday if your going to be in the area... Holla at me if your not off to the MRV...

Which days you looking at? You could try the Skillz for a day and then work your way south again...

I would definitely skip Greek Peak... They could have made substantial upgrades since I was there 6 years ago, but I was not at all impressed... If Elk has the Quad open you should have plenty of good snow... Looked like they were blowing on that side of the mountain, but a local needs to give us the definitive yes... They could have a ton of trails open if they didn't have highways for trails...

Well Moe, it doesnt seem like you really give a shit about traveling, so I would probably make the trip to VT... However, if you wanted a little break from traveling, then Elk and Sno would be a possible break... If you want terrain though, go to VT...

I havent been around all that much, but I don't believe so... All 3 years I had a season pass there was no talk about it...

And in typical Elk fashion, no response by noon...

Yeah, let me input my info on Friday... Arrived at the mountain from my friend's place in North Jersey around 9:45... Like Moe said, it was a brisk 18 degrees with wind... There were no liftlines all day with snowguns pounding the mountain... Trail report only listed 11 trails as open, but they opened 19 with half of them having snowmaking going while open... The quality of the snow they were making was excellent... There were almost no wet guns and the snow was about as fluffy as manmade gets... There was wind, but other than the brutal wind on Belt Parkway, the rest of the mountain was shielded due to its exposure... Unlike Moe, the last run of the day we decided to poach the Cliff... It was sick... Fluffy snow with huge mounds and more or less first tracks made it awesome... Dodging snowguns at the bottom was also fun... Definitely the best first day East Coas day I have had yet... Their trail expansion looks promising for the upcoming week...

I think we are laughing at the "fuck" part

First off, this is the wrong place for this thread... I need to know the updates on snowmaking since I'm thinking of going there next Saturday... Second, as odd as it seems, the road that intersects at a T (if you turn left you go to Elk, turn right clarks summit, coming from I-81), there is a small hotel there that looks like a dive and has a restaurant, but it actually has pretty nice rooms and is fairly secure... I stayed there with some broskis like 3 years ago, OutCold being one of them... Sketchy to check in, but not a sketch room... Its close and decently affordable... 5-10 min to the mountain...

"Get by with a B Average?" Come on Doug, who are you really talking about?

Guns are back on at Hunter... I'm sure more terrain will not be open by tomorrow when I get there, but my guess is that there will be more opening on Saturday...

Guns are on again at BB...

It would appear that they still have significant snow to blow to open up the main trails, but I have no doubt they will accomplish it when around the clock snowmaking temps arrive early in the AM tomorrow...

I can't imagine it rained much... Most of the precipitation is out of the picture... I think there was a net gain... Shouldn't be too much of a buzzkill on Friday...

Looks like all the reports say that the mountains had received 6 inches by 8 AM and that it was still coming down... Looks like a small amount of wintry mix, but thats almost over... Totals in the Skillz are 6-12, so my guess is that there was very little hit taken and very little R**N... Looking like a good Friday...

Let me know when your all hitting Elk... Love the place... I should be able to make a trip or two up depending... One of my favs...

Yeah, you would think they would go with the Camelback approach... 55 Gallon drums and some plywood... Much quicker/cheaper/more effective...