Springhill Crazie

I'm sorry I haven't gotten back here sooner with a follow up. At the last meeting of the Friends of Linn Run and Forbes State Forest (LR/FSF) the group heard the meeting that was to happen in April between 7S and Somerset Trust did occur but there was no movement toward an agreement to run Laurel. I don't know if more talks are pending but 7S hasn't closed the door on operating Laurel. Somerset Trust is said to be seeking other possible operators. I think the Friends LR/FSF group will see if it is possible for the State to maintain operations at Laurel until a private operator can be found. Here is a link to today's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review with a public introduction of our Friends group: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review I?ll get back with more info as it becomes available.

Attention Seven Springs and Laurel Mountain State Park Skiers Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Somerset Trust (LM leaseholder) and PA Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources (State Parks Dept.) are set to resume talks this spring. Now is the time to lobby Seven Springs. The meetings will determine if Seven Spring will operate Laurel Mountain. As many of you may know, last season Seven Springs agreed to operate Laurel Mountain State Park but decided against doing so this season. If you are at all interested in seeing Laurel opened again I‘m urging you to contact Seven Springs and tell them that you would like to see them operate Laurel. They have a proven record as a successful ski resort operator and the financial ability to develop Laurel’s full skiing potential. E-Mail Seven Springs: webmaster@7springs.com. Why bother with Laurel? If you’re a skiing family: The terrain naturally segregates skiers by ability the beginners aren’t mixing with experts. All lifts empty near the lodge. Laurel is a ski area as opposed to a destination resort and the ambience reflects this. If you’re an expert or advanced skier Laurel has Lower Wildcat, a 28 degree expert slope with good snowmaking. That’s among the steepest in the State and steep by most standards. Wildcat would wear a black diamond at any resort, east or west. Laurel’s 900 foot vertical is the tallest in the region. There are over 400 acres within the boundaries of the ski area. That includes a lot of terrain suitable for ski slope development. I’m writing this on behalf of the newly formed Linn Run and Forbes State Forest Outdoor Commission a charter member of the Pennsylvania Parks and Forest Foundation, a 501

Yep, Pittsburgh area in the Allegheny Valley. You're not a stalker are you?

Thanks for the welcome. Laurel Mountain is in the Allegheny Mountains on Laurel Ridge in Western PA. It's the same mountain ridge that you'll find Seven Springs and Hidden Valley to the south. Laurel has 900 vertical but only about 80 acres of trails about half of which is covered with snowmaking. There is no on-slope lodging (by covenant) and that is perhaps the reason Laurel has a hard time making money. Laurel first opened in the late '30s as part of the private Rolling Rock Club. After WW2 the Mellon Family opened Laurel to the public and turned over operation to the State Parks sometime in the '60s with the stipulation that no overnight accommodations be built. Laurel was leased to private concessionaires and operated until 1989 when warm weather and limited snowmaking finally force the lease holder to fold. In 1999 George Mowl stepped up to re-open Laurel and quickly lost his shirt while attempting a gallant effort to provide low cost skiing and sell properties at nearby Laurel Mountain Village. He failed to open the season before last but last season Seven Springs entered into agreement with the bank that held the loan and operated Laurel. This year things look doubtful for a 7 Springs/Laurel Mountain association. I know, too much info. I love the place for it's retro feel and good expert skiing. Hopeful an 'angel' will appear again.

Boy Greg, you really like to stir the pot. All three of the PA trails listed drop at least 500 vertical. I'd venture to say they all drop about 600 vertical. I know it's still small by VT standards but still plenty to make you pay attention. Now behave yourself and stop riling up the natives.

You may be right. I assumed that the triple diamond was Avalanche so I changed it when I posted here. Extreme is on the same face, no? My apologize if I've misled.

Here's a link to a discussion on this topic at EpicSki.com: EpicSki Here are some of PA's steepest trails compared to other trails in the east. How these numbers were determined are explained in the link. Extrovert @ Blue Knob - 28.5 degrees Lower Wildcat @ Laurel Mountain - 28.1 degrees Triple diamond run @ Denton Hill - 27.7 degrees Starr @ Stowe - 31.1 degrees Castle Rock @ Sugarbush - 21.3 degrees Whiteface Slides @ whiteface - 36.3 degrees Goat @ Stowe - 33.6 degrees Robin's Run @ Smuggs - 29.8 degrees Outer Limits @ Killington - 28.5 degrees Devils Fiddle @ Killington - 25 degrees Ripcord @ Mt. Snow - 27.4 degrees Tuckermans (steepest I could find) - 45.3 degrees (damm!) Dynamite @ Tremblant - 28 degrees Black Hole @ Smuggs - 31.0 degrees Ovation (lower section) @ Killington - 30.7 degrees Special thanks to Epic member Powdr for calculating these pitches.