skierdaddy

No comparison, I have skied Blue since it was Little Gap and remember talking to Ray Tuthill many times. I think it is a nice mountain for pa. Elk's conditions are always much better, the base elevation at Elk is as high as the summit at Blue and is much further north. Blue still does not know how and when to groom and forget it on a weekend, Blue is ridiculous. Blue needs to keep expanding east to better the terrain. Elk has many more true fall line trails and skiis way bigger. Blue adverstises 34 trails or something? It is really more like 15 and of those, only challenge, razors and main street are real fall line trails. I do like lazy mile though. Blue early on a weekday is nice, but on a weekend I used to drive the extra hour plus to go to Elk, until I bought a house there and I live in south jersey. Bottom line though is different strokes for different folks!! And Elk is not skiing in Vermont by any stretch, but it feels like skiing in Vermont far more than any other Ne pa mtn. Enjoy the rest of this winter regardless of where you go. Ps for anyone who is not familiar with alot of New England resorts, check out www.themountainreport.tv The website is actually for a tv show and they stream the shows and the videos do a nice job of touring the ski resorts and showing you the terrain and the vibes.

Other industry? You mean drilling?

Yeah, it is a steep price for a Pa mtn, but I will pay more each year if they keep Elk the way it is and not succumb to condos, hotels and waterparks high speed lifts and out of control crowds.

According to their website, they will open on Wednesday Dec. 3rd. Shaping up to be a great ski season. Everyone get out and enjoy!

I called Elk, and they are starting to make snow tonight and will continue whenever temps permit. Anticipate and Early December opening. Maybe the 5th?

I have no idea about the rates from PPL,but I'm sure you are right. But I have seen Elk blow snow Thanksgiving week many years in the past, which is obviously before December 1. I have a hard time believing they can't build a nice base on several trails in the next week if they want to. Even a cold rain will not wipe that out. Every other mountain is making snow, I think Elk should also. Even though I won't be able to ski until mid december. I'm sure alot of others who pay $650 for a season pass would love to ski Thanksgiving week. I love Elk, but with a long cold snap like this, I am surprised that they are not making snow.

Of course Elk could open first because of their elevation and Northern Pa location. I think it would be cool but really does not make sense. It is still only October in PA!! Elk has one of the longest seasons consistenly in pa. Opening in November is just a marketing strategy. If you want plenty of terrain and good snow conditions, anything short of December is not realistic in Pa. Yeah, its nice to make a turn in November on 1 trail of crud. In pa, just a waste of money and time. Most VT mountains don't really get going until Thanksgiving. In PA, no way. In an early winter, which would be awesome, anything short of late November is not sensible for good conditions. A few jumps in a park is different. Regardless this early snow is awesome, lets hope for more!

We all would like pa ski areas to open in late november!. But most years it is really not feasible or cold enough. Elk usually opens the first Saturday in December and stays open until the last Saturday in March or April 1st. Not bad for Pa skiing. I remember skiing at Shawnee and Camelback one year in late November when we had a cold snap and they opened early, before Dec 1st. And I must say it felt good to get on skis early. but with only 2 trails open and crappy conditions, it really doesn't make sense to open until more trails are open and the base is deep. I know Boulder opened very early last yr, which is cool, but only a short beginner run made into a snowboard park. Nice for the kids, but really not much for skiers or mountain riders.

I received my letter today as well. I always get excited every september waiting for the letter to arrive. Looking forward to another great season at Elk!!!!!!!!!!

It is the exact opposite. Elk has slow lifts and about half the uphill capacity pr hr than camelback, so even if when elk is extremely crowded like presidents weekend etc, the conditions and crowds on the trails is not a big issue. As everyone who skiis alot knows, elk and camelback are complete opposites. Camelback is about quantity, Elk is about quality!

Camelback is tough on the weekends. It's flat out is just too crowded. Most of their trails are quite narrow, especially the older trails. Add 2 high speed lifts and big crowds at a pa ski area and forget it. Too many people on the hill at the same time, making for poor conditions and alot of obstacles. Camelback is about quantity not quality. I'm not saying they don't make enough snow or groom well, There is just too many people on weekends.

Yes, that one is also new this yr, but i swear i saw one just north of the quakertown exchange yesterday morning. I was driving up to visit family and saw a green billboard that i swear said "new quad lift and 2 new trails. Maybe i was dreaming but i really don't think so, when i saw it i had to look several times and swear this is what it said. We'll see, if not, i am definetly seeing things and may need professional help, LOL!

I could have sworn i saw a new billboard on the ne extension that said new quad lift and 2 new trails. Did anyone else see this or hear anything? Maybe I was seeing things of daydreaming. Nothing on the web-site etc?

I'm jealous, I ended up not working today and wondering why I did not drive up last night. S*** happens and I did not go. Elk is a great place to be with fresh snow. Glad you had a good day. I will be there next weekend for 3 or 4 days and the long range forecast looks pretty good. Also it is still snowing there now according to radar and tomorrow morning first thing will be awesome. For those who can be up and ready, there is nothing like being at your favorite ski hill standing in line waiting for first chair after a good storm. Hero snow for sure for at least a couple of hours tomorrow. Enjoy!!!!!!!!

No hating here, but I just crack up at ancient snow guns, grooming an 1/8 inch of old snow. Elk does not have the firepower to blow on all trails at once, thats true. But they can blow on 4 or so at a time and do so regularly. Their staff knows how to groom and when, they also only make snow when the conditions are right. Spending or wasting money making snow when it is not neccesary is bad business. The proof is in the pudding, Elk has always done a great job with conditions and they never have a problem keeping the entire mountain open and with a nice base. They offer a 100 day garuntee and are usually open till April 1st. As I have stated earlier, I have no problem with Sno/Montage or any other pa mtn. I have skiied them all many times, I personally like the country atmosphere, views, feel and ambience at Elk. I don't want sno tubing, water parks, 18 terrain parks etc. Thats why its great to have choices. If I were looking for a city like atmosphere, large crowds, hotels etc, Elk would not be my choice. Mountains make a business decision on what market they are targeting and I hope it works. You have to also play to your strengths. A good example is BB, I thought it was awesome that they opened early and basically have turned what was a small boring mountain into a terrain park heaven, that seems to make sense. You can't build a bigger of better moutain, but you can build parks. However, I would not pay to ski there, I am and older man who enjoys skiing only, no boarding or jumping, but if I were still young and into the park scene, then I would probably go there instead of Elk. All of the mountains have their own character, heres my take: ELk:pure skiing and riding, focus is on quality, not quantity. Quiet and peaceful. Camelback: Something for everyone, tubing, parks, water parks, hotels, mostly caters to intermediates and families to stay more then one day. Shawnee: focus in on beginners and families learning to ski or ride Alpine: Value Blue: Blue has changed alot during the years, but seems to be trying to make the mountain bigger and faster with the lifts etc. to handle the crowds. Someone also told me that there are plans for condos? JFBB: New owners have modernized snowmaking and focused on parks. good idea especially BB. Sno: Its hard to say, but it looks like they are targeting families etc and a something for everyone type of approach. Big parks, new waterpark, new lodges etc. Are their plans for a hotel? As a business man, marketing major, although I did study meterology for a while, but it was too boring. I find it interesting to watch how the mountains change and hopefully either improve or maintain quality and profits as well as stay out of debt. Ski resorts are a tough business. Alot of mountains spend a ton of money and never have the return they expect. I thought the waterpark idea was a good one and more mountains seem to be building these. They probably turn a bigger profit from the waterparks then in the winter, just a guess though.