The official 2013 / 2014 Ski Season Thread

[Justo8484]

When the Penn forest interchange (on 476) opens next year it will be by far quicker to get to BB than Blue.

 

Elk is remote. I don't consider the Pocono areas remote.

 

what is this new interchange you speak of?

[poconoceancity]

I can't wait for that exit to open. It will knock 15 minutes off my trip.

[RidgeRacer]

[guitar73]

Most people in Scranton and Wilkes barre don't consider themselves as living in the poconos

 

yeah, as far as the local culture goes...but from a geographic/ geologic standpoint montage is a pocono ski hill. i believe elk is in a different geologic formation than the poconos.

[RidgeRacer]

Technically the Poconos and the Catskills are a raised plateau cut and formed by glaciers. None of them are true mountains. So yes, elk, jack frost bellayere are technically the same geologic feature.

 

That being said, I live in carbon County and I don't consider myself to be in the poconos. I reserve that title for most of Monroe, pike and Wayne. I would call carbon and the West end of Monroe the western poconos.

[JFskiDan]

 

what is this new interchange you speak of?

 

Kinda bored at work, so here it is. i think its opening in the spring.

 

 

I think it should be exit 87, where as Mahoning Valley is 72, or 74. Pocono exit is 95? The nice thing about the new exit is it is fairly flat, with just a little hill on 903. the shortcut can be a white knuckle ride in inclement weather.

Edited November 15, 2013 by JFskiDan

[Justo8484]

Kinda bored at work, so here it is. i think its opening in the spring.

 

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Does this shortcut of yours factor in a general disregard for the speed limit? You can make up a loooot of time on that last stretch of 476 and 80

[RidgeRacer]

Here is a good reference.

 

http://www.800poconos.com/map/

 

Blue mountain is just barely in the poconos..although not the touristy part of the poconos I always considered the Blue mountain to be the boundary between the Lehigh valley and the Poconos. Scranton and Montage no not in the poconos.. You drive through the poconos to get to montage...

 

What browser are you using? Are you at a library or Internet cafe?

That's what the Pocono mountain vacation bureau calls the poconos. That doesn't mean that it's the poconos proper. Pocono is basically a native American word to describe what is now the Delaware water gap. The "Poconos" used to only consist of eastern Monroe and pike counties. They added all 4 counties for marketing purposes. Most people in places like Palmerton and Lehighton will tell you that they don't live in the poconos.

[RidgeRacer]

Does this shortcut of yours factor in a general disregard for the speed limit? You can make up a loooot of time on that last stretch of 476 and 80

Tell me about it. I've been waiting for this thing for a decade.

[guitar73]

FWIW, i grew up in hazleton and i considered that to be in the poconos...

[poconoceancity]

Me too. I wish it would be done for this season. My kids start to break down once we get off 476. This year I'm hitting pjs for dinner, rather than trying to make it to Bella Mia's. I wish there was also a solution for the mess on 95 and the southern part of 476 we always sit there for about a half hour on Friday nights.

[RidgeRacer]

There's a PJ weilehans in Beltsville. Used to be platz's

[guitar73]

btw....i love that we're nit-picking over what's in the poke's and what's not....like the pokes is the skiing mecca of the US lol...

[JFskiDan]

Does this shortcut of yours factor in a general disregard for the speed limit? You can make up a loooot of time on that last stretch of 476 and 80

 

i believe it does. your results might vary, like if you happen to be in Ridge Racers time machine. keep in mind the general disregard for the speed limit applies to the roads on the shortcut as well.

[guitar73]

 

i believe it does. your results might vary, like if you happen to be in Ridge Racers time machine.

 

[JFskiDan]

Me too. I wish it would be done for this season. My kids start to break down once we get off 476. This year I'm hitting pjs for dinner, rather than trying to make it to Bella Mia's. I wish there was also a solution for the mess on 95 and the southern part of 476 we always sit there for about a half hour on Friday nights.

 

Thats a harsh ride....my neighbor does it from Cape May.

[poconoceancity]

Beltsville pjs right off the exit. The ride sucks, but having a beer in the pokes on a Friday night at 7 is totally worth it. Eventually we will do it every weekend in the winter.

[RidgeRacer]

btw....i love that we're nit-picking over what's in the poke's and what's not....like the pokes is the skiing mecca of the US lol...

I know right. While I would love to be nit picking over what constitutes the rockies, this ass area is where I reside. Actually it's not bad. Only ass when compared to 95% of other mountain regions based on the fact that the skiing sucks in comparison.

[poconoceancity]

I would love to live where u guys live.

[toast21602]

Its in between Mahoning Valley and Pocono. It'll put you right on 903 about 7 or 8 miles from Lake harmony. No more maury road or going through Jim Thorpe.

 

that sounds great.

I would love to live where u guys live.

 

me too.

[guitar73]

I would love to live where u guys live.

 

it's all relative, lol....the grass is always greener on the other side.

[Ride Delaware ?]

Well then.

 

Just based off general thoughts and media, I always considered Snotage to be part of the Poconos. I respect the argument here, and will place it outside of that area.

 

There is no way I have ever considered Blue to be part of the Pokes. Same with BC. They are just too far south without the same climate.

 

Say what you will haters of Elk. It may only be like the Catskills in PA, have slow lifts, have expensive passes, and be anti glades, but it is in a league of it's own. If they ever consider it to be part of the Poconos, the other Pocono mountains should just be thankful to be included in the same breath.

[tinymoose]

Having grown up in Ohio, the Poconos look pretty good in comparison.

[RidgeRacer]

[Ride Delaware ?]

I'll take Platty any day of the week. If Elk and Platty were next door to each other and offered a joint pass, I would have no problems going there. Especially if they got Platty's snowfall total.