Snowtime Weekend in S.Central PA - Roundtop & Whitetail

[AtomicSkier]

@Ski2Live Live2Ski I enjoyed my time at Roundtop.  Loved Ramrod.

[EdBacon]

Go to the Knob. 

[rgrwilco]

I’ve been wondering the same thing about spring mountain, I was thinking about going there last night 

Vail.


I did liberty and roundtop in the same day last year and posted a TR. those hills are pretty lame IMO.

I did a day at whitetail, which was much better. One of my favorite places in PA currently unless
Blue knob takes the best in southern PA when I go on Friday.

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

47 minutes ago, EdBacon said:

Go to the Knob. 

Somebody on the weather forum I’m browsing lives at blue knob and said 8” already. 

[Ski2Live Live2Ski]

1 hour ago, rgrwilco said:

Vail.


I did liberty and roundtop in the same day last year and posted a TR. those hills are pretty lame IMO.

I did a day at whitetail, which was much better. One of my favorite places in PA currently unless
Blue knob takes the best in southern PA when I go on Friday.

I'd say Upper Gun Barrel (which never opened last year) is tougher than anything at Whitetail. Whitetail has longer runs though, and it's nice that they leave Exhibition ungroomed to add some challenge.

 

1 hour ago, EdBacon said:

Go to the Knob. 

Not this trip. Don't want to add that extra drive in these road conditions. Would like to check it out one day for sure. 

[EdBacon]

25 minutes ago, Ski2Live Live2Ski said:

I'd say Upper Gun Barrel (which never opened last year) is tougher than anything at Whitetail. Whitetail has longer runs though, and it's nice that they leave Exhibition ungroomed to add some challenge.

 

Not this trip. Don't want to add that extra drive in these road conditions. Would like to check it out one day for sure. 

Well check it out soon because the knob is one of those places that may not be with us for too much longer. 

[Ski2Live Live2Ski]

Glad I got to check out Liberty on an occasion when it added only 30 min to a drive I had to do anyway, and I had a pass that covered skiing. I was not impressed.

Got there for their leisurely 10am opening bell - hoping to lay some fresh tracks in the 5" that had fallen the night before, but they were only to be had at the trail edges as they had groomed everything. And 2 trails were still not open even with the cold and snow we have had. 

The three double blacks were nothing special though decently steep at top - basically imagine they divided falls into three parallel trails and placed a blue runout after that drop. Surprised to see they banned rental skis on these 3 runs. The black that was open on the main face was no harder than a blue at Blue. The most fun trail was the aptly named "dips doodle" green which had 1-2 ski track wide ungroomed side runs (sometimes called "dipsy doodles") cutting in and out along its whole length. 

No express lifts and the quad on the main face is painfully slow - tale big boulder's slowest lift and add 100' vertical. I think they made it even slower to allow for a midstation terrain park dismount. The quad on the "double black" - while still not detachable - was a rocket by comparison.

As it was frozen granularing on me, which was not real pleasant, and I had a long bad conditions drive home I wanted to complete before dark, when 5 min lines started forming for lifts at 1130 I decoded to head back, having skied everything other than the bunny hills.

So a decent way to break up the ride home but can't sit going there again. As a ski area it is not a bad hotel amenity (they have on-site lodging / conference center / event space ala Bear Creek).

 

[Ski2Live Live2Ski]

So in a nutshell

Whitetail - fun place to ski but a bit far and weekend crowd is a bit much. Only prob is it's further than Hunter and doesn't compare - except in a situation like this weekend when it had a much more bearable tempersture and more fresh snow. May ski it again under such circumstances while I have Epic.

Roundtop - has character and 2 nice steep trails off Ramrod triple. While I have Epic it is a good alternative to Frost when I want something closer than Hunter - it is only 10 min further than Frost..  But only go if Ramrod triple.is open,  and especially if Upper.Gun Barrel.run is open.

Liberty - can't see returning. 

Edited February 1, 2021 by Ski2Live Live2Ski

[toast21602]

1 minute ago, Ski2Live Live2Ski said:

So in a nutshell

Whitetail - fun place to ski but a bit far and weekend crowd is a bit much. Only prob is it's further than Hunter and doesn't compare - except in a situation like this weekend when it had a much more bearable tempersture and more fresh snow. May ski it again under such circumstances while I have Epic.

Roundtop - has character and 2 nice steep trails off Ramrod triple. While I have Epic it is a good alternative to Frost when I want something closer than Hunter - it is only 10 min further than Frost.

Liberty - can't see returning. 

That is a nice little weekend checking places out!

[Ski2Live Live2Ski]

Drive home from Liberty today took longer than some drives home from S.VT. Spent a good part of it doing 25-30 behind a line of plows - and was glad to have them right in front of me as slick and snowy as it was.