PA's signature ski trails

[RidgeRacer]

We always hear about the Outer Limits, Goats and Ripcords of the world and even the non steeps like Great Eastern and Toll Road and for good reason. Which PA trails would you consider "signature" trails for Pennsylvania or just in general? I'll throw a few out there.

 

Blue Mt. - The Switchbacks - Probably an odd choice but decent pitch the whole way down, winding and normally less traffic. There are few other trails in the area like it due to it's length and the way it winds you down before it merging with Lower Main St.

Blue Knob - Upper Stembogen Bowl - Although I've never skied there. How many other bowls are there in PA?

Elk - Tunkhannok - Steep headwall, edge to edge and nicely sized bumps with no escape route. Has an Outer Limits feel to it - definite leg burner.

Sno Mt. - White Lightning - for obvious reasons, one of if not the steepest in the state and huge bumps

 

That's all I can think of for now. Any more? (I really need to ski)

Edited July 23, 2007 by PA Ridge Racer

[Justin]

Lazy Mile is a perfect trail to cruise on when your legs are burning like a fire from skiing all day.

[RidgeRacer]

You mean Switchback at Blue??? I guess Razors is a signiture trail and so is Challenge..

 

By calling it "The Switchbacks", I meant Upper and Lower Swtichback. I was combining the two. It should only be one trail regardless.

[RidgeRacer]

Another PA trail that gets a lot of press is Gunbarrel at Roundtop...supposed to be really steep up top, although short lived. I'll throw a little love to JF. East Mt. in general is a signature PA area due to it's terrain, tree skiing and views but if I had to choose one signature trail, I'd probably go with River Shot, great view of the Lehigh, steep and you can hit the Little Cliff Huck at the bottom. I'd say Risk It but it's barely open. Risk it is pretty scary IMHO.

Edited July 23, 2007 by PA Ridge Racer

[Justin]

East mtn. is kind of cool, but only when there is enough snow for tree runs. Other than that its nothing that amazing, just some OK steeps. I've seen bumps alongside Lazy Mile that were bigger than the Cliff Huck. The only thing I like is the segregation, how it's like completely separated from the rest of the mountain, so the lift lines are usually short.

[Glenn]

How big is the cliff huck on East mountain?

 

I've only seen it open once. It was like a 15-20 drop. But, you basically just had to make a jump to a super steep pitch 4-7 feet from the top which took you the rest of the way down, because otherwise the 15-20 foot drop would have a completely flat landing. It was fun, but not really hard, or scary.

[RidgeRacer]

There are 2 "cliffs" that I know of...Little cliff Huck which is the small boulder thing on the runout toward the East Mt. lift. Then there's Risk It - which is what I believe Glen is describing

[Glenn]

Nope, I've never done risk it. I was talking about Little Cliff Huck. When I was there, no boulder was visible. It was a like a piece carved out of the left wall on the runout of the east side.

 

Anyways, my favorite PA trails...

 

Nile, Boomer, Cannonball, Main St (although it doesn't have much character, it's really the only thing in PA that sustianed and that wide), maybe pharoah on a sunny day. The whole east side at JF is pretty good, but I don't know all the names. I'm not sure any one pariticular trail there is consistantly a great run.

[zaldon]

sno mtn. white lightning hardest trail in pa

[RidgeRacer]

This is what we have so far for Pennsylania's signature ski trails

 

Blue Mt. - Challenge, Razors, Switchback, Main Street, Lazy Mile

Blue Knob - Stembogen Bowl

Roundtop - Gunbarrel

Elk - Tunkhannok

Jack frost - East Mt.

Sno - White Lightning, Boomer, Cannonball

Camelback - Nile Mile, Pharoh, Cliffhanger

Bear Creek - Terrain Park

Edited July 24, 2007 by PA Ridge Racer

[elkskibum]

Ill add lower Tuscarora at Elk, although they seem to never want to blow snow on it anymore. Its skinny and the pitch is constant, a great PA/ classic New England trail. I also always seem to like to ski Lazy Mile when ever Im at Blue, its just a good relaxing trail, and with all the madness on the east side, it feels like a different mountain.

[Tyler]

timberline used to be a great trail at bear creek, until they widened it this year

[sexkitten]

timberline used to be a great trail at bear creek, until they widened it this year

 

x2

[Tyler]

the boarder cross was sick, but i dont think the new timberline is bad either. its cool when it gets those huge snow whales

yeah its not bad...good times indeed

[RidgeRacer]

signature trails ... update

 

Blue Mt. - Challenge, Razors, Switchback, Main Street, Lazy Mile, Paradise

Blue Knob - Stembogen Bowl

Roundtop - Gunbarrel

Elk - Tunkhannok, Lower Tuscarora

Jack frost - East Mt.

Sno - White Lightning, Boomer, Cannonball

Camelback - Nile Mile, Pharoh, Cliffhanger

Bear Creek - Terrain Park

[jordan]

JF: T-Bolt, Challenge, Floyd's Folly

 

on a side note, bombing and jumping the floyd's headwall is hella fun...just make sure you have a spotter..

 

Jordan

[Johnny Law]

What was that triple black diamond (hahahah) at Denton ? As a kid I can remember that being on steep mother through the trees, but I was like 6 so who knows.

[Dan-]

Funny how that trail always comes up, and it being 66 degrees is a bunch of shit. I think it's actually in the high 20's...

[Old Geezer]

Elk, Slalom Trail - very, very nice consistent pitch and fall line, wide and tree lined on both sides. Where races are held. Strong sunlight doesn't seem to affect the snow on here much as other trails.

 

Denton Hill, Avalanche - marketed at steepest in the east. Not so sure about that, but it's up there on the list.

 

Blue Knob: Extrovert Trail, and a set of gladed trails that are more or less the same but with different names, Bone Yard and Mine Shaft and 3 more names which I forget, (because they are closed more than they are open).

[RidgeRacer]

The best of the best in Pennsylvania, All of these trails in one place would be one great mountain...

 

Blue Mt. - Challenge, Razors, Switchback, Main Street, Lazy Mile, Paradise

Blue Knob - Stembogen Bowl, Extrovert, Bone Yard Glades, Mine Shaft Glades

Roundtop - Gunbarrel

Elk - Tunkhannok, Lower Tuscarora, Slalom

Jack frost - East Mt.

Sno - White Lightning, Boomer, Cannonball

Camelback - Nile Mile, Pharoh, Cliffhanger

Bear Creek - Terrain Park

Denton - Avalanche

[Philpug]

Need to narrow it down to ONE trail, that is the deffinition of a signature..ONE trail

 

C-back--Margies Delight (the main black trail that has been there forever, only tail in PA to host a pro (or WC, I forgot, one of the two, Its been so long) mogul comp)

Elk--Tunkhannock

Roundtop--Gunbarrel

[snowboarddude]

blue with razors!!

[phillycore]

My Faves,

 

Blue - Paradise, Switchback,

JF - Floyd's , River Shot(east mtn)

CB - Pharoe, Cliffhanger, Nile Mile

Elk - Kickapoo

[n0xidee]

Blue Knob - Extrovert(upper and lower). Hardest trail(s) in PA

[mobile chernobyl]

For blue knob i'd say stembogan bowl to the ditch glades - nothing like a bowl run to canyon'ish run with trees u can jump up around. Thats got some character that PA doesnt really have anywhere else, the extroverts are just another steep bump run.

At roundtop the Gun Barrel trail is unbelievably short and last year it got "ruts" not bumps, but literally ruts that i could ski in and they would be higher than my head. I guess thats gnarly, more kinda like going in an annoying downhill maze.

And IMO Challenge and Razors edge at Blue shouldnt be included cause they are basically a straight blue run anywhere else (out west up north) and dont really have much character to them, just elevation change. It just feels like someone cut a straight line down the mtn and called it a trail. I dunno just my opinion, a signature trail should have some gnarly tight turns or something out of the ordinary.

Edited November 7, 2007 by mobile chernobyl