Date: Tue, 5 Dec 89 13:23:16 EST From: Charles D. Hendrix To: bovik@k.gp.cs.cmu.edu Subject: Skiing Here are some responses I got when I asked for information about skiing around the Pittsburgh area. It may already be on the database; if not, enjoy. Charlie Hendrix From: Angela.Hickman@ML.RI.CMU.EDU Here's what I know: There is a place on the other side of Beckly (4.5) hours in WV. Snowshoe is in WV and about 4 hours from here. Hidden Valley is a "family oriented" place and good for beginners and people who don't like inconsiderate crowds. It has nice intermediate slopes and a few advanced slopes. When we were there, I wasn't good enough to ski the advanced slopes. My husband skiied them, though, and said they were fine. Seven Springs' new North Face is really fun for better intermediate/advanced skiiers. It reminds me some of the slopes in the West except they are much shorter. I don't like the front face much. The slopes are too narrow. If you are a beginner or beginning intermediate, Hidden Valley is the place to go. Seven Springs is more likely to be crowded with people who are a little less considerate too. The people down the street from us go to Peak and Peak in NY right outside of Erie (2.5-3 hours). They are supposed to have more runs, etc. We are taking a long weekend to go there in Feb., so I don't have any first hand information yet. My husband skiied at Jimminy Peak outside of Albany and said they had nice long runs. I don't know how far Albany is from here, though. Hope it helps, Angela From: Mathew.Vea@rudder.ece.cmu.edu Charley, The two closest areas are Seven Springs and Hidden Valley. These are both in the Laurel Highlands area of Pa. (East on the Turnpike), less than an 1-1/2 hours from Pittsburgh. Blue Knob (Pa.) and Snowshoe (W. Va.) are further away: 2-1/2 hrs. and 3-1/2 hrs. (?), respectively. I haven't been to Blue Knob for years, and have never been to Snowshoe, so I can only pass on secondhand knowledge of these two. Blue Knob is larger than Hidden Valley and smaller than Seven Springs. Snowshoe is the largest of the areas, with the most challenging runs. I will give you a detailed comparison of Seven Springs and Hidden Valley: Prices: I don't have this season's prices, but Seven Springs is usually a couple of dollars more than HV. Crowds: SS has larger crowds, especially weekends, holidays, and nights (night skiing at SS is very popular with high school kids--they come by the busload). If you go on a weekday, SS is not crowded at all. On weekends SS gets very crowded, especially on the slopes. The lift capacity at SS is impressive, so that the liftlines never get outrageous. The problem is that there aren't enough slopes to hold all the skiiers that come up on the chairs. Size: SS has about three times as many trails and lifts as HV. The vertical drop is about the same (less than 1000 feet), Seven Springs is a little bit longer. Ski School: I've never taken lessons at either place, but the ski school program at SS is much larger, and probably better, than HV. Facilities: SS has a very nice lodge, including a hotel, bowling alley, outdoor hot tubs (really!), and several decent places to eat. HV has the minimum. Both places have lockers to store your stuff while you are on the slopes. If your friends are used to skiing the big areas out West (Colorado, Utah, Calif.), then they will be disappointed. Even compared to skiing in Vermont and New Hampshire, the ski areas here are small and unchallenging, the snow conditions are usually poor (ice!), and the season is extremely short. The only place that really compares is Snowshoe (so I am told). But if you are not an experienced skiier, any of these places should be fine. I've been skiing downhill since I was about 4 years old, and have been spoiled by skiing in New England, Calif, Colorado, and the Alps. When I first got here I was afflicted with the "snob skiier" syndrome (these areas aren't good enough for me). I'm over that now. I usually go to Seven Springs on a well chosen weekday (after recent snowfall, if possible) and ski the back side of the mountain (slightly more challenging and much less crowded than the front side), and I always have a good time. That's it... Matt From: Barbara.Staudt.Lerner@GANDALF.CS.CMU.EDU Charlie, Locally I have only skied at Blue Knob and Seven Springs, and I much prefer Blue Knob. It's only drawback is that it is further away, about 2.5 hours. It has a bigger vertical drop, is less crowded, has one of the most challenging slopes in the east (Extrovert), but also has a good variety of slopes of different ranges of difficulty. Another disadvantage is that they have less snowmaking equipment, so the expert slopes (esp. Extrovert) open late. Barb