The DCSki.com/PugSki.com Mid-Atlantic Gathering will be held at Laurel Mountain / Seven Springs Feb. 7 to 9, 2020.
The plan is to ski Seven Springs on Friday the 7th, and Laurel Mountain on the 8th and the 9th is TBD for those that ski Sunday. This will avoid some of the Seven Springs crowding, which can be substantial on a Saturday. And this is weather and snow dependent of course and things may change as we get closer. Meet up times and places TBA.
Discount lift tickets are available for Laurel beginning 9 am Friday through 9 pm Sunday. Simply say, "I support Laurel Mountain" at the time of purchase and receive the group rate. For example, the all-day ticket will be $43. That's a $15 discount over the regular $58 regular price. Group discounts are available for all-day, twilight, or night sessions.
Lodging Options
If small-town amenities and charm are your focus and for those looking for a more rounded après ski or family experience then make Ligonier your lodging choice. For those familiar with Stowe before the Spruce Peak development, the relationship between Laurel and Ligioner is likened to Stowe, the village and Mt. Mansfield, the ski area. Laurel Mountain is about 15 minutes away. Seven Springs about 40 min. drive. There is no on-slope lodging at Laurel. There are a few Airbnb and VRBO rentals available very close by in Laurel Mountain Village less than a mile from the lift with more lodging options within 20 minutes. Ligonier is a real town with several dining/watering hole options, a bowling alley/bar & grill, movie theater, a recreated fort with a year-round museum interpreting the French and Indian War.
You could also stay at Seven Springs. Seven Springs is a full-on 4 season resort with many accommodation options, including a 10 story hotel at the base, and a condo/cabin village surrounding the ski slopes. The Springs (as we yinzers say) has several on-site bars including the Foggy Goggle at the base, most with live music at some point in the day. There are health spas, indoor pools, hot tub rentals, kids and teen game room, boutique shops, a full-service ski shop, and dining options from very casual to fine dining. Add an extensive shuttle bus system to tie it all together. Oh, and a tubing hill. All of this right at the base - it very much feels like a resort.
Somerset, PA is another option. It's a medium sized town right off the PA turnpike, and the capital seat of Somerset county. It's approximately a half hour drive from both Seven Springs and Laurel Mountain. So not all that close to either place, but it has a variety of hotels and restaurants that makes things easy.
Resort Details
Laurel has 1 new Skytrac (2016) fixed-grip quad and a rope tow. No park, no pipe. One lodge with a snack bar on the main floor and bar/ light menu restaurant downstairs. If natural snow is bountiful then Laurel offers the best expert terrain for the region short of Blue Knob. Total skiing acreage for Laurel with a thick natural coat would be less than 100 acres which include the unmarked glades that I know of. Snowmaking coverage is about 50%. It is a small, pretty well run area with good but limited snowmaking. The locals are very friendly and happy to share the mountain with you. The featured slope is Lower Wildcat, 500 vertical feet at almost 30 degrees, and often a mix of groom and bumps... providing the steepest run in the area.
View of Lower Wildcat
The contrast between Seven Springs and Laurel is drastic. Seven Springs sprawls along a ridgeline and has 2 hi-speed 6 packs, 3 fixed-grip quads, 5 triples, 3 magic carpets, and a rope tow. The snowmaking at Seven Springs is impressive, with over 1000 snow guns, guaranteeing almost everything is open as long as the weather is cold. They have 40 trails totaling about 250 acres of varying difficulty, with the "North Face" side being a bit taller and steeper. There are some trees but not much, and if there's good natural snow, Laurel is the better bet for some nice mid-A glade skiing.
View of Seven Springs Base Area
Hope to see everyone out on the slopes for the Gathering!
Heres a link to an article by Jim Kenney about last year's get together at Laurel: http://www.dcski.com/articles/1574
Here's a link to an article he wrote about Seven Springs back in 2010: http://www.dcski.com/articles/1242
LHC - also note that there are some great houses for rent at Hidden Valley which I believe is a shorter drive to LM. Check out VRBO.com or homeaway.com.
We can get session group rates at the time of purchase at Laurel's ticket desk by asking for the Support Laurel Mountain discount. More details to come.
Laurel Hill Crazie wrote:
We can get session group rates at the time of purchase at Laurel's ticket desk by asking for the Support Laurel Mountain discount. More details to come.
LHC, thanks for organizing this get-together. That was such a bargain last February, and an exceptional weekend for snow. I had a great time and look forward to hanging with the group again in February 2020.
Woody
We hope to see you, Woody. Bring some friends.
I know I have been long MIA.. But it might be a possibility this year.
GGNagy wrote:
I know I have been long MIA.. But it might be a possibility this year.
It would be great to ski with you again.
Laurel just posted on instagram that they started making snow today
Webcam looks boodiful!!!
http://www.laurelmountainski.com/ski-ride/mountain-cam/
I found this resort profile of Seven Springs Hidden Valley and Laurel online This story from the perspective of two self-proclaimed intermediate skiers and blogsters about all things around the 'Burgh:
https://www.discovertheburgh.com/ski-resorts-near-pittsburgh/
Snowmaking overnight at Laurel 12/12:
Tame Cat and Ski Top 12/12/19 :
Laurel opens for skiing this Saturday, Dec. 21. Ski Season Eve Party in the Wildcat Lounge Friday night beginning at 4.
https://www.facebook.com/LaurelMountainSki/videos/2300358336929464/
Just to confirm, discounted lift tickets are available for this event for Laurel Mountain beginning at 9 am Friday through close Sunday night by simply saying, “I support Laurel Mountain” at the time of purchase at the Laurel ticket desk. Group rate discounts are available for all sessions, all-day, twilight, or night.
There are no discounts available for Seven Springs unless we have at least 20 people registered 3 days in advance of the date you wish to ski. Seven Springs day group rates can be found by clicking here: 7S Group Rates. If there is enough interest I will make the arrangements.
Laurel Hill Crazie wrote:
I found this resort profile of Seven Springs Hidden Valley and Laurel online This story from the perspective of two self-proclaimed intermediate skiers and blogsters about all things around the 'Burgh:
https://www.discovertheburgh.com/ski-resorts-near-pittsburgh/
A terrific summary of all 3 ski areas; especially like Laurel's (that's a shock, eh)
A member of Laurel's snowmaking crew posted this picture of the Broadway trail in the Support Laurel Facebook Group. Looks like the base held up through this thaw. I'll be going tomorrow.
Conditions improving. I'll be back on the local hill this week.
Seven Springs 1/21 4:15 PM
Laurel Mountain summit 1/21 4:15 PM
Looks like it could be snowy this weekend. I assume they are cranking the snow guns on Wildcat.
Lower Wildcat should be open in the next day or two, definitely by the weekend.
I was going to hit Laurel today on the hopes that Lower Wildcat was open but the morning report said not right now but maybe. My buddy Marcus had to go to the Springs to grab his equipment anyways so we hit the Springs instead. 7S has made a lot of snow this week and are close to having about 70% of its terrain open. Only North Face, Gunnar, Lost Boy, and The Alley are open on the back but a second alley of NF soon and Boulder by tomorrow or Friday. Lots of snowmaking in The Spot and The Streets. Whales are ready to be rolled on Tyrol. The upper crossover from NF to Gunnar might be reay soon. No snow made on Giant Steps, Lost Girl, Yodler, or Goose Bumps on the front. Best snow on Avalanche and Stowe.
Best snow of thre day, Avalanche and Stowe. Bluebirds singing all day.
Whales on Tyrol were like dry butter, firm but smooth.
Lots of snow made this last week at Laurel. Innsbruck and Lower Wildcat needs pushed. Yinz ul havta call n check it aut before yinz drive up air ta da mountinsn at.
Depending on which weather model you look at, it appears we could get up to 3" of snow, on Saturday and Sunday.
At Laurel, Innsbruck was groomed out today. Lower Wildcat awaits the winch cat.
Kath and I met some old friends at 7S this morning before a rain shower drenched us just before lunch. The grooming on North Face and Boulder Trail were nice. We lapped the Gunnar 6 and NF 4 all morning, never hit the front except to return to the lodge but we could see they groomed out Tyrol so most of the front is now open. This is the most open terrain so far for the season at 7S and soon, Laurel. I hope snowsmith's weather models are correct. The natural snow trails have not been in play yet this season.
Model updates seem to indicate we'll get more rain and less snow. This weather pattern SUCKS!! That said, looks like we'll get some snow especially Sunday into Monday. And possibly on Wednesday.
We are less than a week out so its time to firm the schedule and set meeting times and places.
The Gathering opens on Friday at 7 Springs. If there are no objections I propose that we meet at 9:30 am outside the main lodge on the slopeside beside Emo's Pit, the outdoor grill and beverage counter. I think 9:30 is a realistic time to meet due to the travel time for the participants. Nobody has said that they have lodging on or near the resort so It seems likely that folks will be traveling a distance to make that first day. I propose an afternoon meet time at 1:00 on the outside deck of the summit Tahoe lodge. If you bought an all-day pass or a multi-resort multi-day Highland Ticket you will have an open to close ticket so night skiing is an option but I will do little if any night skiing. At some point, my wife and I will head to Ligonier to get a room for that night either at the Ramada or at newly built tourist cabins that are closer to the slopes.
That brings us to, day 2 at Laurel. This will be simple. We meet at 9:30 at the back slopeside of the lodge and do the same at 1:00.
Sunday is you pick'em day. If you love the laid back nature and relatively empty slopes of Laurel, come back. If the variety and amenities of Laurel are not to your liking and the bigger resort amenities and greater trail acreage are your preference then head back to 7 Springs.
Have a good time everyone. Originally I planned to attend but now I can't because I am going to the "make up" lesson at Liberty. I am doing the mulitweek adult dev program and they had to cancel one Sat. lesson (1/11) due to rain. 2/7 will be the make up day.
Will try next seaon if we will have a gathering.
Plan to meet you at the NEW Timberline Mountain next year!!!
MorganB aka The Colonel
The Colonel wrote:
Plan to meet you at the NEW Timberline Mountain next year!!!
MorganB aka The Colonel
Okay! Let's do that. Only been to T'line once, it was Epic Ski Mid A gathering. Not the best condition that weekend and we tried to ski as much as we can. I ought to give another try, as many skiers here prefer T'line over other places.
There are a few of us that are looking at an apres-ski meet up in Ligioner Saturday night. I'm recommending we meet at the Wicked Googly They hosted many official Laurel Mountain preseason parties and have a great selection of craft and domestic brews, 20 on tap, for all you beer snobs out there (me). It is a unique bar as it is also home to Ligioner Lanes, that's right bowling alleys because, well, bars alone are just not loud enough. I know what your thinking but it's not like that. Think of it as more a restaurant/bar with bowling as an option. There will be live entertainment too. Another option and also a great supporter of Laurel Mountain is Fat Daddy's Place. The thing is they are a cash-only establishment.
Seven Springs parking and locker room directions.
Large locker rooms are on the bottom floor of the main lodge next to the rental shop and there are small booths along the outside wall if you need to strip down from street clothes to change. There are also pay lockers along the wall to the right of the First Tracks cafeteria upstairs. On weekdays most people boot up in the lodge and stow their boot bags under, on or around the tables against a wall.
As for where to park, if you didn't know there was a drop-off area it is because it is not publicized. You drive through the entrance gates that look like toll booths where one use to buy a ticket from your car. Those booths are no longer manned. Drive through and continue keeping right until you get to the bottom main lot in front of the hotel/convention center complex. You may encounter an attendant who wants to direct you to an upper lot (not likely early Friday morning or any time on Friday) just inform them that you are going to the drop-off. As you enter the lot continue as though you want to go to the front of the complex and by The Spot terrain park and the Blitzen Lift (#5 on the map) you will see a road on the right that goes down to the drop-off area. There will be a sign at the top that directs all traffic to continue through the main lot or there will be a sign that says premium parking. Ignore the sign, proceed to the guardhouse and if there is anyone there then the parking lot down there is a pay lot. You can pony up $20 for parking in the lot by the Blitzen lift or turn around to park elsewhere. If the guardhouse is not manned then parking in that lot is free. I called to confirm that the lot is free on weekdays. Do not park in the roped-off area closest to the lift. That space is reserved for busses. Walk down to the drop-off area and follow the directions above to the lodge or locker rooms.
If that lower lot by the guardhouse is full then you need to park in the main lot. To get to the slopes from there you can either walk down that road to the guardhouse or if you find parking in the middle of the lot, look for a set of doors below the sign that says Convention Center. Go down the steps, continue past the bowling alleys and out the door. The lodge is in front of you, continue past Willi's ski shop. That walkway leads to the lodge.
If anyone returns to ski Sunday then you may encounter an attendant that will direct you to the upper lots. You can tell them that you wish to proceed to the drop-off or premium parking and pay to park close in or cruise the lower main lot in hopes to find an empty space which is not too likely. On weekends or on weekdays when the lower main lot is full there are shuttle buses that pick up at marked bus stops throughout the parking lots and take you to the drop off area. Park only in designated parking spaces within the clearly marked end caps. You will be towed and or ticketed if you ignore the parking rules.
Laurel Mountain
Please note that if you are coming from the east and Somerset, you can access Laurel only from US Route 30. If your GPS tells you otherwise it will mean taking State Forest roads that are not maintained in the winter. There is a small sign for Laurel on Rt. 30 at the Summit Road across from the cell phone towers. Continue on the Laurel Summit Road, past Laurel Mountain Village about 2 miles or so until you see the ski area entrance on your right beside a stone guardhouse. The road is flat but there is one horseshoe bend that many people misjudge and slide off the road when it is snow covered. Turn right at the guardhouse and continue to the end and park. If you are early you will get parking steps away from the lodge. If you are late you will find parking just a few more steps away from the lodge, maybe as much as 25 yards from the lodge. If you are really late you can probably find very close in parking because a local who arrived early already left for the day.
As you approach the U shaped lodge and the courtyard in front, enter the doors on your right into the retail shop where you will find the ticket desk. The doors on either side of the outdoor fireplace are locked. Use the side doors. The ticket windows facing the courtyard are not manned. Go inside and ask for the "I support Laurel Mountain" discount. Everybody boots up in the lodge and stows their bags on hooks on the wall, on or under tables or empty spaces along the wall. If you must lock your stuff up there are lockers downstairs in the rental area. Take the staircase nearest the retail shop. If you need to change out of street clothes use the restrooms.
I'll be going back to Laurel on Sunday as this weekend is also the Support Laurel Weekend which I organized for members of our Facebook group. Many of our members will be joining us on Saturday. So far 28 people indicated they will be attending.
See yinz on Fridey. Let's go Pens! Here we go Stillers! Raise the Jolly Roger! 'n 'at.
See you at Laurel Mountain on Saturday! Probably arriving by 10:00 a.m., so I'll find you ln the slopes.
C'mon snow ... !
Woody
Today's the day we begin at 7 Springs and the snow is coming down. See you Saturday, Woody.
Up to 7” of snow forecast for Laurel Ridge today (7S, HV, LM).â„ï¸â„ï¸â„ï¸
See you guys on the mountain later this morning. Snowing pretty good at 9:15am.
Nobody at Tahoe lodge at 12:50? Snowing like crazy.
Sorry snowsmith, the front side six being down all morning really messed things up. There was no easy way to get to the North Face so we were on the front side all morning. Even the Cortina Quad was not running when we broke for lunch so the only way over was to walk to the Blitzen Lift. Both lifts were finally operating sometime after lunch but by time we took the Cortina>Blitzen>North Face we missed the meet. See you tomorrow at Laurel?
Hi, can we get a quick report for SS? Thinking about raking the kids there for a day trip tomorrow. We were therentwo weeks ago, but several trails were still bare. Thanks
Yes, I will be there. Looking forward to seeing the group. May I suggest that parking at the North Face lot is much more convenient to the slopes. 20 steps from your car to the slopes.
Dafixison wrote:
Hi, can we get a quick report for SS? Thinking about raking the kids there for a day trip tomorrow. We were therentwo weeks ago, but several trails were still bare. Thanks
Tomorrow should be pretty nice at all 3 resorts. Today saw 6+ inches of snow at 7S (SS is initials for Snowshoe here) and still coming down. Snowmaking all day on several trails. The Snowcats should have all the snowmaking trails groomed out.
Had a great time skiing with the gang on both Saturday and Sunday at Laurel Mountain. I hadn't skied there since 2005? ~8 in of snow on Friday freshened things up nicely over the weekend; it was a scenic winter wonderland up there. Great respite from a bleak local winter. Wish there was a bit more natty snow to open up the non-snowmaking trails.
Good to finally meet Snowsmith and Bousquet.
John - great to meet you, actually in person. Very much enjoyed. Thanks to LHC for organizing. 7S was a challenge on Friday with the ice under those piles of heavy snow but I had a blast. Sorry you guys got stuck on the front side with the lift broken. I look forward to next year's event.
Just when the winter was looking bleak we got the biggest dump of the year. Too bad the wind blew most of that away. As snowsmith said, Friday conditions at Seven Springs was a bit of a challenge. As the old saying goes, there is good snow and then there is snow that is good for you. Even early in the day, one found stretches of untracked heavy powder (is there any other kind here) then patches of frozen cord exposed by the high winds. The previous few days were rainy then the temperatures dropped. Adding to the challenge was the front side Polar Bear 6 was iced up messing with the spacing of the detachable chairs which caused the system to shut down. The crews worked diligently and got it running properly around lunchtime. It took a while to round up additional personnel to man the Cortina quad so for a time the only way to the North Face was to walk up to the Blitzen triple. After lunch, we had skis over our shoulder to do that when I noticed that the Cortina was running giving us ski to access to the Blitzen and to the North Face. We found the Boulder trail in nice shape as was the North Face slope. Gunnar was in pretty good shape too so we spent the rest of the day over there skiing off the Gunnar 6 and North Face quad.
Saturday the gang moved to Laurel which also got about a foot total snowfall over the weekend but also had stiff wind during Friday's storm. We arrived to find the upper mountain in a light fog created by the extensive snowmaking in progress. Soon rising temperatures and humidity brought an end to snowmaking activities. Natural snow trails were wind scoured. That coupled with all the rain we've had has the ground saturated so springs were flowing where normally they wouldn't leaving a small stream running down Dream Highway otherwise it might have been opened. Untracked snow could be found at the edges of the trail just beyond the snowmaking especially on Upper Wildcat skiers right on the old T-bar line. The mountain ops crew had the trails in pretty good shape but Saturday at Laurel there were a few sticky snowmaking mounds that were easy to navigate because the Patrol marked them. The Seven Springs trio of resorts is making snow at every opportunity. With the constant freeze/thaw the grooming crews have been busy creating a smooth skiable surface but by afternoon Lower Wildcat was growing bumps on skiers far right edge of the trail to offer some more challenge to go along with the steep.
Sunday some stayed at Laurel, others chose to go to Seven Springs. As my screen name says, I'm crazy for Laurel, its lovely lodge, the friendly small hill feel and the sparse crowds that allow one to ski the entire trail with very manageable traffic with the exception of an occasional crowd of mixed abilities on the Deer Path leading down to the quad. Lower Wildcat was in good shape until late in the day but bumps again began to form on skier's right. We spent the day mixing runs and connectors Last Chance and Woodland to add a little variety. You just can't beat Laurel's skiing experience for a snowy weekend over most other Mid-Atlantic resorts. I've said it before, get to Laurel before the secret gets out.
I'm going to hijack some pictures from PugSki (with permission from Dave) and post them here soon. Unfortunately, Jim Kenney went out west early this year so we will miss his excellent action shots and write up.
In closing, I would like to thank Laurel's management for their cooperation and a special shout out to the mountain ops crews at both resorts for the successful battles they have waged this winter.
Saturday was my fourth visit to Laurel Mountain and my second DCSki-PugSki gathering there. I brought Warren, one of my skiing friends along, figuring that as a history professor he'd have a special appreciation for this ski area and for the tpurs and tales of Laurel Hill Crazie. I wasn't mistaken on either count.
The 8 inches of snow that fell on the Laurel Highlands Friday night into early Saturday brought winter's ambience back to Pennsylvania. Snow covered the fields and forests, piled up on the evergreens, and frosted the bare branches of the oaks, hickories, and maples. (It's been weird to ski so many times surrounded by a snowless landscape in recent years.) And there was LHC, yelling out my name and making introductions all around. Great to attach nicknames and real names to faces (or, more accurately, to helmest, jackets, and skis). Maybe we need name tags with both our real names and our DCSki nicknames.
Although Hegan's Cut and, I think, a couple of the other natural snow trails had come into play, my new skis and I kept to the snowmaking runs. Warren and I paid our respects to Lower Wildcat - that is, we hacked down it once, leaving the rest of the snow for the better skiers. Both of us were impressed by the variety of ways to ski down the non-double-black runs that were open. One might quibble by arguing that there were "only" two TTB routes open, but that ignores the cut-throughs, crossovers, and short spurs that gave a different feel to each run.
LHC, ever the historian, held forth on the Midway Cabin, rope-tow routes, and the evolution of trails and structures of Laurel Mountain. He and Mrs. Crazie made sure that we all had a chance to ski with those of similar interests and get to know each other at lunch and on the lift.
It's hard not to be impressed by Laurel: the mountain, the lodge and restaurant, the mountain ops staff, ski patrol, shop and restaurant staff, friendly lifties, and management. The discount for DCSki-PugSki skiers who care about celebrating and preserving Laurel Mountain, and the welcome by the lodge staff, made us feel like honored guests. The 5-hour round-trip from Winchester, Virginia was well worth it.
Special thanks to LM management, Laurel Hill Crazie, Mrs. Crazie, and all who attended for the great day - my best of the season so far.
Woody
Here are a few pictures of day 1 at Seven Springs from dbostedo.
More pictures from dbostedo.
Laurel Mountain, Saturday
The only lift at Laurel, in the early morning with lots of crowds in evidence
My skis for the weekend.... pretty good choice for Laurel for the most part; Less good choice the day before at Seven Springs
Guns on in the morning all over Laurel... they shut them off mid-morning which was good - some were pretty much spraying grippy slush
Laurel Hill Crazie on the right, and his wife Kathy, our hosts for Laurel Mountain
theNitza and George on Innsbruck run
The original lodge from the 1940's
The view in some clearing clouds in the afternoon. It's a great view from the top
The group for Saturday - Warren bousquet19, JohnL, Laurel Hill Crazie, snowsmith, Kathy, Justin, Marcus, George
The dropoff onto Lower Wildcat ... it had pretty good snow with some patches of ice, but held up pretty well throughout the day
Wider view of the dropoff and far slope
Marcus and JohnL at the top of Lower Wildcat
Lower Wildcat from the bottom by the lift
LaurelHillCrazie about to give a tour of the original lodge
A few from JohnL Saturday at Laurel. dbostedo making a fashion statement in two tone blue jacket and lime green pants.
Would somebody please configure the pictures for click & view!!!!
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