Shawnee

I had not made a trip up to Shawnee Mountain for a handful of ski seasons and I was wondering if it was going to be as fun as I remembered it being when I was younger. I was not disappointed.

Billboard advertisements for Shawnee on the way up there say "Beginner Friendly!"

This should definitely not deter those skiers and riders who are looking for a bit of a challenge. This mountains got something for every level of rider. It's got those long shallow runs for when you need something mellow. It's got the big steep bombs for when you want some excitement.

I visited in late February and the grooming was great. Even though there had not been a significant snowfall for at least a couple of weeks, there was plenty of freshly groomed snow to kick around and the ice was almost not a factor at all.

Here's one of those beginner trails.

I was fortunate enough to be able to ski two days; Sunday and Monday. And the while the crowds weren't awful on Sunday, Monday was like having the mountain all to myself. I always encourage people to try to ski during the week instead of on the weekends but here the difference in the crowd was especially noticeable.

One of my biggest complaints about this mountain was the terrain park. Their main park has got so much potential to be one of those all day, over-and-over again runs, but it was ruined for me by the lack of proper maintenance.




Many of the features were borderline unusable. There was one C-box in particular that looked like it was just placed in the snow and left there. Many of the boxes were also very sticky.


See those jumps in that picture? They look inviting don't they? Too bad they're built exclusively for children.

What I mean by this is that you can not hit them at speed.

I mean obviously, you can.

But, the problem is that they rocket you straight up into the air and you land nearly on flat. There's no slope to the landing so if you try to go big you're just going to be punishing your legs all day.

See what I mean? There's not really any knuckle to clear, you just kind of eat the landing.

I don't want to come across as overly negative about this terrain park, It did have some nice features to offer, like the awesome three-way Atari box pictured below. But for the most part it was very underwhelming.

I do love the Shawnee lodge. It's very warm and cozy feeling. The food of course is terrible, so I am once again going to advise that you pack a lunch.

Shawnee is a fun place to ski. Once I got over the fact that the terrain park was basically a bust, I had a great time on the rest of the trails. There's plenty of opportunities to dip and duck through the woods alongside the trails, and there's enough variety to keep even the most experienced skiers on their toes. Trust me, you won't get bored.

Camelback

(click to enlarge photos)

Recently I made my way up to Camelback to see what this mountain had to offer, and I was not disappointed. Even though I went there after an unusual January warm snap there was plenty of snow to be had and the ice was kept to a minimum. Chalk that up to good grooming. I'm not saying there was a bunch of powder. It was more like skiing on layers of very tiny marbles. (But there were lots and lots of them)

Camelback is on the larger side of the PA ski areas. It's not the tallest or the steepest but its definitely near the top of the list in square footage.

They've got plenty of beginner and intermediate trails and even the double black diamond seen below.

That's the view from the top. You don't see a lot of double black's in the Poconos, but let's be real here, this one's not that difficult.

Here's some skiiers taking the double black diamond for a spin.

Easy as pie




Okay, maybe some people think it's difficult

Here's a video of my favorite alpine run there. It's not the steepest but it's got some fast sections and its a nice long switchback with a mellow run-out at the bottom. I think it's called Nile Mile.

Their lifts are generally pretty quick from bottom to top and I didn't wait in a single line all day. I'm sure the scene is a little different on the weekends but I appreciated this a lot.

My biggest complaint about the mountain is the cost. A full day lift ticket during the week is 45 dollars. This doesn't sound that bad, but on the weekends its a steep 55 dollars. Consider this alongside the sad fact that you have to buy a 10 dollar park pass to use the terrain park and a dollar every time you want to check your equipment, and you're looking at a 70 dollar day plus expenses! Another 30 dollars and you could have skied Steamboat Springs for a day.

That being said--

The terrain park is quite nice.

It takes up most of the central area of the mountain. It's got four different routes through it which criss-cross so you can make your own way through if you'd like.

It's got a few boxes and plenty of rails. It's also got some extremely large jumps if you're feeling up for the challenge, not to mention the 14-foot super pipe.

This is also one of those places that pumps music throughout the park all day. And surprisingly the music selection was pretty good. I'm pretty sure it was set to a satellite radio classic rock station all day, but if Santana and Huey Lewis and the News really gets you going, this just might be your thing.

Ski patroller Barry says, "All the improvements we have made in the past three or four seasons have all been to the terrain park. It's really coming together."

I've put together a video that shows the main routes you can take through the park.

I talked to one snowboarder who said, "I pretty much come here for the terrain park. It sucks you have to get the park pass but it's 10 bucks for the whole season so it's not bad if you come here a lot."

The lodge is nice and big but it doesn't really have that warm cozy feel you get at some of the other lodges around. The food isn't that good. It's pretty much a prime example of heat lamp cuisine so you might want to pack a lunch if it isn't too much trouble.

You can't expect good food from a ski lodge though. If you've been reading a lot, you may have noticed that I've been giving scathing reviews of all the food in the lodges I've visited, and I will probably continue to do so.

It's a fun mountain to visit if you haven't gone in a while, but it's a little pricey if you're going to go there all the time. Where's my student discount???

See you next time.

Big Boulder

So it's 4PM. You're tired of the runs at Jack Frost and you've done all you can do in One Park. Bummer. Oh wait! Good thing that lift ticket you bought is good until 10 PM over at Big Boulder.

What makes east coast small mountain skiing stand out? Lots of night skiing, and lots of terrain parks. Boulder is a prime example.

Big Boulder is a smaller mountain than Jack Frost, but it sure doesn't feel like it. They've got some monster ungroomed trails to roll through, and six terrain parks. They say they've got seven but come on, you can't count Plaza as its own park. Can you?

Anywho. They've got something to offer for every level of rider. There's the mellow small-feature ride-on run, Tannenbaum. At the other end of the spectrum they have Big Boulder Park and Love Park each with some big boosters and nice rails.

Freedom park is where a lot of people tend to hang out. It's a nice middle of the road alternative for people who don't suck.

Here's a video run through of Freedom.


On Wednesdays you can bring your trusty student ID and get a 3-9PM ticket for the low low price of $15. It gets a little crowded on student day but the price sure is right.

They also have tons of contests and events going on all the time. I'd list them all here but it would be redundant. Just check the site. www.jfbb.com

Jack Frost

Woo Hoo! This week I made my way out to the Jack Frost and Big Boulder ski areas. I skied for two days and had a hell of a good time.

The snow is really starting to pile up on the slopes. The difference between the conditions now and in late December is huge. Between the two mountains, all but one of the trails were wide open. If you get there early enough, you're bound to be ripping fresh corduroy until at least noontime.

Jack frost has got some pretty good alpine runs, short though they are. I counted about 8 minutes from top-of-the-lift, to top-of-the-lift, so you'll be getting LOTS of runs in.

One unique aspect of JFBB is that skiing off-trail is ENCOURAGED. Communications coordinator Guido Martelli says that where "other mountains in the area might pull your pass for skiing off-trail, we love that stuff." So you can go down that powdery lift line or make your own line through some thick forest. The management here thinks that if you can ski it, then you absolutely should.

Frost even has some nice leg-burning glade runs open and that's a tough thing to find in the Poconos.

Here's my favorite alpine run of the two mountains. You can see some of the glades off to the left and right near the top. Guido Martelli, JFBB's communications coordinator is in the video to give examples of the proper way to shred.

Telstar/Rivershot







Let's talk terrain--


Jack frost has one terrain park with a little something for everyone. Here's a video run-through.
This video is close to a week old so there's no guarantee it's still going to look like this. (they change things up A LOT)


One Park



Jack Frost is also home to some pretty average lodge food. Standard fare. Cheese fries, chicken fingers, mots sticks, burgers, dogs-- you know the drill.

They often feature live music in the upstairs bar, and they brew their own beer (supposedly) which isn't bad. It's got a pretty good bite, although if you're into that super hoppy stuff it may not be for you. And don't even think about getting food in that upstairs bar kitchen, it sucks.


Stay tuned for the Big Boulder section. I'm really antsy to get this post up and the video editing is taking longer than I thought thanks to some ancient software I'm using.

I've got some more terrain park vids from Big Boulder and plenty to say about what goes on after the sun goes down, (That's mostly when that mountain is open) so be expecting an update in the next 24 hours.

Opening Post

Ski season is upon us.
(Awww, shit.)

Whew. It's been a long off-season, but things are finally picking up for those of us who reside in the Philadelphia area. Ladies and Gentlemen, its time to dust off those skis and boards and put on a fresh coat of wax. Get your shit. We on the move.

Let's face it-- The PA area doesn't have the best skiing around. The season is short. The runs are short. The terrain is groomed and icy. It's no Steamboat.

Skiers and snowboarders around the area are used to working with what they are given and making the most of it, and that makes us some of the most versatile and adapative skiers and riders around.

I am starting off this season with with a simple goal. I am going to visit every ski area in Pennsylvania, from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, and bring you the latest info from everyone there is to talk to.

Here you'll get the low down on snow conditions, open runs, terrain parks, food, drink, lift ticket specials and ANYTHING else I can find to help make your local trips this season the most rewarding they can possibly be.

Check back soon,

Wish me luck.