Grab your skis: It's opening weekend for most Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland slopes
Ski Season Has Arrived in Western PA
Skiers and snowboarders enjoy the first day of skiing as the slopes at Seven Springs open daily for the 2017-2018 ski season.
This is a big weekend for skiers, snowboarders and sledders, as many area resorts are opening their slopes for the season.
Snow makers have been churning, helped by this week's snowstorms.
“This has been a December to remember for us; we couldn't have asked for better snow-making conditions,” said Katie Buchan, spokeswoman for Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion. “We had snow-making temperatures consistently, and then we just got 6 inches of natural snow. People have been telling us these are the best conditions they've seen in years.”
Seven Springs opened for the season Friday. Nearby Hidden Valley Resort near Bakersville, Somerset County, will open at 9 a.m. Saturday for skiing and snowboarding. In Ligonier Township, Laurel Mountain Ski Resort, which reopened in 2016 and is run by Seven Springs, will open for the season Thursday.
In Allegheny County, the ski slopes and snow-tubing areas at Boyce Park will open Saturday morning, the county Parks Department announced. A complete listing of hours and fees is available online . Passes and classes can also be bought on the county's website , https://apm.activecommunities.com/alleghenyparks/Home.
The opening of the Boyce Park slopes will coincide with the annual “Cookies with Santa” event from 10 a.m. to noon at the Boyce Park Ski Lodge.
With a base of 20 to 32 inches of snow for the ski slopes and 30 inches in the snowboarding area, the slopes should be able to stay open despite forecasts of warmer temperatures and rain later in the week, parks spokesman Kevin Evanto said.
“We have enough of a base of snow that we can weather warmer temperatures and rain. ... We had days last winter where the temperatures were in the 50s and even 60s,” Evanto said.
Opened Friday
• Mt. Pleasant of Edinboro, Erie County: snow tubing only; skiing opens later in month. www.skimountpleasant.com
• Oglebay, Wheeling, W.Va.: skiing and snowboarding only; snow tubing opens late December. www.oglebay.com
• Canaan Valley Resort, Davis, W.Va.: Snow tubing, 10 of 47 ski trails open. www.canaanresort.com
• Whitetail Resort, Mercersburg, Franklin County: Eight trails open; snow tubing starts Saturday. www.skiwhitetail.com
• Wisp Resort, McHenry, Md.: Four ski trails open; snow tubing, mountain coaster and ice skating open Saturday. www.wispresort.com
Opening Saturday
• Timberline Four Seasons Resort, Davis, W.Va.: Base area and some trails open; more to come online by Christmas week. www.timberlineresort.com
• Ski Sawmill Family Resort, Morris, Tioga County: Skiing and boarding areas open at 9 a.m. skisawmill.com
Mystic Mountain at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort opens Next Friday. Blue Knob in Claysburg has not yet announced an opening date.
Matthew Santoni is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724 836 6660, msantoni@tribweb.com or via Twitter @msantoni.
