Laurel Mountain | |
---|---|
Location | Ligonier Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States |
Nearest major city | Ligonier, Pennsylvania |
Vertical | 761 feet (232 m) |
Top elevation | 2,766 feet (843 m) |
Base elevation | 2,005 feet (611 m) |
Skiable area | 70 acres (280,000 m2) |
Trails | 20 total (10 Beginner, 7 Intermediate, 3 Advanced) |
Lift system | 1 Quad Chairlift, 1 Surface Lift |
Website | http://www.laurelmountainski.com/ |
Laurel Mountain Ski Resort is a ski resort located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The resort is the primary attraction of Laurel Mountain State Park.
Once known as the Ski Capital of Pennsylvania, Laurel Mountain has several distinctive features, along with a storied history. Not only does Laurel Mountain boast the highest vertical drop on the Laurel Ridge in Pennsylvania at 900 feet, the mountain is famous for its double diamond Lower Wildcat Slope, one of the steepest in the state which averages near 60% grade and reaches 72% at its steepest point.
Laurel Mountain’s distinct character is the result of a rich history. The slopes were originally designed by European skiing legend Johann "Hannes" Schneider, the renowned Austrian ski guide and inventor of the Arlberg Method, the basis of modern alpine ski technique. The resort opened in 1940, just before the U.S. entered World War II, and some of the original structures, including the storied Midway Cabin, still stand on the property. Once an exclusive club for the most prestigious residents of Pennsylvania, Laurel Mountain was gifted to the commonwealth in 1964 and is now a winter playground for everyone.
The resort closed for more than a decade, starting in 2005. [1] [2] Laurel Mountain reopened for the 2016-2017 season after an extensive multi-year renovation project to upgrade the facility through a partnership between the Pennsylvania DCNR and Seven Springs Mountain Resort. A modern SkyTrac fixed-grip quad chairlift was installed in the summer of 2016, capable of transporting 2,400 skiers per hour. The snowmaking system was overhauled with the addition of 52 new guns and the water storage capacity nearly doubled to 26 million gallons. Several improvements were also made to the slopes including regrading and widening select areas to improve traffic flow.
The Midway Cabin. The original lodge at Laurel Mountain built in 1940 is located approximately halfway down the Broadway slope. Starting in 1954 the Pittsburgh Ski Club used the cabin as their mountain headquarters. The lodge had a dormitory that was available to members for an affordable $1.65/night. The PSC used the lodge until approximately 1954 when the region's focus on skiing shifted towards Seven Springs and Hidden Valley. The cabin is still standing today.
Modern Lodge. A more modern two-story lodge of approximately 14,500 square feet was built in 1999. The lodge offers services including retail, rental and tickets. There is historic Pennsylvania ski memorabilia throughout. The lodge has two restaurants, the Wildcat Lounge and the Laurel House cafe.
Lower Wildcat is the resort's double diamond slope. It is the steepest ski slope in Southwestern Pennsylvania reaching a 72% grade and is considered by many to be comparable to runs found at New England resorts.
Laurel Mountain has a modern SkyTrac fixed-grip quad chairlift, constructed in 2016, and one surface lift.
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Laurel Mountain has a warm-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded at Laurel Summit was 90 °F (32.2 °C) on July 7, 2020, while the coldest temperature recorded was −18 °F (−27.8 °C) on January 7–8, 2014. [3]
Climate data for Laurel Summit, Pennsylvania, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1999–present | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 63 (17) | 73 (23) | 75 (24) | 83 (28) | 85 (29) | 87 (31) | 90 (32) | 87 (31) | 89 (32) | 83 (28) | 75 (24) | 68 (20) | 90 (32) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 55.3 (12.9) | 53.9 (12.2) | 65.4 (18.6) | 76.3 (24.6) | 81.9 (27.7) | 82.1 (27.8) | 83.6 (28.7) | 81.7 (27.6) | 81.6 (27.6) | 74.7 (23.7) | 67.0 (19.4) | 57.7 (14.3) | 85.2 (29.6) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 30.9 (−0.6) | 33.9 (1.1) | 42.7 (5.9) | 56.1 (13.4) | 64.5 (18.1) | 71.2 (21.8) | 74.5 (23.6) | 73.8 (23.2) | 68.0 (20.0) | 57.7 (14.3) | 45.7 (7.6) | 35.2 (1.8) | 54.5 (12.5) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 22.6 (−5.2) | 24.8 (−4.0) | 32.7 (0.4) | 45.1 (7.3) | 54.7 (12.6) | 62.3 (16.8) | 66.4 (19.1) | 65.3 (18.5) | 59.4 (15.2) | 48.4 (9.1) | 37.4 (3.0) | 27.7 (−2.4) | 45.6 (7.5) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 14.4 (−9.8) | 15.7 (−9.1) | 22.7 (−5.2) | 34.1 (1.2) | 44.9 (7.2) | 53.4 (11.9) | 58.2 (14.6) | 56.8 (13.8) | 50.7 (10.4) | 39.2 (4.0) | 29.2 (−1.6) | 20.1 (−6.6) | 36.6 (2.6) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | −4.5 (−20.3) | −3.2 (−19.6) | 5.7 (−14.6) | 19.8 (−6.8) | 30.4 (−0.9) | 41.9 (5.5) | 49.0 (9.4) | 48.7 (9.3) | 40.7 (4.8) | 27.5 (−2.5) | 15.6 (−9.1) | 5.9 (−14.5) | −7.0 (−21.7) |
Record low °F (°C) | −18 (−28) | −15 (−26) | −8 (−22) | 10 (−12) | 19 (−7) | 35 (2) | 39 (4) | 44 (7) | 34 (1) | 23 (−5) | 3 (−16) | −12 (−24) | −18 (−28) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.41 (112) | 3.50 (89) | 4.72 (120) | 4.87 (124) | 5.47 (139) | 5.94 (151) | 5.14 (131) | 4.78 (121) | 4.81 (122) | 4.23 (107) | 4.31 (109) | 4.43 (113) | 56.61 (1,438) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 38.6 (98) | 37.5 (95) | 21.5 (55) | 6.9 (18) | 0.3 (0.76) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.4 (6.1) | 8.1 (21) | 26.9 (68) | 142.2 (361.86) |
Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 14.3 (36) | 15.0 (38) | 12.0 (30) | 4.0 (10) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.1 (5.3) | 3.4 (8.6) | 7.3 (19) | 19.1 (49) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 19.0 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 15.0 | 13.8 | 12.8 | 12.0 | 10.8 | 12.8 | 12.9 | 16.4 | 169.6 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 16.0 | 13.0 | 9.2 | 3.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 5.1 | 11.4 | 59.8 |
Source 1: NOAA [4] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: National Weather Service (mean maxima/minima, snow depth 2006–2020) [3] |
A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the smallest of ski resorts. Some are installed at tourist attractions as well as for urban transportation.
Thredbo is a village and ski resort in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately 500 kilometres (310 mi) south of Sydney, accessible by the Alpine Way via Cooma, Berridale and Jindabyne. The village is built in the valley of the Thredbo River, also known as the Crackenback River, at the foot of the Ramshead Range.
Deer Valley is an alpine ski resort in the Wasatch Range, located 36 miles (58 km) east of Salt Lake City, in Park City, Utah, United States. The resort, known for its upscale amenities, is consistently ranked among the top ski resorts in North America.
Cypress Mountain is a ski area in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, located in the southern section of Cypress Provincial Park, operated under a BC Parks Park Use Permit.
Sun Peaks Resort is an alpine ski resort located in Sun Peaks, British Columbia, Canada, 56 km (35 mi) northeast of Kamloops.
Loveland Ski Area is a ski area in the western United States, located near the town of Georgetown, Colorado. Located at the eastern portal of the Eisenhower Tunnel, Loveland is within the Arapahoe National Forest. It is one of the closest ski areas to the Denver metropolitan area and Front Range corridor, making it popular with locals.
Banff Sunshine Village is a ski resort in western Canada, located on the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies within Banff National Park in Alberta and Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park in British Columbia. It is one of three major ski resorts located in the Banff National Park. Because of its location straddling the Continental Divide, Sunshine receives more snow than the neighbouring ski resorts. The Sunshine base area is located 15 km (9 mi) southwest of the town of Banff. By car, it is about a ninety-minute drive from the city of Calgary; the Sunshine exit on the Trans Canada Highway is 8 km (5 mi) west of the town of Banff.
Sugarbush Resort is a ski resort located in the Mad River valley in Warren, Vermont, owned by Alterra Mountain Company. It is one of the largest ski resorts in New England. The resort encompasses more than 4000 acres (16 km²), including 484 trail acres (2.34 km²) skiable, 53 miles (85 km) of trails, and 16 ski lifts. Sugarbush has 111 ski trails, 18 additional marked wooded areas, and substantial off-piste skiing and riding The summit elevation is 4,083 ft (1,244 m), and it has a vertical drop of 2,600 feet (790 m), the second largest in Vermont after Killington, and the third largest in New England after Killington and Sugarloaf.
Mount Hood Meadows is a ski resort on the southeastern face of Mount Hood in northern Oregon, and is the largest of the mountain's ski resorts. It is located about 67 miles (108 km) east of Portland, and 35 miles (56 km) from Hood River along Oregon Route 35. It has both Alpine and Nordic ski areas and offers night skiing, lessons and equipment rentals. It also has a robust food services department that includes coffee bars, grab and go options, bars, sit down restaurants, and a food court. There are no overnight accommodations at Mount Hood Meadows itself, but both Timberline Lodge and Cooper Spur Resort, two ski areas also on Mount Hood, offer overnight options. Additionally, many buses provide transportation to and from Mount Hood Meadows, including those run by Columbia Gorge Area Transit (CAT). There are also condos in Government Camp.
Crystal Mountain is a mountain and alpine ski area in eastern Pierce County, Washington, United States, located in the Cascade Range southeast of Seattle. It is the largest ski resort in the state of Washington and lies within the Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest. The resort is accessible from the Seattle–Tacoma metropolitan area via State Route 410.
Berkshire East Ski Resort is a medium-sized alpine ski area in the northeastern United States, located in the Berkshires on Mount Institute in Charlemont and Hawley, Massachusetts.
The Summit at Snoqualmie is a recreation area in the northwest United States, located on Snoqualmie Pass, Washington. It provides alpine skiing and snowboarding, Nordic skiing, mountain biking, winter tubing, and scenic lift rides. Owned and managed by Boyne Resorts, it is 52 miles (80 km) east of downtown Seattle on Interstate 90.
Schweitzer is a ski resort in the northwest United States in northern Idaho, 11 miles (18 km) northwest of Sandpoint. Located in Bonner County in the Selkirk Mountains, it overlooks Lake Pend Oreille to the southeast with views of the Bitterroot and Cabinet mountain ranges. The ski area is approximately 45 miles (70 km) south of the Canada–US border. Doing business as Schweitzer Mountain Resort since 1988, in April 2021 the ski area adjusted its brand name to drop the words "mountain resort" to now be known only as "Schweitzer."
Breckenridge Ski Resort is an alpine ski resort in the western United States, in Breckenridge, Colorado. Recognized for acres of skiable terrain across five mountain peaks, it welcomes thousands of skiers and snowboarders each season. Just west of the Continental Divide in Summit County, it is perennially one of the most visited ski resorts in the western hemisphere. Breckenridge is owned and operated by Vail Resorts, Inc.
The Stevens Pass Ski Area is a ski area in the Cascade Range of Washington in the United States. It is located at the crest of Stevens Pass at a base elevation of 4,061 feet (1,238 m) above sea level and peak elevation at 5,845 feet (1,782 m). The Mill Valley "backside" of the resort drops to a minimum elevation of 3,821 feet (1,165 m). Total skiable terrain includes 37 major runs covering 1,125 acres (4.55 km2). The ski area is accessed via U.S. Route 2, which connects to nearby Leavenworth.
Montage Mountain is a ski area in Pennsylvania that is located 8 miles (13 km) from downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania. Situated roughly 125 miles (201 km) north of Philadelphia and west of New York City, this resort has twenty-six trails, two terrain parks, and one of Pennsylvania's longest snow tubing areas. The mountain has a summit elevation of 1,960 feet (600 m) and a vertical drop of 1,000 feet (300 m).
Belleayre Mountain, in Catskill Park, New York, United States, is a ski resort owned and operated by the Olympic Regional Development Authority or ORDA. It is the only Catskill resort that contains a gondola and attracts many new visitors from New York City. Skier and snowboarder visits have grown from 70,000 in 1995 to more than 175,000 in 2007.
Crested Butte Mountain Resort is a ski resort at Mount Crested Butte in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States.
Elk Mountain Ski Resort is a ski area in the Endless Mountains on the summit of Elk Hill in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. It is located 30 mi (48 km) north of Scranton. The mountain has been given favorable reviews from Ski Magazine, including a listing in "Six Unsung Heroes", a roundup of hidden gems in skiing.
Snow King Mountain is a summer and winter resort in the western United States, in Jackson, Wyoming. The mountain is Jackson's original 1936 ski hill, located on the southeast edge of the city, and was the first ski area in Wyoming. Locals sometimes refer to Snow King as "The Town Hill," and it offers skiing, hiking, an alpine slide, and many other attractions. The ski season runs from December to late March, and has a summer season that runs from June to October. Skiing is offered after the closure of lifts, until the snow is gone thanks to a boot pack trail on the west side of the resorts Runs. Hiking trails are offered all over the mountain.