Vail Resorts has added to its collection of ski/snowboard destinations in the Northeast with the purchase of three more resorts, Seven Springs, Laurel Mountain and Hidden Valley, all in Pennsylvania.
Photo: Seven Springs
Because of their low lift ticket prices and family-friendly vibe, these are great places to learn at any age, especially for kids.
NYCOTC recommends skiing here this season, with lift tickets starting at $47 a day for adults and $37 for kids, especially because Vail is likely to raise the price next season.
That’s what Vail Resorts normally does when it buys a resort, or a trio of resorts. The first season of ownership is focused on upgrading the food in the cafeteria, training employees - including ski and snowboard instructors - on the Vail Resorts way of doing things, planning upgrades to snowmaking,lifts, etc.
Prices go up the next season. That’s what happened when the company purchased Hunter Mountain, in the Catskills a couple of years ago.
Don’t get me wrong - I grew up skiing at Hunter, and so did my kids, and I love Vail Resorts-owned Vail, Breckenridge, Kirkwood, Northstar, Park City, Heavenly, Keystone, Beaver Creek and Crested Butte out West - I’ve skied them all and love them all.
See also
Bus trips to nearby ski/snowboard resorts
But it’s getting tougher to avoid a Vail Resorts-owned snowsports destination.
Here in the Northeast, in addition to Hunter - and now Seven Springs, Hidden Valley and Laurel Mountain - the company also owns a portfolio of resorts in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont and New Hampshire:
- Stowe
- Okemo
- Mt. Snow
- Attitash
- Wildcat
- Mount Sunapee
- Crotched
- Liberty
- Whitetail
- Jack Frost
- Big Boulder
Trail Map courtesy Seven Springs
Seven Springs Mountain Resort is Pennsylvania’s premier four-season family resort. It is one hour southeast of Pittsburgh and is among the largest ski resorts in Pennsylvania with 285 skiable acres and 750 vertical feet. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, Seven Springs includes a 418-room hotel, condos, a conference center, a full-service spa and snow tubing.
- Lift tickets are $74 on weekdays and $95 to $98 on weekends and holidays for adults, and $58 weekdays and $74 to $78 for kids on weekends and holidays. Night skiing prices are similar.
Hidden Valley offers 110 skiable acres and 470 vertical feet, with 26 slopes and trails and two terrain parks. It is near King of Prussia, so it’s easily accessible from New York City and Philadelphia.
- Lift tickets are just $47 weekdays and $76 on weekends for adults, and $37 to $67 for children. Hidden Valley also offers night skiing at similar prices.
Laurel Mountain offers 70 skiable acres and 761 vertical feet, which is the longest vertical drop in Pennsylvania. It’s also has the steepest run in the state - the double diamond Lower Wildcat Slope, which averages near 60% slope. Lower Wildcat is a breathtaking run that, for the avid skier, simply must be taken.It’s within Laurel Mountain State Park, in Ligonier
- Lift tickets are just $41 weekdays to $66 weekends and holidays this season for adults, and $34 to $55 for children.
The purchase price for the three Pennsylvania ski areas, plus a hotel, conference center and other related operations, is reportedly around $125 million, and Vail Resorts will assume the state land lease for Laurel Mountain, subject to content from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
“We are incredibly excited to have the opportunity to add Seven Springs to our family of resorts along with Hidden Valley and Laurel Mountain,” said Kirsten Lynch, chief executive officer of Vail Resorts in a press release.
“As a company, we have been focused on acquiring resorts near major metropolitan areas as we know many skiers and riders build their passion for the sport close to home. These great ski areas in Pennsylvania are a perfect complement to our existing resorts, creating a much stronger connection and compelling offering to our current and future guests in Pittsburgh as well as those in other critical markets such as Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Cleveland.”
For more information, visit www.vailresorts.com or www.snow.com.
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