Hi there! I am debating a few things about different ski options. I have my in-laws in Allentown, PA and they said that we can always come there and ski at the Poconos, Elk, or Montage. My question is this - I am a beginner (only been skiing once at Beaver Creek, CO) and I have heard negative things about east coast skiing. I am worried that there won't be enough snow in February and it will be icey. Being a beginner, I could hurt myself and I don't want to get discouraged. My first experience in CO was so wonderful that I guess I am just a little bit nervous about going to PA to ski.
Can I ski in Pennslyvania in February?
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The ski resorts will "make" snow if there isn't enough on the ground. No need to worry about that. People ski in PA all winter and do so safely.
That's what I was afraid of. My brother in law said that he went skiing on that artificial snow and it gets very icey.
You can check an individual ski resort and see how much snow they are reporting. If the resort is making artificial snow, that fact will be noted on its website.
Here, for example, is today's report from Camelback:
http://www.skicamelback.com/Camelback-Mountain/Conditions.aspx
Most of the Colorado resorts make snow, too. We have skied on artificial snow in the Midwest a lot and don't find it particularly icy.
Colorado has a dry climate and you ski in powder vs the east coast which is more humid and thus you get ice at times..If you are only skiing on beginner slopes any place should be fine although
New England has more ski resorts than PA.
Plan on doing most of your skiing during the early hours after the slopes have been groomed and they won't be as icey as they would in the late afternoon or at night. You can have ice anywhere but you'll definitely find more of it in the east. The worst ice I ever encountered was in New England. We joke that if you learn to ski in the east, you can ski anywhere. You are just going to have to realize that Pennsylvania skiing will be different than Western skiing. It's not just the snow conditions, it's also the amount of terrain and the length of the slopes. It's not a reason to give up on a ski day. What are you going to do instead, shop??
"We joke that if you learn to ski in the east, you can ski anywhere."
No kidding.
Further south the problem is the (man-made) snow melting during the warm days and re-freezing at night = icy.
Go to Colorado (or Utah) if you can.
My wife and I learned how to ski in the Poconos. The skiing is fine. Even though the 'mountains' would be considered hills in Colorado, the trails are well groomed, with lots of easy terrain. Places like Jack Frost and Big Boulder are lots of fun.
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