When DH and I lived in TX we flew to either Utah or Colorodo to ski. Now that we're living in Maryland we're thinking we should try out the closer slopes. Anyone have experience skiing both parts of the country? If so, I am interested to learn what your experience has been skiing on the right side of the country. Would also like recommendations on where to go for a couple of days. Does ski in / ski out exist? Have heard good things about Seven Springs. Thank you in advance!

Years ago we lived in NJ and skied many times in the Poconos at Jack Frost, Big Boulder and Camelback. These are all quite small by western standards, but still a lot of fun - very family oriented. Camelback was the biggest, but also the most crowded. If you want big mountain skiing, you might want to consider Vermont or New Hampshire.

Thanks for your reply, zootsi. Not so much interested in big mountain skiing--really, just looking to experience the skiing this area has to offer. Where did you stay in the Poconos?

Yikes, AnnMarie_C. You don't want to spend more than 1 day there!

I lived in Philadelphia for a few years and basically drove up to the Poconos for the day to ski. Even though Camelback is the biggest, I'm bored by lunch time! Granted, I usually went during weekdays, so there were never any lines for the chair lift. The largest vertical drop @ Camelback is only 800 ft (vs >3000 ft @ Vail). Seriously, it takes 5 minutes to ride the chairlift up, and 2 minutes to ski down. You can easily do 8 runs each hour.

I used to leave after lunch and go shopping at the outlet mall across the way, in order to make the trip worthwhile.

You'd be sorely disappointed with the downhill skiing in the Poconos. Perhaps you can look into X-country skiing in that area?

Snowshoe in West Virginia is probably the best skiing that is closer to where you are. There are several in Vermont but that is quite a bit farther.

OOPs forgot, here is the website for Snowshoe:

http://www.snowshoemtn.com/index.htm

They have 51 trails and 12 lifts and the conditions should be fantastic now.

yk, thanks for your encouraging feedback, lol. Your response comes as no big surprise, I sort of figured as much after comparing mountain stats, but DH thinks we should go at least once before returning west so I'm looking into it. I will share with him your thoughts. Cross-country skiing is something I have yet to try but am seriously interested in so perhaps that is worth further investigation if nothing else.

gmoney, thanks for the info and link!

My DH and I have a house near Jack Frost/Big Boulder. Of course they don't compare to the West or even VT but everyone can tell that by looking at the maps. You can rent ski in/out townhouses - I think there might be more info on that here http://www.jfbb.com/plan/lodging. The two hills were taken over by Peak Resorts a few years ago and the snow making and grooming are great. The runs are short, but fun and Jack Frost has East Mountain that has a few good, steep runs. We ski mostly at JF, but one lift ticket is good for both places so you can take the short drive between the two. JF has a great bar with band in the afternoon on Sat. and BB has bands at night - they have night skiing. The area is also very pretty and there are plenty of good restaurants. It's obviously not going to be the best skiing in your life but it's fun and could make a good weekend. It's also close enough to Jim Thorpe and the outlets that someone else mentioned to check out either or both.

You can definitely have a fun Poconos weekend (even if not all skiing) but here's another suggestion which, depending on where in Maryland you're coming from, may not be too long to get to: http://www.blueknob.com/

I'll grant you that Claysburg is a bit of the back of the beyond, but to give you a reference point it's fairly close to Altoona.

Keith and I ski at either Montage or Elk. Jack Frost is fine. I don't like Camelback.

I think the Outlets at Tannersville ar DREADFUL! No Dior, Balenciaga, or Louis Vuitton. Just cheap Nautica and Coach rejects. Blech!

If you want someplace nice to dine, you should try The Bear Creek Inn on Rte 115.

Thin, resident of Bear Lake

We have skied many areas out west and the areas in Md and western PA. There is simply no comparison. Whitetail, Wisp, and Seven Springs are all good day areas along with several ski areas in Va. We consider these our warm-up areas for a trip out west or a ski day during the week. If you are a good skier, you will start to get bored with any of these areas unless you maintain the perspective that they are a place to ski when you can't ski out west. The difference with the western ski areas is there is a limited number of ski trails so you will be skiing the same trail many times during the day. Most winters you would be skiing on man-made snow rather than real snow. If you get an early start, all of these areas can be day trips from anywhere in Md. but maybe the eastern Shore. Be aware that weekends are generally crowded at the Md and PA ski areas and the lines can be as long as any out west and then the ski run down will be much shorter so you'll quickly be back in that lift line again.

If you want to do a week but not go out west, go north to Vermont or New Hampshire. Lots of bigger ski areas up there but again skiing in the east is generally more hard pack and less powder than out west.

Wow, thanks everyone for the additional feedback! I really appreciate your input.

Amy, we live NE of Baltimore. After flying into Denver it would take us @ 2 hours to get to Breckenridge so we don't mind the drive.

We're going to give it a whirl, I think we'll have fun--it will be a different experience but that is what I would expect. There is the possibility my SIL may come with--as she has never skiied before this may be a good area for her to learn.

DH has some time off in February--if we make it this winter I will report back. Thanks again, looks as though you all gave me some really good places to look into.

Thin - does Montage tend to get icy? We haven't tried that one yet but would like to. I like Elk very much.

Montage isn't the greatest, but it is convenient. We call it a "shopping mall" ski resort because it is connected to Shoppes at Montage and Cinemark Movie Center, a baseball stadium, and lots of chain restaurants. It is right off of I-81. Easy to get in/out.

We really like Elk. One of my sisters lives in Clarks Summit.

If you ever go to Elk, you should stop by Patsel's restaurant in Clarks Summit. The food is fantastic and the decor is out of this world--Murano glass chandeliers and McKenzie-Childs furniture.

Did you know that the Clintons (yes, those Clintons) have a house at Lake Winola?

Thin

I see you've gotten a lot more feedback! We used to live less than 2 hours from the Poconos, so we never stayed overnight.
Yes, the Poconos are more 'hills' than mountains, and the ski areas are '5 minutes up and 2 minutes down', but I still have many fond memories - we especially liked Jack Frost. Camelback was just too many lifts and trails for such a small hill.
Now we live in New Hampshire, just 15 minutes to our local ski area, so we have no reason to go to the Poconos!

I've never actually been to the Shoppes at Montage - we've gone to ballgames and concerts. We keep meaning to ski there but when we're driving we end up going to Elk. I'd love to check out that restaurant by Elk. I see a lot of people like Jack Frost - there's just something fun about that place. It helps that it's 15 minutes from our house!

I did not know that about the Clintons. PA is more beautiful than a lot of people realize.

Ski Roundtop is in central PA and also may be within driving distance for you. It has a variety of slopes and may be fun for you if you concentrated on the higher slopes. It's a family destination. I haven't been there for many years but it used to be a nice place to go. I'm sure the slopes will be much smaller than you're used to.

zootsi, yes--everyone has been so helpful. It's been great reading about these places I know so little about.

I've never skied on man-made snow--is there a distinct difference, anyone?

travelenthusiast, DH came last night with Roundtop as a recommendation from a co-worker. Thanks for the suggestion.

travelenthusiast, DH came home last night with Roundtop as a recommendation from a co-worker. Thanks for the suggestion.