Slope Diversity and Old School Vibe Make Seven Springs Trio an Ideal Destination this Season
There’s no question about it, the secret, ‘locals know’ ski hill is back in vogue across America. Perhaps even more so than other travelers, skiers are craving intimacy and authenticity when making their extended travel plans. There’s just something about a hometown hill that transports us to a simpler time when ski vacations were less vert-driven and more focused on the overall winter experience. Of course, you don’t have to sacrifice snow quality or leg burn to access a holistic ski experience. Just look at the Laurel Highlands, where Seven Springs, Hidden Valley and Laurel Mountain combine to offer families, friends, couples and others a fantastic opportunity both to earn your turns and revel in a full snow holiday.
You set up your 3-day snow camp experience by checking in for your lodging at Seven Springs Mountain Resort. Then it’s on to the inviting slopes of Hidden Valley, ideal terrain for mixed ability groups, families and beginners. New and improving skiers will learn to love the sport of skiing and snowboarding here for several reasons, home to diverse and open runs where each person can ski confidently then add incremental challenges that won’t intimidate at all. All three areas also feature the excellent Snowsports School for all abilities.
Peak access is yet another reason Hidden Valley resonates for those learning to ski. Many beginners feel restricted to the bunny slopes when learning the ski, compact areas at the bottom of the hill where they must remain cramped in the learning area or on a tiny handful of lower runs. Sadly, they never gain access to the higher chairlifts and the beauty and allure of becoming an all-mountain skier. The Hidden Valley experience couldn’t be more different. Early boarders and skiers access gentle sloping green runs from the Valley peak. Both the Sunrise and Sunset lifts unload directly above “Rambler,” a great confidence builder. On Rambler you can decide to stick with the green or try the slightly steeper intermediate “Riviera” segment.
Head over to the Avalanche lift on the North Summit once you’ve mastered Rambler and Riviera. You begin with the intermediate “Angels Elbow” or “Comet” runs, entering blue “Voyager” or “Lower Comet” just when the legs start to burn a little. And don’t worry, intermediate and expert skiers will find plenty of fun across the face from “Charger” to “Firebrand,” and don’t forget the Cobra Glades. The ability for mixed ability groups from first timers to seasoned vets to pick off their own lines then come together at the chairlift makes Hidden Valley special. Ditto for the three terrain parks. Everyone will have a tale to tell when gathering for lunch or lodging at either Avalanche Lodge or the Base Lodge.
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Hidden Valley and Laurel Mountain both offer diverse old-school resort experiences, ideal bookends for a three day get away to the mountains. Seven Springs fills in the middle section of your itinerary by offering the best après experience in the east coast inside the Foggy Goggle, a post ski and snowboard saloon that consistently draws 5-star online reviews. Open every winter day and late night on the weekends, the Goggle is your go-to for easing into the evening. There’s nothing wrong with 2 lbs. of wings or ‘Over the Top’ Nachos after shredding the Seven Springs slopes all day. And don’t pass up burger selections like the Super Pipe, two grilled burgers stacked with the goods on a Kaiser roll.
Outside Seven Springs is as diverse as the Goggle’s menu. The resort understands that everyone skis or rides at a different level. A gathering of friends or family simply have more fun if each individual gets to traverse at his or her own level across beginner, intermediate or expert terrain. Additionally, Seven Springs takes the terrain park trend seriously, creating seven different areas to trick out or hone skills. Like so much at Seven Springs, what makes these parks “Best of the East” is their variety, from the “Arctic Blast” learning area to “The Spot Superpipe.”
Remember the days when skiing was all about speed? Seven Springs does. They’ve installed a 14-gate NASTAR course to test your amateur mettle. It’s a blast to race against friends and claim bragging rights later at the Goggle, Matterhorn or Bavarian Lounge. You can always create your own Seven Springs family Olympics by adding snow tubing, bowling and mini-golf competitions to the mix. The NASTAR giant slalom is placed on moderate terrain so skiers of most abilities can take part. The course is open on weekends, conditions permitting, unless there are special events scheduled.
Back on slope the skier and snowboarder will find great terrain across the Front and North Faces. Broad intermediate terrain is easily accessible from several lifts on the Front Face while the North Face presents steeper slopes for the advanced skier. Like their terrain parks, Seven Springs personnel have cut a stupendous quartet of glades, a trending expert terrain choice, stretching across the face from Avalanche Glades off Front Face to the Little Northface Glades. A beginner can also experience the North Face by traversing down the “Lost Girl Trail” on the eastern edge of the resort. (And don’t forget the night skiing!)
Below is a live view of the base of the mountain!
Like Hidden Valley, the beginner’s ability to ski and ride off the top here is a Seven Springs tradition. Tahoe Lodge epitomizes this access. Mountain top dining and lodging options are often off limits to non-advanced skiers. Not so at Seven Springs, where skiers of every ability can meet up for a meal then descend the perfect run back to the base.
By adding Laurel Mountain and Hidden Valley, Seven Springs has invited you to experience more than the largest skiable acreage in Pennsylvania. As a guest you can now combine all the amenities of a full-service resort with a quaint day skiing and snowboarding on intimate hill at Hidden Valley and, in the case of Laurel Mountain, a once private refuge for the associates of ski club founder Richard King Mellon. Check out the Highlands Lodging Package to discover all Seven Springs has to offer. When you spend three days skiing, snowboarding and communing with friends and family here you experience the very best of winter in the Laurel Highlands.