MidAtlantic fun: Skiing in the Poconos

So now that I’ve got my family on skis and (for the most part) loving it, I decided to do a little research into ski areas that are easily accessible from northern Delaware, where I live. I’m not looking to replicate our experience in Vermont –there just aren’t high enough mountains to do that in these parts. My modest criteria were thus:

1. The vertical rise be at least 500 feet
2. All equipment, including helmets, be available to rent at a reasonable rate (we don’t own any of our own yet and the helmets we used in Vermont were borrowed)
3. They offer instruction for kids and adults
4. It be less than a two-hour drive from our house – I don’t want to pay to spend the night

Searching online, I easily found three ski areas that met most or all of the items on my list: Spring Mountain, Roundtop, and Bear Creek.

Spring Mountain Ski Area offers a vertical drop of only 420 feet and has only 8 trails. For a very reasonable $70 I can purchase a equipment, a lift ticket, and a two-hour lesson for Tommy. But the lesson is at a set time in the afternoon with no flexibility. And there doesn’t really seem to be a program that’s appropriate for children Teddy’s age, unless I want to pay $55 for a private lesson (which doesn’t include equipment or a lift ticket – and that would run me an extra $32 and $29 respectively).

Round Top is a little farther away, but it has 16 trails and 600 foot vertical. Surprisingly, their lesson prices are similar to those at Spring Mountain, which is considerably smaller (I guess at Spring Mountain you pay for the proximity to Philadelphia). For $71 Tommy and Teddy could both get rental equipment, a 90-minute group lesson offered at one of three times throughout the day, and an all-day lift ticket. Matt could also take a group lesson at various times during the day, although the cost of this (and whether equipment and lift tickets are included) is not listed on the website.

I think the winner is Bear Creek Mountain. Like the other areas, it bundles the cost of equipment rentals and lift tickets in with its group lessons for kids, but they also offer a similar program for adults. For $80 I can buy a Discovery Program pass for Matt, who had several days of lessons at Mad River but could use some more instruction. Instead of just one straightforward lesson, this gives him the opportunity to participate in ongoing lessons throughout the day on an as-needed basis. They offer a similarly flexible program for kids, or I can choose to sign Tommy and Teddy up for more formal group lessons for about the same cost. Online registration and helmet rentals are available as well. The price is a bit higher, but the flexibility and the larger number of trails – they have 21 – justify the cost.

I won’t be taking a lesson, so for me to rent equipment and buy a lift ticket costs me $72 at Spring Mountain, $97 at Round Top, and $100 at Bear Mountain. We’re planning to go over the Presidents’ Day weekend, which means these are premium rates – all of the resorts I discuss above have cheaper deals midweek.

I will of course offer a detailed report of our experience once we’ve spent a day there. I’m hopeful that skiing on a small mountain will let all the newbie skiers in my family (which is everyone but me) get lots of practice. If we’re going to commit to this sport, and I think we are, we’ll need to find a place to go that’s an easy day trip so that we work our legs in between longer visits to Vermont (and possibly points west – hey a girl can dream, can’t she?).

If you’ve skied at any of the resorts I list above, I’d love to hear about your experience there – especially if you have any insider tips!

Ski week will continue tomorrow when I talk about how to get your kids (and spouse) on skis and zipping happily down the mountain with a few side notes about how to save money and how to keep everyone fed and happy.