Blue Knob Ski and Snowboard Trip
The only thing I can say about the Mon Valley Ski Cub Bus Trip to the Blue Knob Ski Resort is: GREAT SUCCESS!The story starts with the weather forecast, a frigid day with the wind chill approaching -25. It was the type of day where you go out and take four runs and then return to the lodge for a 30 minute “beverage” break. Also, Blue Knob only had half the mountain open due to a lack of snow, and the open runs were the easiest ones on the mountain. Despite all of this, our group decided to head out on the mountain.
After our first four runs the group decided it was time to take a break in the lodge to recoup our spirits by the fireplace. While inside, we “somehow” attracted the attention of the General Manager of the resort, Doug. (Side Note: We were a group of 50 people with about a total of 80 people on the mountain that day.) We told him we were not happy that the best parts of the mountain were closed. Then, instead of getting defensive, Doug looked us right in the eye and said, “You know, I have been blowing snow on that part of the mountain all week. I think it might be ready. Let me go get changed into my ski clothes, and I will personally take you on a tour of some of the best terrain in the Mid-Atlantic.” The group instantly cheered.
A couple of minutes later, Doug returned and said, “Lets Ride.” The group piled on their ski clothes and proceeded to follow Doug out the door and down the mountain. As we skied onto the first run, the sign that read “EXPERTS ONLY,” and I knew that we would be in for a treat. Doug traversed us over to the “Upper Stembogan Bowl.” (Yes it was actually a Bowl. See some of the pictures and video below.) Here each member of the group got to experience untouched knee to thigh deep powder, a scarce commodity in the Mid-Atlantic. After this, Doug continued to show us the rest of the resort, and it was one of the best skiing days of my life.
Most of what made this day so amazing was the quality of the snow. This is Doug’s first year as General Manager of the resort (link to website), and one of the very first improvements he made was to the snow making process. Most resorts blow snow in piles and then push it around with the groomer later in order to smooth it out. This is the cheapest way to make snow. Doug, however, sends out his snowmaking team hourly to adjust the guns. Therefore, they blow snow over a wider area, not in piles. After this Doug lets the snow sit for at least 24 hours before he grooms it. This lets the heavy moisture escape from the snow and what you are left with is an amazingly light product. This is not exactly the most cost effective, but the results are extraordinary. No one on the trip could believe that most of the snow was man made. Nevertheless, everyone had an incredible time skiing on it.
After a great day of skiing, the Mon Valley Ski Club did what it does best: We took over the bar. We met a lot of really cool locals, and we sampled some great food and beverages from the ski resort lodge. The bar had a feeling that everyone was welcome and a great selection of draft beer (which is always important.) The lodge was extremely clean, and its food and beverage prices were very inexpensive for a ski resort. I give the Blue Knob Ski Resort an A+ for having everything a skier is looking for (outstanding snow & terrain, clean resort, fun bar) and nothing that a skier is not looking for (high prices, indoor swimming pool, stuck-up staff,.) I am sure that I will make at least one more day trip over to Blue Knob this season. If you are interested in going, let me know.
As you can see in the pictures below, the bus ride home was a LOT of fun. Overall, the trip was a great time with an amazing group of people.
All of us look forward to the February Bus Trip to Wisp, MD.
Check out the video of me riding at Blue Knob. WARNING: you might get sick becasue it is very shaky. It was very cold and I was holding the camera with my bare hand.
Blue Knob Ski Trip from Kyle P on Vimeo.
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