Snowboard Blog - 01/25/09

It’s time for westward expansion as I hit up one of the Appalachian’s biggest peaks outside of Greater Pittsburgh!

 Excellent:

n      The little things – I have personally never seen tissue boxes at the chair lifts, tickets available for purchase as you drive in, a person divvying up the ridership at all the busy lifts, or a ski school that is dedicated to the new folks on the mountain. Plus, I loved checking out the array of mountain cameras so you can view the slopes yourself before you go.

n      Rockin’ lodge – If you’re looking for an experience that doesn’t just end on the mountain, head to any 

of the four different lodge areas to enjoy yourself; one bonus: many on the mountain are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s – not just teens.

n      All-inclusive – one of the greatest things about Seven Springs is the variety the mountain provides. If you want a condo right off of one of the slopes, it’s there. If you want simple green circles, they’re there separated and separated from the more difficult terrain. There is bowling. There are several places to eat and the tavern in the main lodge is monolithic. So much for so many tastes.

n      Open trails – I almost never had any problems avoiding other skiers or snowboarders because the trails are so wide and vast.

 

Satisfactory:

n      Price - $52 allowed me to ride all day and night on the weekend. Prices during the weekday and night are much more reasonable, especially for what you receive.

n      Artificial Snow – I could tell that much of the base is artificially made, and, being as south as Seven Springs is, it does an ample job of covering a solid portion of the mountain.

n      Food – As par with most resorts, food was overpriced. However, I enjoyed the soup and one of the best and largest cookies I have ever laid eyes on. My friend had a killer buffalo chicken sub, but dropped $10 on it.

 Needs Improvement:

n      Conditions – After talking to several regular riders, they said that today was one of the best days they’d had in a while. That being said, it was 22 degrees and windy, enough to freeze my Camelbak insulated water container and enough to turn at least 3 or 4 runs into solid, scraping ice journeys.

n      Closing Trails – I think that some of the trails were far too icy to be open, while other trails were set to shut down at 4:30p.

n      Signs – One thing about Seven Springs is it is difficult for a newcomer to navigate. Signs are scattered and their fonts small.

n      Terrain Parks – “The Alley” was one of the most fun parks I have ever rode through. With its 6 table tops, I loved it. However, it was really the only one worth visiting. The others were under construction or too simple.

 

Final Grade: B-

 All things considered equal, on its best day Seven Springs could possibly be an A- resort, or at least a B+, especially with all things considered. However, as a man who is one with the mountain, the conditions left me feeling that this was a slightly above average day. That being said, I will, without question, say that the Seven Springs is unrivaled in comparison to other resorts south of The Pennsylvania Turnpike, probably the best resort in southwestern PA, and – snowfall permitting – the potential to be a truly incredible resort.