Blue is where I go the most every season, but that is changing. I like it's size but I'm tired of the ice. They need to groom much more often. Also, after getting back from VT over break, i LOVE glade riding. I only wish Blue would open up a glade trail like Jack Frost has.

SkiTown Review

Ski resort reviews can be helpful only if you know the skill level and skiing perspective of the person authoring the review. My perspective is focused on the actual skiing experience (terrain, crowd, and snow factors), and not so much on the ancillary aspects surrounding skiing. I am a middle-age advanced skier with no interest in jumping off cornices or cliffs. I will often at high speeds hit a small lip in the terrain and get a little air, but that is about the extent of it. I venture in and out of moderate mogul fields in an attempt to become a better all-around skier, but I tend not to spend a majority of my ski day dealing with the bumps. If I had to describe the type of skier with which I most closely identify, it would be a high speed cruiser who enjoys medium to giant slalom turns. Directly after New Years Day, I consulted the Conditions link of the SkiTown website and found that locally, Blue Mountain in the Poconos of Pennsylvania had the best conditions as well as the greater percentage of acreage open. With that said, my granddaughter and I opened our 2008-09 ski season at Blue Mountain (Blue).

Terrain: Rated 3.0:
I visited Blue approximately three years ago, and left with the opinion that for an advanced or better skier, Blue was good for an opening season tune up, but would become somewhat boring once the skier got his/her ski legs working appropriately. This is still essentially true, but in the interim, Blue management as worked hard on this-little- mountain-that-could (With regard to Pocono standards, the word little may not be appropriate. At an almost 1,100 vertical feet, Blue has the largest vertical rise in the Poconos, and is exceeded by only Hunter, Windham, and Belleayre in the Catskills ). Blues signature double diamond trails Razors Edge and Challenge are side-by-side, straight fall line trails that carry no distinct surprises, and are relatively steep for Pocono Mountain skiing. They will pose no real problems for advanced or expert skiers unless they become severely bumped-up or sheets of ice. When we visited, neither was the case for either trail and you could readily develop a good head of steam coming off either one of these trails. The day we arrived, Blue opened a newly cut intermediate trail called Dream Weaver. My granddaughter usually eats up blue square trails for breakfast, but this one is truly a legitimate intermediate run with a very entertaining pitch. She handled it well, but complained the entire length of the trail. In my opinion, it is a pretty decent intermediate trail. Unfortunately, Blue still has no real glades to speak of, but one of the things I did enjoy, even on such beginner favorites as Paradise, were the many snow-filled gullies resting on the shoulders of these mild trails that allowed you to dip down in them to work on your techniques to conquer variable trail conditions, and to experience the moderate lips that give you air time. Still, for the advanced and expert skier, I do not recommend more than a one day stay at Blue.

Service: Rated 4.0:
Dean from Delawares February 2007 review may have hinted at a problem that may, or may not have been solved by Blues management. Unfortunately, Dean and his family were victims of equipment theft while visiting Blue. I did notice signage in the main lodge giving informational hints on how to avoid being a victim of ski theft. I also noticed Blues unique attempt to counter equipment theft my setting up a free ski valet system. In a secure area manned by Blue staff, just outside of the main lodge, you can hand over your skis while you eat or shop in the main lodge. You are given a claim check, and can retrieve your equipment upon handing back the claim check to the valet attendant. Again, this is free! I, like Dean from Delaware, have never locked up my stuff at a ski resort, but reading his review prior to my visit, I did decide to purchase an all-day locker for my ancillary equipment (an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure). I welcomed the fact that I was allowed to drive directly up to the front door of the main lodge, leave my car, unload my gear, and lock up my skis without being harassed or having my car ticketed or towed away. The lift lines were very manageable due to the help of Blue Mountains high speed quad and six pack. Considering the cold-thaw-cold cycle of the recent weather, we found the snow coverage and grooming more than satisfactory. My granddaughter and I took our lunch break at the height of the luncheon madness at about 12:30 pm, but our wait for food service was only a little over 5 minutes. I had my usual bowl of chili, which was on the soupy side, and initially had a sweet but strange and smoky flavor. It had a spicy kick to it, but the taste distinctly violated the usual Tex/Mex taste of a good chili. In place of bits of real cheese, I was given some artificial cheese spread as a topping for the chili. After each successive spoonful, the chili tasted better and better. Now if they would only thicken up the stock a bit, it would be a gourmet specialty.

Crowds: Rated 3.0:
On a bluebird Sunday directly after the New Years Day holiday, with temperatures in the low 30s, I expected the usual crowded conditions. To my surprise, the crowd was not bad. Lift lines tended to be 3 to 5 minutes long at the most. At the height of the lunch break we found available tables in the lodge. Even on the slopes there was enough room where I did not find it necessary to use the slower skiers as slalom poles. This is the second time that I have visited Blue Mountain on or close to a holiday period and the crowds were quite manageable.

Activities: Rated 4.0:
Blue Mountain has a comparably large tubing area as well as an abundance of terrain parks, half pipes, rails and all of the other paraphernalia that boarders love. Blue is probably a better boarding mountain than a skiing mountain. Blue is also very close to Allentown, Pennsylvania where one can find dining, lodging, and shopping options.

Value: Rated 4.0:
Again with the help of the SkiTown website, I not only discovered that Blue had the greatest percentage of skiing territory open in the Catskill, Berkshire and Pocono region, but also had the least expensive lift tickets of all the major players in the region. In addition, the cafeteria selections appeared to be priced moderately less than standard ski lodge offerings at other regional resorts. Blues price of 75 cents for a large day locker that could accommodate a large boot bag and two pairs of après ski boots was very favorable in comparison to other resorts

In summary, if you and your ripping buddies are planning a testosterone laced ski trip, I recommend that you pass ole Blue by. But if you are looking for an ego boosting family mountain, and have the kids in tow, then give ole Blue a shot. On behalf of Blue, my single day was quite entertaining, and my granddaughter was close to tears when we decided to leave. That is truly the essence of a good ski day.
There is room in this ski world for mountains that will test your meddle, as well as those that will boost your ego, and ole Blue management knows exactly which type of mountain Blue is, and have worked diligently on those strengths.

the 1000' vertical is a joke since you have to do a 400 yard nearly flat run out at the bottom of the mtn to get to the lift just so the management can say they have a 1,000'+ mtn. High speed lifts are great but I never can get my edges sharp enough to handle the bullet proof ice.

ICE Mountain is the best way to describe this place. The uphill capacity of the two high speed lifts is impressive, but why bother when you face a mountain of ice when you get off the lift. Learn how to make snow and groom the mountain correctly!