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. On the Martin Luther King holiday weekend, My granddaughter and I traveled to ski the Endless Mountain Region, located in the northeast corner of Pennsylvania. This is where Sno Mountain and Elk Mountain reside, and we planned to ski both mountains. The last time I visited Sno Mountain, formerly called Montage (about 7 or so years ago), the mountain was having severe financial problems, and has since been acquired by new management, thus the reason for the new name. With that said, here is my opinion of Sno Mountain (Sno).

Terrain: Rated 3.0:
Sno is one of those unique mountains where the main lodge is not at the base of the mountain, and can be found at mid-mountain. This mid-mountain base serves as the dividing line for the terrain. From the summit down to the main lodge, you will find the novice, beginner, and intermediate terrain. This serves as a good thing because rank novices and beginners can possibly for the first time experience a summit descent, which can really boost the ego as well as the exhilaration of a summit view. It also serves as a bad thing because it cuts Sno’s 1,000 foot vertical drop virtually in half thereby limiting the length and character options of the novice, beginner, and intermediate trails, as well as the more difficult trails found in the lower mountain. For beginners and novices this may not matter too much. But for intermediates, the trails are relatively straight and lack twists, turns and true character, therefore becoming somewhat boring. This lack of character element does not hold true for the remaining diamonded trails extending downward from the lodge level into the lower valley. Although signs and warnings are posted, it is extremely easy to for inexperienced skiers descending from the summit to zoom past posted signs and cutoffs and find themselves in terrain that is far beyond their abilities. I spent the entire morning with my granddaughter skiing the upper mountain, and personally becoming rather bored. I was ready to re-name Sno Mountain to Sno-what Mountain when my granddaughter decided to take a break. That was my opportunity to sample the diamonded terrain. I knew I didn’t have too much time, so I selected their meanest, baddest, steepest, double diamonded trail called “White Lightening.” It started off very mellow and almost flat for about 50 yards, but rapidly turned into a steep, heavily moguled monster. It deserved every bit of it’s double diamond rating. By then I had gone too far to turn back. I skied the edges of the trail where the snow was soft and the bumps more negotiable, and got down in good shape. The remaining diamonded trails did have character and were, fun. To my surprise, I enjoyed a particular intermediate trail called “Upper Fast Track.” Sno management was kind enough to clear some trees adjacent to the trail and now permits some limited intermediate glade skiing. Yes, Sno is essentially a family mountain, but the diamonded terrain as well as the glades give all category of skiers some enjoyable options.

Service: Rated 3.0:
The services provided by Sno was nothing more or less than what is usually provided at most ski resorts. They have some good things going on as well as some not so good things. A very logical service that is not provided at most resorts is the availability of specifically designated changing areas. But Sno has them! Separate male and female changing rooms are provided, consisting of shower and toilet facilities with bench seating for approximately 50 folks at one time. No more attempting to change clothing while simultaneously trying to keep your clothes from falling on soiled floors of muddy melted snow or who knows what else. The lift attendants seem rather conscientious about their responsibilities. I boarded a lift and ask the attendant a minor question, he wasn’t able to discern what I had asked, and the lift traveled too far for me to asked the question again. I didn’t ride that particular lift until about an hour later. When I loaded he asked me, “What was your question you had asked me previously?” I was surprised he even remembered. The one poor service item was the incredibly slow lifts. In the cafeteria, custodial staff were continuously sweeping up and attempting to keep the eating areas clean. At lunch I had what they called beef chili. It was soupy and maybe beef flavored, because I couldn’t find any meat.

Crowds: Rated 4.0:
President’s Day and Martin Luther King Day weekends are arguably the biggest weekends during ski season, and Sno was not crowded at all. At Sno I didn’t encounter a lift line. In the cafeteria we readily found seats at the height of the lunch hour. On the trails we encountered skiers but there was plenty of room to maneuver. When my granddaughter and I were skiing the glades adjacent to the “Upper Fast Track” trail, we had them all to ourselves; and on “White Lightening,” I had the entire trail to myself (I guess everyone else was a little smarter than I was).

Activities: Rated 4.0:
Sno doesn’t have a half pipe, but does have a modest terrain park. There is also tubing, but don’t forget, Sno is located in the hip pocket of Scranton, Pennsylvania. There you can find dining, shopping, and general tourist activities.

Value: Rated 3.0:
I have mixed feelings regarding Sno’s value. The lift tickets were reasonable, but the cafeteria food was exorbitant. Two soft drinks, a small bowl of chili, onion rings, French fries and jello set me back $22.50

In summary, I enjoyed my day at Sno. Kudos to the mountain management, who made the many worthwhile changes at Sno. Rank beginners will have a good time, and the experts and advanced skiers will be entertained for a morning or so; but all will suffer, with intermediates suffering the most, from the shortness of the trails due to the geographical division of the terrain with regard to top versus bottom.