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Elk 1/14


tnt

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Had a pretty good day - 2-1/2 hr drive up, no stops.

 

Conditions were better than expected.  The trails that they blew snow on friday night were down right nice.  The rest were slick, but not terrible.

 

Everything had been groomed flat, so no Tunk bumps.  And no crowds.  Longest line was maybe 5 minutes twice at the doubles.  Easy to grab a seat at lunch, trails not crowded at all, so that was nice.

 

I really like that mountain.  Feel like there are a lot of good trails to choose from.  But I have to say, for the drive from central jersey, on a non-holiday weekend when crowds aren't the issue, catskills give you a taller mountain and high speed lifts for only another 15-20 minutes in the car and blue gives you the same vert - though not as much variety - with HS lifts, in 45 minutes less drive time.  

 

Started snowing the minute we left the lot of course.  Slow ride home with several bad accidents, including one that held us up on 78 for about 45 minutes.  4 hr ride.

 

 

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Nice report!!! I didn't know that blue is only 45 minutes less drive than Elk. The slow lifts have kept me away from Elk.

Maybe it's a little more?  I don't know...I think we made exceptional time in the morning, and 2-1/2 is probably pretty rare - no stops for coffee or pee....80 the whole way....probably can't count on that.  Blue usually takes me 1:45 i think.

 

The lifts are in fact slow....no getting around that.  But with no lines, we got plenty of skiing in. 

 

You've got the season pass and VIP line at the 6 pack, so that is a game changer.  For day pass holders, I'd bet we got a lot more skiing in then we would have at blue.  Waiting in the in line for 15 minutes, for a HS ride to the top, vs ski on to a 10 minute fixed grip lift ride.

 

The only other time I skied there was after a nice snow fall, with Tunk bumped up and a few of the trails left natural....that was a real treat.  And Tunk with bumps is a pretty ligit trail.  Steep, natural bumps...and there are a lot of trails there....but hard to say it would be worth the drive for someone with a season pass and close proximity to blue.  

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minutes in the car and blue gives you the same vert - though not as much variety - with HS lifts, in 45 minutes less drive time.

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Respectfully disagree with the the variety thing. Blue has everything that Elk has and then some. Blue even has marked glades whereas elk threatens to take your pass if you're caught in the woods (gasp). Elk definitely has less in the way of crowds and usually better snow. For trails though Elks cool but I gotta give it to Blue there. Edited by RidgeRacer
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Respectfully disagree with the the variety thing. Blue has everything that Elk has and then some. Blue even has marked glades whereas elk threatens to take your pass if you're caught in the woods (gasp). Elk definitely has less in the way of crowds and usually better snow. For trails though Elks cool but I gotta give it to Blue there.

 

It's like skiing in Vermont!

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No runs like switchback and nightmare to Dreamweaver at elk.

 

They have Kickapoo which is fun but Blue has a few of these. Mohawk and Iroquois are nice steep runs, but nothing crazier than the challenge and razors headwalls.  

edit...sorry TNT. didn't mean to threadjack with Blue stuff. haha

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Heard that on a commercial lol they are out of their minds. Aren't you allowed to ski in the woods in Vermont and don't Vermont areas have faux tyrolean base villages???

 

I'm not opposed to a faux village. Once it's built doesn't it then become real? A faux village to me are the ceramic houses that I put under the tree at Christmas with the tiny little people and cars. The one's that my kids like to break. 

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They have Kickapoo which is fun but Blue has a few of these. Mohawk and Iroquois are nice steep runs, but nothing crazier than the challenge and razors headwalls.  

edit...sorry TNT. didn't mean to threadjack with Blue stuff. haha

 

 

Yeah, I don't know...I think it's close.

 

But since I've only skied their twice, and have skied blue a ton, might just be that Elk feels new.

 

I think Tunk is a better steep trail than Challenger just because they let it bump up naturally rather than seeding it.  Also, seems to hold the snow better.  Challenger always seems flat, scratchy and boring to me.

 

Razors...well, it's always closed by the time I get there.  Think I've skied that trail 6 times in my life...

 

Elk has a few steep pitches off the double chairs and a few more off the quad, so a little more variety - but in truth, they are all essentially the same.  They also have Senaca under the double lift, which they left natural the first day I was there, and that was a great trail because of it....Blue has switchback which is a great trail with snow, and NM/DW, which is a long fun one...But main street, Window maker, those two little chutes....meh.  

 

But yeah....maybe in terms of top to bottom runs, Blue is superior.  Elk is like a few different short top sections that all funnel down to the same spot.  Throw in a side winder, paradise....you have longer uninterrupted trails till you get to the run out at the bottom....

 

But Blue doesn't have that awesome tractor ride from the parking lot to the lodge.  All they have is tubing...

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Yeah I enjoy Elk more than anywhere else in PA. But from Central NJ it is really no closer than Hunter, which has more challenge and vertical and faster lifts. So I almost never get to Elk. Down side of Hunter is the 6th Boro aspect of it.

 

May well go there presidents day weekend, taking advantage of the Kids PA 4th grade ski passport that lets them ski free there - on a weekend when few other deals are available, and the Pocono Ski and Ride Card I use for CB, Blue, Shawnee and JFBB is blacked out.

Edited by Ski2Live Live2Ski
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Scratch thoughts of Elk on president day weekend. They black out the 4th grade ski passport then. Won't be making it there this year.

Wow just wow. Do you have any ski trip plans for later this season??? Any plans to meet up with some PASRs at blue?? Could be fun for you on a kid free weekend. Just try to get there by like 7:45am so you can get first chair with us and roll with the crew.

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I will be at Blue at least 3 times this year with my PS&R cards. Will definitely try to make it for opening if they are on the weekend.

 

To use my cards up I will be 3 days each at Blue, CB and Shawnee and 2 more at Frost. Also hope to go to CO in late March.

 

I ski pretty much every weekend (may miss this one to go March on Washington with my little Women) and hope to top my lifetime best of 21 days and 200k vertical this year. 9 in so far.

Edited by Ski2Live Live2Ski
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