Jump to content

Lost Ski Area: Tour of Blue Marsh Ski Area, formerly North Heidelberg Ski Club


EdBacon

Recommended Posts

4 hours ago, momskeeztoo said:

I wonder if Alpine Mountain is open anymore. 

They've been closed since 2015 I believe. 

Almost no chance they come back. The place was sold to new owners who said they don't want to offer skiing, but wanted to turn the place into a Harley Davidson themed biker hangout, complete with scenic chairlift rides.

I don't think those plans went anywhere. Although even if/when they sell I don't see anyone else trying to reopen the area for skiing. 

Edited by EdBacon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, EdBacon said:

They've been closed since 2015 I believe. 

Almost no chance they come back. The place was sold to new owners who said they don't want to offer skiing, but wanted to turn the place into a Harley Davidson themed biker hangout, complete with scenic chairlift rides.

I don't think those plans went anywhere. Although even if/when they sell I don't see anyone else trying to reopen the area for skiing. 

They stole that place.  They paid like $400k or something ridiculously cheap.  The buildings looked to be in decent shape.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, JFskiDan said:

They stole that place.  They paid like $400k or something ridiculously cheap.  The buildings looked to be in decent shape.  

$412k at auction. When they bought the place it was still essentially a functioning ski area. But they had no realistic plans for the place and its just sitting vacant. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, EdBacon said:

$412k at auction. When they bought the place it was still essentially a functioning ski area. But they had no realistic plans for the place and its just sitting vacant. 

I think they auctioned off all of the snowmaking equipment, groomers, and other ski related equipment when it was sold.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Finally got around to editing video from an area I visited months ago. Kahkout Mountain was part of the Winona Lakes development near Bushkill Falls. This was one of the many private areas that popped up across the Poconos in the 1970s. This is probably one of the larger abandoned ski areas in PA, and is pretty big in general for a lost ski area. The skiable vertical drop is about 475ft, and there's about 5 ways down the mountain including two advanced trails with a good sustained steep pitch. The area was built by the same developer who was responsible for the development Shawnee Mountain and Big Bear at Masthope, as well as the private Pocono Ranchlands ski area which is actually still in operation (and features the exact same model of Borvig double chair). These private areas are a real unique feature to the Poconos, but its a shame they weren't experienced by more people before they closed.

JoOpIhB.jpg

eOVZyGj.jpg

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Been a minute. I'm back and checking out our fair state's lost and lonesome ski areas. 

I had the opportunity to take a walk around the former Alpine Mountain ski area outside Stroudsburg a couple weeks ago. This area closed in 2015 and was auctioned in 2017 for the bargain price of $413,000. The last operating owners seemed to have sunk a bunch of money into the place before it closed, renovating the lodge and ski school and buying new rental equipment, among other things. The current owners have no interest in the area, or even in maintaining the property which is becoming vandalized and decrepit. 

 

Seemed like a good place to learn when it was open. Mellow pitch, not as small as some other closed areas but still small by today's standards (350 vertical feet on about 20 trails). Shame to see any area go, especially with the crowding at some of its neighbors. 
 

 

  • Like 6
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Justo8484 said:

wonder if any of these places are still clear enough to be able to ski em if we end up with a decent winter, snowfall-wise

Some of them, yeah. Although the trails are usually pretty short and the pitch is easy, with a few exceptions.

Edited by EdBacon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/25/2020 at 6:36 PM, EdBacon said:

Been a minute. I'm back and checking out our fair state's lost and lonesome ski areas. 

I had the opportunity to take a walk around the former Alpine Mountain ski area outside Stroudsburg a couple weeks ago. This area closed in 2015 and was auctioned in 2017 for the bargain price of $413,000. The last operating owners seemed to have sunk a bunch of money into the place before it closed, renovating the lodge and ski school and buying new rental equipment, among other things. The current owners have no interest in the area, or even in maintaining the property which is becoming vandalized and decrepit. 

 

Seemed like a good place to learn when it was open. Mellow pitch, not as small as some other closed areas but still small by today's standards (350 vertical feet on about 20 trails). Shame to see any area go, especially with the crowding at some of its neighbors. 
 

 

Skied there with my daughters on its final season due to lift tix coming as free extras on our PA Ski & Ride card. My then 8 or 9 year old daughters mocked the insignificant level of challenge their blacks offered. Not even at the level of Big Bear or Bear Creek.

Edited by Ski2Live Live2Ski
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/28/2020 at 1:06 PM, EdBacon said:

The year we got no other snow except for one random dump in October. Great stuff!

I've finally uploaded the full walk around: 

 

One of my earliest ski weekends in the early 80s included a few runs there where we were staying. The next day we tried JF and BB

Edited by Ski2Live Live2Ski
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Ski2Live Live2Ski said:

Cool thread. Enjoyed checking out the vids. Wondering what will be next between the impact of Covid,  recession, and warming. 

I can think of a handful of areas that are going to be added to the lost ski area list, unfortunately... but I don't wanna harsh the vibe here this time of year. Everyone is getting their pre-season stoke on. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...