Seven Springs Mountain Resort After Seven Years
By Roland Leiser

"Naming rights" have come to ski resorts. Up in the southern Allegheny Mountains in western Pennsylvania, the Seven Springs Mountain Resort accepted The Coca-Cola Co.'s offer of branding its six-passenger lift as the Coca-Cola Express. And why not?  After all, Houston named its new baseball stadium as Enron Field (now known as Minute Maid Park, thanks to Coke). If capital-hungry ski areas can find deep pockets to finance costly lifts, good for them.

Coke spent big bucks on the conveyance and it's a winner. The new lift, which replaced the Tahoe quad this past season, quickly moves skiers and snowboarders from the resort's Front Face to a 2,990-foot summit on the North Face. There, wider and longer trails spread them out over the mountain's 275 acres. Unquestionably, the designers knew what they were doing. The new 6-pack cuts travel time to about 2 1/2 minutes from 12 to 18 minutes between the main lodge and the mountain-top Tahoe Lodge, according to Richard Barron, ski operations director. 

After Coke bought the rights last October, according to a resort spokesman, Seven Springs named the lift the Coca-Cola Express on its trail map for 2001/2002. However, Coke then asked to include a Coke-owned TV image in the lift's name, so it will soon be called the Coca-Cola Polar Bear Express, a mouthful. Today it's known informally as the Polar Bear Express.

Thanks to snowmaking capability and a little help from mother nature, Seven Springs was able to host winter visitors each day from Dec. 22, 2001, the start of a delayed season that Scott L. Bender, president, would just as soon forget. In the year-earlier season, the resort opened on Nov. 22.

Fortunately, Seven Springs "can make huge amounts of snow in a short period of time," says Bender. And the resort benefits from the "lake effect," when cold Canadian air meets warmer air over Lake Erie to produce snow. "It's like having your own eco-system," says Eric Ash, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association. 

Seven Springs doesn't provide the largest number of trails among the state's 33 resorts, nor does its 750 feet of vertical qualify as the highest, according to state's visitors guide. Nor does it offer the most "difficult and more difficult" terrain in Pennsylvania. As for terrain, well, the resort designates half of the mountain's 31 trails as "easier" because of its family focus, 33 percent as intermediate and 17 percent as advanced. This isn't a place for lots of steeps and vertical but cruising runs as wide as 300 feet definitely appeal to families and intermediates. In a few years the resort plans to develop the Cliffs  area on the North Face with steep (but short) slopes. 

With its 275 acres, Seven Springs is the state's largest ski area and would grow by another 125 acres under a master plan. In eastern Pennsylvania, Elk Mountain's 235 acres and Camelback Ski Area's 137 are second and third in size, respectively.

During a return visit to Seven Springs in mid-February after seven years, I found the resort had solved a problem of poor trail signage. Today it would be hard for anyone to get lost because of large, bold, easy-to read trail signs and markers. At the lift loading areas, signs clearly state the names and skill levels of each trail at the top. Along the edge of some trails, smaller signs guide skiers and riders in the right direction, a practice that other resorts might copy. 

Seven Springs' master plan also calls for doubling the size of the 10,000 square foot Tahoe Lodge on the North Face. Visitors had complained about overcrowding in the restaurant during the holidays and other peak periods. In addition, there are plans for a new hotel of up to 400 rooms but Sept. 11 has set this project back by about one year, according to Bender. The base lodge hotel includes 385 rooms and 12 suites plus restaurants and dozens of shops. 

Of interest to skiers and snowboarders, Seven Springs' expansion, named the Great Western Ski Area, will be aimed at intermediate and advanced skill levels. The 125-acre area will be served initially by one lift and could open as early as 2004 or 2005. For great views of the proposed new terrain, try the Lost Girl trail.
 
Early on, snowboarders were segregated on the mountain but today they have the run of the hill, remarks ski operations chief Barron. There are two beginner areas, and a snowboard park for the advanced riders. On average, they make up 30 to 40 percent of the visitors, but the percentage can reach 45 percent early and late in the season when the weather and conditions are iffy, he remarks. "They just want to be out there and board, slush or mush."

Among the favorite black diamond runs are Giant Steps Slopes and Gunnar Slopes on the North Face and Avalanche and Goose Bumps (Seven Springs' only double black, with steep mogul fields) on the Front Face, according to Barron. 

Giant Steps Slope seems easy for a black but the sun-warmed trail is still popular with expert skiers. Lost Girl, a favorite trail for its winding terrain and varied landscape, is surprisingly steep in places for a green.

Bender contends that Seven Springs rivals Utah's Snowbird Resort in annual skier-visits. Snowbird won't disclose its numbers so we will have to take his word for it. Easily accessible by car from six big cities, including Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh, Seven Springs logged a record 467,000 skier visits in 2000/ 2001 but reported only 412,000 in the season that closed March 30. But hopes are up for 2002/2003. The expected opening date is Dec.1, weather permitting. 

Seven Springs Mountain Resort
Champion, Pa. 15622
800-452-2223 or 1-814-352-7777
www.7springs.com

HELEN'S
Secluded among stately timbers and nestled at slopeside is the original home of Seven Springs' founders. Built 65 years ago, today it is Helen's Restaurant, a rustic retreat, serving an intercontinental cuisine.


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Tips for skiing Pennsylvania

To get the most out of nearly two dozen Pennsylvania snow sport resorts with hundreds of snow covered trails here are some tips to make your visit more comfortable and economical.

  • On busy weekends arrive early for the most convenient parking. But if you don’t, virtually all Pennsylvania ski areas offer free shuttle service from parking to the mountain lodge.

  • Equipment and passenger drop-offs are conveniently located in front of most lodges.

  • Take advantage of combination tickets. Pennsylvania ski resorts sell packages that include lift, lesson and rental equipment or any combination. Save money and avoid standing in separate lines.

  • New skiers and riders should ask about special beginner lift tickets and packages that are deeply discounted and include beginner lift tickets, lessons and rental equipment.
    If you can ski midweek, you’ll find bargain rates for everything from accommodations to lift tags.

  • Check your local ski shop for “customer appreciation day” tickets.

  • Virtually all Pennsylvania snow sport resorts offer packages that include accommodations, lift tickets, lessons and rental equipment. Ask about restaurant discounts.

  • Pennsylvania temperatures are generally milder than more northern winter resorts. That means you can travel lighter, wear gloves instead of mittens and lighter parkas with layers of turtle necks and fleece vests. But pay attention to weather forecasts for alerts to those occasionally colder days;

  • Pennsylvania snow country resorts and restaurants welcome casual dress. No need here for sport jackets and dresses. Leave them home and travel light.

www.skipa.com
psaa@uplink.net

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