EXCUSE THE YELLING, BUT THEY WERE BLASTING THE GUNS ALL DAY AND I'VE GONE HALF DEAF!! Oh well, if it weren't for the snow guns, we'd have little to no skiing here in the mid-Atlantic, especially this year.
Time flies. The last time I skied here was circa 1969, when it had a different name (Charnita). Gone is the hockey rink sized ice slab (smooth, shiny and thick) I slid off so many years ago. Also gone is pile of rocks I slid onto, probably covered by 40 years of decomposed fall leaves. Also no sign of the ice-covered rope tow of which I have such fond memories. Thankfully, snowmaking, grooming and ski hill management are all much better today. I hardly recognized the place.
Liberty, located in southern Pa, near Gettysburg, is the closest ski hill to Washington and perhaps Baltimore also. It boasts a verticle of 1,100 feet (550 ft front side plus 650 ft back side equals 1,100, right?). OK, it's definately vertically challenged. But it has great snowmaking capacity. Last week we had another bout of upper 60's to lower 70's in the area, but with just 36 hours of winter temps, Liberty had all trails open with several inches of new "powder."
The back side is more challenging than the front, being all blue and black runs. The black runs are short from the top of the hill, which flattens out somewhat about a third of the way down. It is what it is, and I think they have done a very good job making the most of what they have to work with (including the mild winters the past several years).
The front side, in my opinion, would be an excellent place to take someone to learn to ski. Several broad gentle slopes with plenty of snow, served by a couple of chair lifts. If it had been that way in 1969, I probably would have returned sooner. A lot of kids from Maryland and D.C. were skiing at Liberty today (schools used for primary election voting), but there were no lines. It even snowed off and on, adding about an inch of natural to the machine snow.
I'll definately return, probably after we have had some natural snow, or after we have had several days of snowmaking so they don't have to run the guns day.
Time flies. The last time I skied here was circa 1969, when it had a different name (Charnita). Gone is the hockey rink sized ice slab (smooth, shiny and thick) I slid off so many years ago. Also gone is pile of rocks I slid onto, probably covered by 40 years of decomposed fall leaves. Also no sign of the ice-covered rope tow of which I have such fond memories. Thankfully, snowmaking, grooming and ski hill management are all much better today. I hardly recognized the place.
Liberty, located in southern Pa, near Gettysburg, is the closest ski hill to Washington and perhaps Baltimore also. It boasts a verticle of 1,100 feet (550 ft front side plus 650 ft back side equals 1,100, right?). OK, it's definately vertically challenged. But it has great snowmaking capacity. Last week we had another bout of upper 60's to lower 70's in the area, but with just 36 hours of winter temps, Liberty had all trails open with several inches of new "powder."
The back side is more challenging than the front, being all blue and black runs. The black runs are short from the top of the hill, which flattens out somewhat about a third of the way down. It is what it is, and I think they have done a very good job making the most of what they have to work with (including the mild winters the past several years).
The front side, in my opinion, would be an excellent place to take someone to learn to ski. Several broad gentle slopes with plenty of snow, served by a couple of chair lifts. If it had been that way in 1969, I probably would have returned sooner. A lot of kids from Maryland and D.C. were skiing at Liberty today (schools used for primary election voting), but there were no lines. It even snowed off and on, adding about an inch of natural to the machine snow.
I'll definately return, probably after we have had some natural snow, or after we have had several days of snowmaking so they don't have to run the guns day.
Yes, I realize that the mid-Atlantic isn't exactly a mecca for skiers, but many locals from DC and Baltimore learned to ski at these places and still head there from time to time to keep in shape for trips to other regions, or just have a little fun with friends/family. I am happy to share my modest experiences. BTW: I just posted a question in the Western Forum, which perhaps one of you can answer.