This year has had extremely little snowfall all over the United States. Whitetail mountain in Mercersburg, PA, a fan favorite for local skiers and boarders, didn’t open until Dec. 27. In previous years Whitetail has opened at least a week or two earlier than when it opened this year.

With the lack of snow this season, students are trying to get all their skiing and boarding in on the weekends and days off of school. There are plenty of ski mountains in the area for all levels of skiers. The prominent mountains include Whitetail, Liberty and Roundtop.  “My favorite place to ski near us is probably Liberty. I love how they have a really fun terrain park where I can try and do tricks,” junior Ethan Kuan said.

Even though there are plenty of options on where to ski, the lift lines are still dreadful. Most ski mountains on the East Coast are not nearly as big as those on the West Coast, so they don’t have as many lifts and terrain for people to explore. This is why the lift lines at Whitetail and these other local mountains have such long lines. 

These mountains are great for having fun with friends and family and are a great way to spend a day off from school. Due to the heavy crowds and lack of snow compared to the East Coast, local mountains can have a good amount of ice and the conditions can be rough. “I have only skied on the East Coast and have heard the West Coast ski conditions are better but for me personally the East Coast conditions don’t affect me because I am used to them,” senior Miles Wiley said.

Ski club goes up to Liberty or Whitetail every Friday after school and enjoys night skiing, which is a much different experience than skiing during the day but is just as fun. “I did ski club when I was in ninth grade and I loved it. I loved skiing at night with my friends at Whitetail and Liberty. Even though I wasn’t as good as my peers I still had a really fun experience on the ski club,” junior Abraham Labban.

If you are willing to venture out a little bit, there are a multitude of mountains that are much better than the local ones of Whitetail, Liberty and Roundtop. These mountains include Seven Spring and Hidden Valley resort, which are both located near Somerset country in Pennsylvania. These mountains offer more terrain to skiers and boarders, and they don’t have the long lift lines because of the more lifts they have. 

There is also the option to adventure out to the West Coast, which offers arguably the best skiing in the world. With mountains like Park City, Vail, and Jackson Hole the skiing is good but the experience might be better. “Me and my family go to Vail every year during winter break. I love snowboarding on the mountain during the day, but I also love walking around and exploring the town of Vail after a long day of skiing,” junior Zoe Heller said.