When it comes to East Coast skiing, it can be difficult to decide which resort to go to. The most popular resorts near this school are Liberty Mountain Resort and Whitetail Resort, both in Pennsylvania. Liberty is about an hour and five minutes away (49 miles) and Whitetail is about an hour and 13 minutes away (61 miles). The timing is also dependent on traffic as you travel on the highway and through towns throughout Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Students have their own preferences between the two resorts. “I liked Whitetail but the snow there was much icier and rough, and most of the good trails were closed from bad conditions. I liked Liberty a lot more because the snow felt better even though it was slushier and more trails were open,” sophomore Vikram Mishra said.
The mountain range and variety of trails on the mountains are similar. According to libertymountainresort.com, Liberty Mountain has its highest elevation at 1,190 ft (360 m), its base elevation is 570 ft (170m), its skiable terrain is 100 acres, they have eight lifts, 100% snowmaking coverage, two terrain parks, 16 trails, 35% beginner terrain, 40% intermediate terrain and 25% advanced terrain. “I thought that Liberty conditions were not the greatest but for being in Maryland they weren’t bad,” sophomore Danielle Rubin said.
Liberty Mountain makes equipment easily accessible and provides well-known, reliable brands. Their skis are Volkl and their snowboards are Burton. The mountain can also provide ski boots and snowboarding boots, poles, as well as helmets. They offer daily rentals and seasonal leases for all equipment that vary in price.
Liberty Mountain Resort also offers three different places to stay including Highland Lodge, Alpine Lodge and Fairway Hotel. They have different restaurants to choose from on the mountain as well as shops to visit. If someone visits Liberty but wants to avoid skiing they can go snow tubing. “I really enjoyed Liberty Mountain but it was very icy and not many trails open,” sophomore Addison Purvis said.
Whitetail Mountain Resort consists of 23 trails with 18 open throughout this season. Seven trails are greens for beginners, 11 trails are blue for intermediates, two trails are blacks for intermediate to advanced, two trails are double blacks for truly advanced skiers and one terrain park allows people to show their trick skills. According to skiwhitetail.com, their highest elevation is 1,800 feet (549 m), their base elevation is 865 feet (264 m), they have 120 acres of skiable terrain, nine lifts, 100% snow-making coverage, 26% beginner terrain, 48% intermediate terrain and 26% advanced terrain. Whitetail also offers night skiing.
When it comes to rentals at Whitetail, there is not a huge variety. Their rentals include Elan skis and Burton snowboards. They have rentals for ski boots, snowboarding boots, poles and helmets. Like Liberty, they have daily rentals and seasonal leases that vary in price.
Whitetail Mountain Resort offers one lodging option called Whitetail Mountainside Village. The mountain has great restaurants. They also provide snow tubing for those who dislike skiing or snowboarding. The mountain has events going on certain weeks, bringing festivities to the mountain.
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