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Pocono's Suggestions?

3K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  Nito 
#1 ·
Hi all.

I live in South Jersey just east of Philly so the Poconos are about 2 to 3 hours away. I'm originally from Massachusetts (miss the VT resorts) so I don't know too much about this area.

I'm a beginner, been 3 times and I'm starting get a lot better. I like cruiser runs the best. So far I've been to Camelback and Blue Mountain, and I thought both were pretty decent, although I was at both during Holiday weekends so they were busy but manageable.


I plan to make a trip to Elk this year but its a bit farther so I'll wait for some good weather. I'm looking to do mostly night riding to keep costs down. I've spent a bunch already this year on gear. Anyplace else I should check out??

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Hi,

For the Poconos, Jack Frost/Big Boulder, Camelback, and Blue are good; I've never been to Elk.

Definitely check out JFBB. You might really like Jack Frost for cruising groomers, but they are only open during the day. When JF closes, your pass gets you onto Big Boulder for night. Or you could just get a night pass for Boulder.

Boulder is more park oriented. Still a fun mountain, even if you don't ride park, but the runs are pretty short. It's a great place to learn park if you ever wanted. If you're a beginner, you might not mind the short runs.

Keep an eye on the Regional section here, too, for any meet ups in the area.
 
#3 ·
Thanks, I was thinking about checking out JFBB later in the season and doing a full day/night. I hope to get into parks next season so that would be a good place to get a little experience.


Is Shawnee any good? I haven't heard much about it.
 
#9 ·
Good to know. I chatted with the guys from Elk at the Meadowlands sale this year. Sounded like a decent place to check out in talking with them, but good to hear from an outside perspective.

I don't have much to add that wasn't covered except that this rain is not helping things. These local mountains can't catch a break. Locally I have ridden camelback/JFBB this year and I think they both have done wonders with the hand they have been dealt. I rode camelback MLK day and it wasn't too crowded and the conditions were not bad at all. Did another weekday or two early there and a friday at JF which were all enjoyable since they were empty... despite some rougher conditions

I grew up riding at Shawnee in the 90s.. had a seasons pass there for three years in HS. I have never been back (since 97) if that tells you anything. ELK is a bit farther haul but a nice little mt and personally I have never liked blue. If there was any snow Mt Creek is worth checking out, but I have not even gone there despite it being the closest mt to me.
I never liked Blue, either, except for last night. The vibe was way better than the last time/s I was there and their coverage was better than Camelback's was Saturday night. It really surprised me. They were blowing huge mounds of snow on some of the closed trails, although with this rain who knows what shape they're in now. I still don't like how some trails cross each other awkwardly and the flats are a bit much. The only time I go to Blue is when friends are set on it (majority vote).
 
#6 ·
JFBB, Camelback, Elk, and Blue Mountain are the only ones worth going too. Of the 4, I would say that Elk is the least crowded with Blue Mountain being the most. It's really annoying sometimes at Blue Mountain when all of the new riders are hitting trails completely out of their league and slowing everybody down. Elk is really nice though. I have heard good things about JFBB, and Camelback is in the middle. They have a nice choice of trails, but it's also sometimes crowded. It is the biggest resort though. I would just wait and go to Elk.
 
#7 ·
Thanks everyone for the input.

I'll stick to the 4 mountains you guys mentioned. This will hopefully be my last winter in Jersey so I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on anything worthwhile. I'll wait for some more storms and make a day out of JFBB & Elk. Until then I'll keep practicing at night at Blue & Camelback. Hopefully this warm rain isn't ruining everything!

Thanks again
 
#8 ·
I don't have much to add that wasn't covered except that this rain is not helping things. These local mountains can't catch a break. Locally I have ridden camelback/JFBB this year and I think they both have done wonders with the hand they have been dealt. I rode camelback MLK day and it wasn't too crowded and the conditions were not bad at all. Did another weekday or two early there and a friday at JF which were all enjoyable since they were empty... despite some rougher conditions

I grew up riding at Shawnee in the 90s.. had a seasons pass there for three years in HS. I have never been back (since 97) if that tells you anything. ELK is a bit farther haul but a nice little mt and personally I have never liked blue. If there was any snow Mt Creek is worth checking out, but I have not even gone there despite it being the closest mt to me.
 
#15 ·
I don't have much to add that wasn't covered except that this rain is not helping things. These local mountains can't catch a break. Locally I have ridden camelback/JFBB this year and I think they both have done wonders with the hand they have been dealt. I rode camelback MLK day and it wasn't too crowded and the conditions were not bad at all. Did another weekday or two early there and a friday at JF which were all enjoyable since they were empty... despite some rougher conditions
The weather has been awful this year. I went to Camelback on New Years Eve and Blue Mountain on MLK and was impressed with the conditions considering all the warm days and lack of snow recently.

Well, some may knock Shawnee but if you have only been boarding 3 times, Shawnee is a good place to learn at. Definitely no terrain I would consider hard, no steep pitches to speak of really. It does have good greens and blues to learn on and although not much of a pitch, there really aren't any completely flat spots that you might get stuck on and have to skate around. Then it has few very short blacks that you can dabble around on before you outgrow it.

Plus with a student ID you can get a lift ticket at Shawnee that lasts from like 8:30 am to 9 pm. Once you get more experience it will seem real tame though. I prefer Blue or Elk. I don't really hit the parks at all though, more freeride. If your willing for a bit more of a drive the Catskills will offer a bit more challenge after the Poconos.
Well I have been more than 3 times actually. I went a couple times in High School (27 now) so I wasn't a complete beginner but it felt like I was starting from scratch when I picked it back up this year. But I feel like I've progressed quickly the 3 times I've been this year but some good greens and blues sounds great so maybe I will check out Shawnee. I still have my college ID too :D


I'm hoping to get some riding in this Sunday so hopefully this rain doesn't ruin all the hard work these mountains have been doing.
 
#10 ·
Well, some may knock Shawnee but if you have only been boarding 3 times, Shawnee is a good place to learn at. Definitely no terrain I would consider hard, no steep pitches to speak of really. It does have good greens and blues to learn on and although not much of a pitch, there really aren't any completely flat spots that you might get stuck on and have to skate around. Then it has few very short blacks that you can dabble around on before you outgrow it.

Plus with a student ID you can get a lift ticket at Shawnee that lasts from like 8:30 am to 9 pm. Once you get more experience it will seem real tame though. I prefer Blue or Elk. I don't really hit the parks at all though, more freeride. If your willing for a bit more of a drive the Catskills will offer a bit more challenge after the Poconos.
 
#11 ·
I have not been to Shawnee in a long time but I felt like it was a good place to learn. I mostly go to Camelback and Blue. I really like both of them. I like Blue better because it usually less crowded then Camelback. I have never been to JFBB however I might make it out there this year as I would like to get better in the park and I hear that this is the place to be for park.
 
#18 ·
I'd guess the conditions are likely to completely suck. The constant freezing, raining, melting and re-freezing has to be doing a number on all those mountains. I know Camelback has been getting hit bad. Stayed closed one day. Opened late another. Then the limited trails. I was supposed to go out to CB last weekend but with the weather out there being so unpredictable I hit up Vermont instead
 
#19 ·
Hi Ap,

I'm surprised no one mentioned Sno (formerly known as Montage). Of all the mtns listed by the other riders in the forum, Blue is my favorite. But I avoid it during the weekends and holidays. Sno is my 2nd fav mtn due to the wide trails and low crowds. The lifts at Blue and Cameback are newer, bigger and faster but I had only a 5 minute wait at Sno on a Sunday.

On another note, check the calender of events for the various resorts. Many have customer appreciation days for local venders. D&Q, Buckmans and Lang's all have CAD and also sell lift tickets at discount.

Hope this helps - Nito
 
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