7 minute read
Winterfest Wonderland
The Laurel Highlands offers plenty of outdoor recreation.
STORY BY Josie Cellone
It’s not uncommon for Erica Smith to answer calls about snow conditions at the Laurel Ridge Cross-Country Ski Center in Rockwood when the ground at lower altitudes is bare.
“People will call and ask, ‘Are you sure there’s snow? ’Cause there’s nothing down here,’” says Smith, whose family has run the concessions at the center’s warming hut for more than three decades.
With elevations topping 2,700 feet, Laurel Ridge is one of the highest points in Pennsylvania, making it a prime location for its 30 miles of cross-country skiing trails.
“It happens to be at just the right altitude that they get a lot of snow,” says Jim South, president of the Pennsylvania Cross-Country Ski Association (PACCSA), which operates two webcams to monitor conditions at the top of the mountain. “You go up that final 100-foot pitch, and there’s suddenly six or eight inches.”
The Laurel Highlands offers plentiful outdoor recreation in the winter—in addition to its well-known downhill ski resorts—from cross-country skiing to snowshoeing to epic sledding hills maintained by the state parks.
Winterfest And More
To highlight the different winter activities in the region, Ohiopyle State Park hosts Winterfest on the first Saturday of February, which can draw up to 2,000 visitors, depending on the amount of snow and weather, says park operations manager Kenneth Bisbee. With free cross-country skiing lessons and guided snowshoe hikes, families can experience the park in all four seasons.
“Come here any day when there’s snow, and this place is bumping,” says Barbara Drbal Wallace, the environmental education specialist at Ohiopyle State Park.
The visitor center loans snowshoes and cross-country skis for beginners from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday from November 1 through April 15.
The sledding hill at Sugarloaf is open every day conditions allow, and on weekends it’s not unusual to have hundreds of people there, Wallace says. “It’s a free, fun thing to do any day of the week and be outside with your kids,” she says. “People will bring slow cookers and make a day of it.”
For a scenic view, Wallace recommends a short trail to Cucumber Falls, just off the Great Allegheny Passage, which freezes solid in low temperatures. A nearby 1.5-mile loop takes explorers out to Jonathan Run Falls.
First Day Hike For All
On January 1, Wallace will host a First Day Hike at 10 a.m., starting at Sugarloaf with free snowshoe rentals for the first 50 people.
The Laurel Valley Cross-Country Ski Center also rents snowshoes and partners with PACCSA to host free cross-country skiing lessons for beginners.
“Once you get the kick and the glide, it’s really smooth,” says Smith, who owns Riversport in Confluence with her husband, Andy, and operates the concessions at the Laurel Ridge from November 1 to April 1. “Most people catch on really quickly. You can go at your own pace and go as fast or as slow as you want.”
PACCSA president Jim South says he was surprised to find such a strong ski community when he settled down in Western Pennsylvania after a stint in the military. South grew up in a small town in the Adirondacks and started skiing at the age of 3 with hand-me-down equipment.
“Pennsylvania skiers are the most hardcore skiers I’ve ever met in my life, and that’s because they’ll literally ski on a quarter-inch of snow,” South says. “They just want to be out there and enjoy the forest. They never whine over conditions, that’s for sure.”
PACCSA’s mission is to teach the public about cross-country skiing, and members volunteer hundreds of hours to maintain the trails in the region’s state parks.
South also serves as the head coach of the Yellowjackets, a youth cross-country ski team that meets on Saturdays in January and February at Laurel Ridge State Park. The team averages 25 to 30 athletes, ranging from children as young as 5 years old in their Bunnyrabbit development program to teens focused on racing in the Track Attack.
Classic Technique
South says first-time cross-country skiers will use the classic, diagonal stride technique.
“You kick off of one leg and glide on the other until you start to lose momentum,” South sys. “There’s either wax on the bottom of the ski or fish scales to grab the snow.”
He recommends beginners try the Gardstka loop, a short green trail nicknamed for Rick Gardstka, who was the PACCSA president for 20 years and “hated going up hills,” South says with a laugh.
In the past couple decades, the faster skate skiing has grown in popularity, a style popularized by Bill Koch, who was the first American to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing.
Chip Chase, who runs the White Grass Ski Touring Center in Canaan Valley, West Virginia, says he appreciates how PACCSA connects cross-country skiers along the East Coast, a subculture that often follows snowstorms to find the best conditions. White Grass draws visitors from Pittsburgh and Ohio to the Baltimore-
Washington area, where rangers lead free snowshoe hikes from 10 to 11:30 a.m. every Sunday during the season.
“If you can walk, you can snowshoe,” Chase says. “It can be done with every age, every kid. You can do it a long distance or a short distance.”
Chase also hosts backcountry skiers who want fresh snow in front of them and don’t want to see tracks. He says the sport has continued to grow with improved equipment like boot bindings that make the skis easier to control and better winter apparel options like waterwicking fabrics.
“Cross-country skiing can be challenging, but it’s also spiritual in a way,” Chase says. “You can see animal tracks in the snow and experience how quiet and muffled the sound is. It can be very social, or you can go out on your own. It’s very free and independent.”
Smith encourages first-time visitors to Laurel Ridge to try the one-mile loop and take advantage of the concessions at the main warming hut, where they serve soups, fresh sandwiches, and hot drinks. There’s seating for up to 50 people although most people usually don’t stay long.
“With cross-country skiing, even on cold days, you’re pretty warm because it’s aerobic,” Smith says.
The 30 miles of trails at Laurel Ridge were built specifically for cross-country skiing, and the drainage allows the base to stay after being groomed by Smith’s father, Bob Ruppel.
“There’s a lot of science behind it, how much moisture is in the air versus the snow,” Smith says. “What appeals to most people is the natural beauty of it. There can be 250 people at Laurel Ridge, and you’ll only see a couple. It’s such a unique little place.”
Ruppel worked for one of the original founders of Hidden Valley Ski Resort and purchased the Laurel Ridge concession more than 30 years ago.
“Although the last decade hasn’t given the region consistent snow, you can fully see the magic and beauty of Laurel Valley up here,” Smith says. “Snow will encase the entire mountain. People have described it as Narnia.”
To Visit
Laurel Ridge Cross-Country Ski Center
1101 Jim Mountain Road
Rockwood, PA 15557
(located off Route 653)
December through April
Open 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Friday to Monday
Ski Pass sales available at window
Ohiopyle State Park Office/Laurel Highlands Falls Area Visitor Center
124 Main St.
Ohiopyle, PA 15470
November 1–April 15
Open 8 a.m.–4 p.m., Monday to Saturday
Closed Sundays and state holidays
First Day Hike
10 a.m. January 1, 2024
Ohiopyle State Park – Sugarloaf
First 50 people get snowshoes
Winterfest
February 3, 2024
Free cross-country skiing lessons, snowshoe rentals, and sledding at Sugarloaf
