Sunday, February 23, 2025, 12:28AM |  34°
MENU
Advertisement
The old double chairlift at Laurel Mountain Ski Area will be replaced with a four passenger (quad) chairlift.
3
MORE

Restoration of Laurel Mountain advancing

Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette

Restoration of Laurel Mountain advancing

A ground-breaking ceremony to mark the beginning of the yearlong $6.5 million restoration of state-owned Laurel Mountain Ski Area fell victim to the Pennsylvania budget stalemate in Harrisburg.

Instead of state, local and resort officials digging into pre-softened dirt with ceremonial spade shovels last month, Ligonier Construction Co. of nearby Laughlintown started the work with growling yellow bulldozers biting into the rocky topography.

A traditional ribbon-cutting “still may happen — if we get a budget,” said Terry Brady, spokesman for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Advertisement

Bob Nutting, Seven Springs president and principal owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, signed a 10-year lease with the DCNR in 2008 to operate the area after the state completed improvements. He plans to market it with Seven Springs and Hidden Valley, the latter of which his company bought in October 2013.

Snow tubing is a popular evening activity at Wisp Resort.
Lawrence Walsh
What's new at Pittsburgh-area ski resorts this season

Laurel Mountain, 10 miles east of Ligonier via U.S. Route 30, has been closed since the 2004-05 season. It has a 900-foot vertical drop and 18 slopes and trails served by a four-passenger chairlift, a double chairlift and three handle tows.

Mr. Brady said DCNR officials had their initial job conference on Oct. 14 with the companies that submitted the lowest responsible bids for general construction -— Ligonier Construction ($5,158,000) — and for electrical work — Merit Electrical Group ($369,800) of Oakmont.

The contractors have set up their job trailers and have started clearing, grubbing, surveying and layout. Their contracts require them to complete the project by Sept. 29, 2016. “But, as is often the case, actual conditions and events may impact the schedule,” Mr. Brady said.

Advertisement

Still, the beginning of the project “is great news,” he said. “We are where we want to be right now; and, hopefully, skiers and snowboarders should be back on the slopes at the start of the 2016 season.”

The area’s parking lot has taken on the appearance of a logging operation as Shaffer Timber Co. of nearby Boswell cuts, trims and stacks dozens of trees.

The ski area, part of Laurel Mountain State Park, overlooks the picturesque Ligonier Valley in Westmoreland County. It’s known as an upside-down area because its lodge and related buildings are at the top of the mountain instead of the bottom.

Plans call for increasing the size of the area from 63 acres to 72 acres by re-grading and widening two intermediate trails, Innsbruck and Lower Broadway, and doing the same to Deer Path.

A skier slides to a snowy stop at Hidden Valley.
Lawrence Walsh
A roundup of ski and snowboard resorts in the Pittsburgh area for the 2015-16 season

Skiers and snowboarders will use Deer Path to traverse from the bottom of Innsbruck and Broadway to the base of a new standard-speed quad chairlift.

Innsbruck will receive 29 new snowmaking towers along its top-to-bottom length and Deer Path will get 23 new snowmaking towers to assure adequate snow coverage.

The new quad, capable of carrying 2,400 passengers an hour, will replace an antiquated double chairlift more than 50 years old. The ponds that feed the snowmaking system will be nearly doubled in size — from 15 million gallons to 26 million gallons. Although more water is needed, it’s a start.

Mr. Nutting announced the specifics of the projected improvements at an invitation-only meeting March 30 at Seven Springs. He said the meeting was prompted by numerous supporters of Laurel Mountain, especially Alicia Hoover’s Save Laurel Mountain Ski Resort campaign.

“We look forward to seeing the mountain come alive again,” said Mr. Nutting, an accomplished skier. “The resort teams and I are committed to making the region a top destination for snow sports enthusiasts and Laurel Mountain is part of this commitment.”

Ligonier Mayor Butch Bellas, who learned to ski at Laurel and was a ski patrolman there, said the reopening will mean jobs — at least 50 full and part time — and a much-needed boost to the valley’s winter economy.

Lawrence Walsh writes about recreational snowsports for the Post-Gazette.

First Published: November 13, 2015, 5:00 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Leah Fauth gets a hug after leaving flowers in front of the West York Police Department after a police officer was killed responding to a shooting Saturday at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa.
1
news
Police officer killed, gunman dead in shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York
Elon Musk told federal workers Saturday that they must respond to an email by summarizing their accomplishments for the week, repeating a tactic he used to cull the workforce at his social media company.
2
news
Elon Musk gives all federal workers 48 hours to explain what they did last week
The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning
3
business
Amid funding uncertainty, Pitt pauses doctoral admissions
Pirates outfielder DJ Stewart gets congratulations from teammates after his home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of the Grapefruit League season at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
4
sports
5 takeaways from Pirates' spring training victory over Orioles
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87), top-center, skates off the ice with his team after losing to the Washington Capitals at the PPG Paints Arena on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. The Washington Capitals won 8-3.
5
sports
Sidney Crosby returns to lineup but Penguins trounced by Capitals in return from extended break
The old double chairlift at Laurel Mountain Ski Area will be replaced with a four passenger (quad) chairlift.  (Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette)
Piles of gravel sit in front of the lodge at Laurel Mountain Ski Area, it will be used to make temporary paths.  (Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette)
Jamie Menoher of Ligonier watches as a large red oak tree falls. The trees are being cleared to make way for a parking lot and a large pond area at Laurel Mountain Ski Area.  (Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette )
Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST sports
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story