Johnstown area snow sports report: ski resorts for March 15, 2013

Seven Springs is currently reporting mostly cloudy conditions at the resort.  The resort is reporting no significant snowfall over the past 24 hours.    They will have 30 trails open for skiing along with 8 terrain parks with 95 features.  This will be the last weekend to enjoy The Spot and the Halfpipe.  They are reporting a base of 26 to 40 inches with packed powder conditions on the trails. The snow tubing park is open with 10 lanes in operation. All other snow sport activities are closed for the season.  Seven Springs is located about 55 minutes southwest of Johnstown.Hidden Valley is currently reporting mostly cloudy conditions at the resort.  They have not had any fresh snow over the past 24 hours.  They currently have 25 runs listed as open for skiing (including the north summit slopes) and 3 terrain parks with 16 features.  They are reporting a base of 18 to 38 inches.  Currently they are reporting packed powder conditions on the slopes. The Outback Snow Tubing Park is closed for the season.  Hidden Valley is located about 50 minutes southwest of Johnstown.Blue Knob is currently reporting partly cloudy skies at the resort.  The latet report is from the morning of Thursday, March 14.  They have 24 trails open along with the Playground Terrain Park and Stembogan Bowl.  Snow making operations are on hold at Blue Knob.  They are reporting a base of 25 to 48 inches with packed powder conditions.  The snow-tubing park will be opening for the weekend beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.  The Nordic Ski Center is also closed this weekend.  Blue Knob is located about 45 minutes east of Johnstown.View the list »
The days are numbered for enjoying the slopes like these snow boarders at Hidden Valley at our local ski resorts this season. So get out to one of the resorts to have some fun.

Outdoor Rec & Adventure newsletter

Snow was falling throughout the Johnstown area on Wednesday and Thursday. However, the signs of a fast approaching spring were still evident, as it did not take long for the snow to melt when the clouds thinned and the snow slowed. Yet another sign that the end of the ski season is coming, several resorts have announced their closing dates for this year. Meanwhile, Mystic Mountain has already closed for the year. So get out and enjoy the slopes while you still can.

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The forecast for the Johnstown area for this weekend is looking like a truly mixed bag for snow sports. The snowy weather of the middle of this past week will be giving way to a weekend of mixed precipitation. Friday should start with some snow showers changing to rain showers by 2:00 p.m. The rain is expected to change back to snow by 11:00 p.m. Friday night. The chance of precipitation on Friday will start at 40% and build to 80% overnight. High temperatures on Friday should be in the mid 40’s with overnight lows in the low 30’s. Saturday should bring a similar forecast with snow changing to rain by 2:00 p.m. and then changing back to snow by 8:00 p.m. The chance of precipitation for the daytime ion Saturday is 90% dropping to 20% overnight until about 11:00 p.m. Saturday should have high temperatures topping out in the low 40’s and the overnight lows are expected to drop into the mid 20’s. Sunday should start out dry with a 20% chance of rain and snow showers moving back into the area by 1:00 p.m. The showers should change to all snow showers after 8:00 p.m. with the chance of precipitation increasing to 40% overnight on Sunday. Temperatures on Sunday should top out in the upper 30’s for a high and dip into the upper 20’s for an overnight low.

Here are some of the notable events and deals at the local ski resorts this weekend:

Blue Knob is continues celebrating a successful ski season with March Madness. During the month of March, you can take advantage of some great deals. You can save up to 50% on lodging, lessons, lift tickets and rentals at the resort. For more information check out the Blue Knob website or call the resort at 800-458-3403. You can also come out at noon on Saturday, March 16 for the Beer Goddess Parade down Route 66. Dress in your best costume and join the parade to the party at mid-station where prizes will be awarded for the best costumes.

Hidden Valley is winding down their season. Do you think that you have what it takes to teach others to ski or snowboard? Come out to Hidden Valley on Saturday, March 16 beginning at 9:00 a.m. for the Ski and Board School Tryouts. You must register ahead of time to participate. You can register by calling (814)443-8000, extension 308 before Saturday. You must be 16 years old by the beginning of the 2013-2014 season to participate. On Sunday, Hidden Valley will be holding their Season Passholder Appreciation Party in the Yukon Room from 1:00 until 3:00 p.m. The party is open to all 2012-2013 season passholders.

Seven Springs continues it month long Spring Break Celebration this weekend with Green and Jeans Weekend. Also part of the Spring Break Weekend, they will be holding the Snoopie Race on Saturday, March 16. The Snoopie Race is a children’s race for those eleven years of age and under. Registration takes place at the Ski Lodge from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. for free. The competition takes place at the Riglett Park beginning at 11:00 a.m. The US Airbag Tour will be appearing at the resort this weekend. Come out to the Spot and enjoy demonstrations and take a turn yourself. The cost is $10 for 3 jumps, $25 for 10 jumps and $45 for 25 jumps. You can receive a 20% by pre-purchasing your jumps at the US Airbag website and entering the promotion code MarchRadness. The Airbag will be in operation from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. One last note: this will be your last chance to ride The Spot and the Superpipe for this season. They will be closing these two areas to begin a project with Burton and Transworld Snowboarding.

Tussey Mountain in Boalsburg will be open for their final weekend of the season. They will open at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, March 16, they have two special activities planned. The Fun Race will take place at 1:00 p.m. with registration taking place at the ticket office the day of the race. Also occurring on Saturday is the Pond Skim. The Pond Skim starts at 2:00 p.m. and is open to anyone with a pass. On Sunday, March 17, come out to the slopes for the treasure hunt. Be on the lookout for hidden pots of treasure as you enjoy the last day on the slopes for the year.

Whitetail near Mercersburg is beginning to wind down their season also. This will be the next to last weekend of skiing and boarding at the resort for the season. Their special event for this weekend will be the Pond Skim on Sunday, March 17. Their Pond Skim has a $5 fee, which 100% of the proceeds go to the United Way of Franklin County. Registration takes place from 9:00 until 11:00 a.m. at the Marketplace with the Pond Skim beginning at noon. There will be prizes awarded for the best costume and the last person standing.

Wisp Resort continues to have a special offer during the month of March for military personnel. Military personnel with proper ID can receive 25% off lift tickets, rentals, lessons, tubing, skating and the mountain coaster. This offer is good for the entire month of March. This weekend is Beachin’ Weekend with events on Friday and Saturday. Friday night they are holding the third and final Friday Night Rail Jam. Registration costs $20 and takes place at 6:00 p.m. at the Pro Park with the competition starting at 7:00 p.m. On Saturday, join the Beauty of the Beach Costume Contest. Come out to the Lodge Deck dressed in your best beachin’ gear and enjoy the party. Prizes will be awarded for the best costume. On Sunday and Monday, Wisp will be holding their 57th Birthday Party celebrating the resort’s 57th season. There will be children’s games beginning at 11:00 a.m. both days and a celebration birthday cake which will be cut at 1:00 p.m. each day. In addition, to celebrate the birthday weekend, the resort has special deals on lift tickets, rentals and lodging. Check out the Wisp Resort website for more information.

So get out and enjoy the slopes this weekend before the season is gone. While at the resorts, don’t forget to take advantage of pre-season sales on 2013-2014 season passes at the lowest prices of the year. So don’t forget the credit card or checkbook to purchase your season passes for next year. Check out the local snow report for each resort in the slideshow. Get some recreation time to reduce that stress and have some fun. Bundle up and stay warm.

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  • Blue Knob is currently reporting partly cloudy skies at the resort.  The latet report is from the morning of Thursday, March 14.  They have 24 trails open along with the Playground Terrain Park and Stembogan Bowl.  Snow making operations are on hold at Blue Knob.  They are reporting a base of 25 to 48 inches with packed powder conditions.  The snow-tubing park will be opening for the weekend beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.  The Nordic Ski Center is also closed this weekend.  Blue Knob is located about 45 minutes east of Johnstown.
  • Hidden Valley is currently reporting mostly cloudy conditions at the resort.  They have not had any fresh snow over the past 24 hours.  They currently have 25 runs listed as open for skiing (including the north summit slopes) and 3 terrain parks with 16 features.  They are reporting a base of 18 to 38 inches.  Currently they are reporting packed powder conditions on the slopes. The Outback Snow Tubing Park is closed for the season.  Hidden Valley is located about 50 minutes southwest of Johnstown.
  • Seven Springs is currently reporting mostly cloudy conditions at the resort.  The resort is reporting no significant snowfall over the past 24 hours.    They will have 30 trails open for skiing along with 8 terrain parks with 95 features.  This will be the last weekend to enjoy The Spot and the Halfpipe.  They are reporting a base of 26 to 40 inches with packed powder conditions on the trails. The snow tubing park is open with 10 lanes in operation. All other snow sport activities are closed for the season.  Seven Springs is located about 55 minutes southwest of Johnstown.
  • Tussey Mountain is currently reporting partly cloudy conditions at the resort to kick off this final weekend of the season.  They have 5 of the 7 trails open at the resort with loose  granular conditions for their last weekend of the season.  They are currently reporting a base of 10 to 30 inches.  The snow-tubing park is open.  Tussey Mountain is located about an hour and 40 minutes northeast of Johnstown.
  • Whitetail near Mercersburg is currently reporting partly sunny skies to kick off the final weekend of the season.  They have not had any significant snowfall over the past 24 hours.  They have 25 trails open as well as 2 terrain parks with 24 features and the half pipe which was re-cut last night.  They have a base of 36 to 38 inches with loose granular conditions. They also have the snow tubing park open with 10 lanes and the kiddy tubing hill in operation for the weekend.  Whitetail is located just a little over two hours southeast of Johnstown.
  • Wisp Resort in McHenry, Maryland is currently reporting partly sunny conditions this morning. They have not received any significant snowfall over the last 24 hours.  They have 29 trails and 4 terrain parks with 15 features open.  They are reporting a base of 30 inches with packed powder conditions. The snow tubing park is also open with 9 lanes in operation beginning at 5:00 p.m.. The Mountain Coaster and Ice Skating Rink are also open this weekend.  The Nordic Ski Center is closed.  Wisp is located about an hour and forty-five minutes south of Johnstown.
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, Johnstown Outdoor Recreation Examiner

George developed a love of the outdoors through his involvement in Boy Scouts and his love of nature photography. George recognizes outdoor recreation’s importance to our physical and environmental health. George has gained knowledge in many various outdoor recreation activities through his...

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