After a fresh coat of natural snow blanketed the region Tuesday, one area ski resort opened for the winter season Wednesday and two others moved closer to welcoming customers.
Charles Jefferson, part-owner of Montage Mountain in Scranton, felt grateful for the 4 inches of snow that fell on the trails as officials aim to open the resort this weekend.
Snow machines cover the slopes at Montage Mountain Resorts in Scranton on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
“God’s helping us out a lot,” Jefferson said.
Jefferson envisions opening by Saturday, if not earlier, barring anything unusual, he said.
“We’ve had some great snow production,” he said. “We started picking up again over the weekend and we’ve been going around the clock since then.”
Camelback Resort in Pocono Twp. opened Wednesday, Director of Marketing Marissa Boyd said.
Two trails and a terrain park will be available from the start, with another trail opening shortly, officials said. The snow tubing park is scheduled to open next week.
Camelback added 32 auto hydrants and 32 stick guns to ensure faster, more consistent snow coverage across the mountain, officials said. The resort’s high-speed Stevenson lift also received major mechanical and electrical improvements for smoother, more reliable operation, resort officials announced.
Snow machines cover the slopes at Montage Mountain Resorts in Scranton on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
“Our team has been all-in, and with our new snowmaking enhancements, we’re committed to making as much snow as possible to deliver a great experience from day one,” Camelback Resort Vice President and General Manager Jason Bays said. “Guests will also notice exciting upgrades around the mountain, including our new patio space — perfect for firepits, relaxing, and après ski.”
Jeff Slivinski, director of marketing for Montage Mountain Resorts, touted the new attractions in the terrain park for skiers and snowboarders that target a younger demographic.
“We recognized that kids love to be in the terrain park and adding features is a big positive for them,” he said. “We were able to source 32 new features, which will get us into the 60s. There is going to be additional boxes and rails for beginners and intermediates, and some bigger stuff for experts. Hopefully that keeps some kids more engaged and excited to be on the mountain a lot longer.”
Slivinski believes providing youths more opportunities for fun may increase the resort’s visibility through clips circulating online.
“The park world lives on social media,” he said. “Allowing the kids to take advantage of the new features and test themselves a little bit more, they’re going to want to show off what they’re doing in the park. It’s hopefully going to spread the word a bit more and drive additional traffic for us because they’re going to be videoing on TikTok and Instagram.”
Last year, resort officials transformed the former snow tubing area at Montage Mountain into a terrain park to complement the full slope park built on Whistler. Snow tubing will remain on hold for at least another season, but Jefferson noted it may return in the future.
“We’ve spent a lot of time looking at alternative locations — we’ve looked at the lower parking lot, extensively, to see if we can make an entire tubing village,” he said. “We’re going to regroup in the offseason and take a look at that location again, as well as a couple others that we think might be a good experience. We’re committed to it, but I don’t want to promise it for next year.”
Slivinski expressed optimism that Montage Mountain will be running at or near full capacity toward the end of the month.
Snow machines cover the slopes at Montage Mountain Resorts in Scranton on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
“It’s all very weather dependent, but it looks like we’re going to be in a really good stretch of cold weather for the next two weeks or so, with teens at night and 20s in the daytime,” he said. “That allows us to really put some snow down and make some progress all across the hill. Hopefully by Christmas we’ll have 90% to 100% of our trails open. It’s looking good for another strong start, just like last season.”
Montage Mountain will also offer several new dining options for winter sports enthusiasts looking to grab a bite to eat.
“We’ve kept some of the better products, the ones that sell most, and some other favorites, and we’ve added a whole bunch of new things — a Wagyu burger, homemade fried pickles, and a French dip sandwich,” Jefferson said.
The resort will also sell chowder from Hooked in Clarks Summit and empanadas from Empanada King, which has locations throughout Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, he added.
Gregg Confer, general manager of Elk Mountain, expects the ski resort in Herrick Twp., Susquehanna County, to open sometime next week.
“We’ll make a lot of snow this week,” Confer said. “It’s going to be a really good week for (it), especially toward the end.”
Elk Mountain officials posted a news release on Facebook Tuesday informing the public that the resort has not been sold, despite many rumors.
“While the sixty-plus-year-old ski area was previously listed for sale, no transaction occurred,” officials said in the post.
Confer added Elk Mountain put a lot of new pipe underground to improve its snowmaking process, and upgraded one of the chair lifts.
Blue Mountain Resort in Lower Towamensing Twp., Carbon County, will open Friday with 13 trails and five lifts available, said Ashley Seier, director of marketing. Snow tubing is expected to open Dec. 11.
Blue Mountain officials added that 380 upgraded LED trail lights will give guests an enhanced night skiing experience. Additionally, the installation of two tower-mounted fan guns at the base area and two mobile, fully automated fan guns will help deliver snow more efficiently and effectively, officials said.
Shawnee Mountain near East Stroudsburg will open Dec. 12 as the resort marks its 50th winter season, resort officials said.