Not everybody is dreading the snowstorm that’s projected to come this weekend. “Everybody’s scared, panicking, and doing their doomsday shopping,” Brandi Smith said. “I’m stoked about this. I grew up at Seven Springs Resort for a lot of years as a kid.” Smith is one of many taking to local ski resorts to enjoy whatever this weekend brings. Some people are scared, but not because of the snow. “We are so happy because I’ve never tried snowboarding,” Yasin Altys, of Turkey, said. “I’m a little scared. We came here. We’re all friends. We’re just chilling.”It’s not just people taking to the mountains who are excited. “Any time you can get that much snow around here, it’s rare, but definitely a positive,” Max Connor, owner of Thrifty Ski Rental, said. “This helps a lot. We’re a very weather-dependent business.” “People love to come out and ski fresh snow,” Brett Cook, general manager and vice president of Seven Springs, Laurel Mountain, and Hidden Valley Resorts, said. “Any time we get natural snow, we get a little giddy inside. We always do see a bump in visitation.”Seven Springs, Laurel Mountain, and Hidden Valley are all welcoming guests this weekend. “When you see natural snow like this in your backyard, you immediately think of skiing and snowboarding,” Cook said. “We extended hours at Hidden Valley. We’re operating at Laurel Mountain on Monday. That’s normally a day that we’re closed. Some people are canceling, some are booking. We do have room across all three of our resorts.” Visitors were taking advantage of nearby businesses on Friday before being snowed in at the resorts. “We’re definitely busy,” Connor said. “We have a lot of staff. We try to get people in and out as fast as possible, but it can get busy. When there’s not snow, we’re not doing so well. We’ll do our best to keep the door available. I don’t know, might pile up.”However, none of the owners or managers want anyone to force themselves to come out once the snow comes down. “Please make sure you make good travel decisions,” Cook said. “Drive smart and do what’s good for you and your family. All our resorts sit on some major U.S. routes. So, those end up getting plowed quickly. We partner with different municipalities, including the Seven Springs Borough, on making sure that we have the roads cleared at the prime time. We’re confident that we’re going to have those areas ready to go.”The snow may fall on Sunday, but it will be around to enjoy for a while. “We’re not seeing a warmup anywhere in sight,” Cook said. “This snow will stick around for a while. We get snow every year, but we don’t have this type of snow. Conditions are going to be unbelievable. We are ready to go for this and stoked to make it happen for all of our guests.”
DONEGAL TOWNSHIP, Pa. —
Not everybody is dreading the snowstorm that’s projected to come this weekend.
“Everybody’s scared, panicking, and doing their doomsday shopping,” Brandi Smith said. “I’m stoked about this. I grew up at Seven Springs Resort for a lot of years as a kid.”
Smith is one of many taking to local ski resorts to enjoy whatever this weekend brings.
Some people are scared, but not because of the snow.
“We are so happy because I’ve never tried snowboarding,” Yasin Altys, of Turkey, said. “I’m a little scared. We came here. We’re all friends. We’re just chilling.”
It’s not just people taking to the mountains who are excited.
“Any time you can get that much snow around here, it’s rare, but definitely a positive,” Max Connor, owner of Thrifty Ski Rental, said. “This helps a lot. We’re a very weather-dependent business.”
“People love to come out and ski fresh snow,” Brett Cook, general manager and vice president of Seven Springs, Laurel Mountain, and Hidden Valley Resorts, said. “Any time we get natural snow, we get a little giddy inside. We always do see a bump in visitation.”
Seven Springs, Laurel Mountain, and Hidden Valley are all welcoming guests this weekend.
“When you see natural snow like this in your backyard, you immediately think of skiing and snowboarding,” Cook said. “We extended hours at Hidden Valley. We’re operating at Laurel Mountain on Monday. That’s normally a day that we’re closed. Some people are canceling, some are booking. We do have room across all three of our resorts.”
Visitors were taking advantage of nearby businesses on Friday before being snowed in at the resorts.
“We’re definitely busy,” Connor said. “We have a lot of staff. We try to get people in and out as fast as possible, but it can get busy. When there’s not snow, we’re not doing so well. We’ll do our best to keep the door available. I don’t know, [snow] might pile up.”
However, none of the owners or managers want anyone to force themselves to come out once the snow comes down.
“Please make sure you make good travel decisions,” Cook said. “Drive smart and do what’s good for you and your family. All our resorts sit on some major U.S. routes. So, those end up getting plowed quickly. We partner with different municipalities, including the Seven Springs Borough, on making sure that we have the roads cleared at the prime time. We’re confident that we’re going to have those areas ready to go.”
The snow may fall on Sunday, but it will be around to enjoy for a while.
“We’re not seeing a warmup anywhere in sight,” Cook said. “This snow will stick around for a while. We get snow every year, but we don’t have this type of snow. Conditions are going to be unbelievable. We are ready to go for this and stoked to make it happen for all of our guests.”