Area snow sport fans need wait no longer as Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Somerset County will open its slopes this weekend.
The slopes will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, according to Anna Weltz, senior communications manager for Vail Resorts, which acquired Seven Springs near the end of 2021.
Skiing and snowboarding operations at Seven Springs will close Monday through Dec. 21 before reopening Dec. 22.
Laurel Mountain Ski Area and Hidden Valley Resort have not announced their opening hours yet, Weltz said.
Seven Springs anticipates Wagner, Fawn Lane, Phillip’s Run, Cortina Trail, Lower Stowe, Upper Lost Boy, Arctic Blast and the Beginner Bowl will be open this weekend. Santa’s Beard will be open without terrain park features, but The Alley’s terrain park will be available.
Polar Bear Express, Cortina and North Face chairlifts are expected to be open this weekend, as well as the Beginner Bowl carpet.
“We’re excited to get open for this season,” said Brett Cook, general manager. “The turnout, we think, is going to be positive. … We’re expecting a fun weekend all around.”
Visitors also can take advantage of complimentary hot chocolate, cookies and granola bars while supplies last. A DJ will perform near Emo’s Pit.
Leading into the new year, the resort in Champion will host a New Year’s Eve dinner at Helen’s Restaurant, a buffet in the Slopeside Dining Room and a neon glow party in the grand ballroom and exhibit hall.
The Laurel Highlands resorts are debuting the My Epic app this season to allow visitors to use their phone as their ticket to the slopes. The app also includes interactive trail maps with GPS location tracking and mountain and resort alerts.
Vail Resorts’ two other Laurel Highlands locations — Laurel Mountain Ski Area and Hidden Valley Resort — are still preparing the slopes for the season, Cook said.
“We’re close,” Cook said. “We’re just not all the way there.”
