Long before high-speed lifts and state-of-the-art snowmaking defined winter recreation in the Mid-Atlantic, smaller ski hills dotted the region. Many of those slopes are now shuttered, their lifts rusting and trails reclaimed by forest. But thanks to a unique online project, their stories are being kept alive.

For over 30 years, DCSki.com has maintained an extensive archive called Lost Areas, documenting more than 120 former ski operations across Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. The collection includes resorts both well-remembered and obscure, ranging from family-friendly hills to once-ambitious destinations that couldn’t keep up with the competition.

Some entries are little more than names pieced together from old ski atlases, while others feature detailed histories, trail maps, and personal recollections - sometimes from former employees. Visitors are encouraged to share memories, photographs, and documents to expand the record. To date, visitors to the site have contributed over 1,500 comments, significantly expanding the wealth of knowledge about these areas.

DCSki believes it’s important to maintain these archives because they preserve not only the landscape of skiing, but also the cultural fabric of the communities that supported it. The closures also reflect broader challenges: unreliable snowfall, rising energy costs, and the dominance of larger resorts with snowmaking and year-round attractions.

For skiers who once carved turns on these lost slopes, the project offers a chance to reconnect with fond memories. For newcomers, it provides a glimpse into a regional skiing history that might otherwise fade into obscurity.

Just recently, DCSki expanded its list of lost areas in New Jersey, courtesy of reader Samuel F.

Feel free to take a step back in history by browsing through the Lost Areas section.