DCSki reader Kevin Shearer has some memories of a ski slope near Mt. Davis, Pennsylvania, although we haven’t yet determined the area’s name:
I don't know about a Mt Davis, bu the YMCA reference jogged a memory. At one point, Camp Soles in Rockwood PA had some sort of surface tow on a hill, and I rememebr them being mentioned from time to time as a ski site in the Pittsburgh papers growing up. I believe the only thing Camp Soles has now is cross country skiing WITH a telemark hill.
The history of Deer Valley, mentioning the ski area being a in service between 1938 and 1940 can be found at
http://www.deervalleyymca.org/public/index.cfm?SubductedCat1&WebPageID42&SubcategoryID17&TheMenuItem12
The history of Camp Soles, mentioning a Ski lodge, but not the slopes, can be found at
http://www.campsoles.org/history.htm
Camp Soles had a Poma lift and closed about 1975
Sharp Mountain...Pottsville,pa. Also Big Valley Ski Area....Lenhartsville,pa..between Hamburg And Allentown,pa along Interstate 78 off exit rt143 north towards Kempton,pa.
It might have been the Deer Valley Tubing Park. Unless it's changed in the last couple of years, I'm almost positive it is rectangular and, since it's at Deer Valley, is located on or around Mt. Davis.
Has anyone heard of an old ski lodge in kempton PA? It has been closed for a while.
Tabitha,
See the entry for Hahn Mountain/Big Valley.
Could this place be called Glade knob?
http://www.thefieldfinder.com/field/index.php?id12179
I never realized there were so many old ski areas. I knew about White Mountain from my years as an instructor at 7 springs
Ooops. posted Glade Knob to a snowjournal thread, but never passed it on to Scott. I am still trying to do research on a number of lost ski areas in the area between Frostburg, MD and Donegal/Somerset. For a couple pics of Glade Knob from this summer, go to http://www.snowjournal.com/page.php?cidgalleries&uid2493
hi again one ski area not on your site is a small area only lasting about a season or two called Calimont. it was located near Berlin PA. just south east of somerset. when i was patrol leader at white mt we had a ski patrol test there to help them get some exposure. dont know what ever became it it was asmall narrow hill i dont remember the verts.
Glade Knob Ski Area was owned and operated by my Aunt & Uncle for about 4 or 5 ski seasons from about 1965 to 1970. Coincidentally I was with my 75 yr old Aunt this past weekend and I was asking her about this very thing. I was between 6 and 10 yrs. old when they operated the one rope tow ski hill, on Mt. Davis in Somerset County, PA. I learned to ski on that hill. They were never able to turn a profit on that venture and decided to get out of it before it ate them up financially. I grew up at the base of Mt. Davis in Meyersdale, PA.
The Winter-2011 "Journal of the New England Ski Museum" featured an article on "ski trains" operating in the 1930's. According to the article, the Baltimore & Ohio R.R. took skiers from Washington D.C. to Meyersdale, PA where they skied at a farmsite in Glencoe, PA owned by a Simon Webreck.
They also skied at Deer Valley on a hill serviced by a 700 foot cable driven railway ski tow built by a Golon B. Harris there. In a photo provided, the cars appear to be riding on standard railroad gauge. They are simple open platforms with benches to accommodate several skiers. The operation apparently lasted only through the 1938 season.
