DCSki Editorial Overview
The story in brief
Near the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown’s gym off Highland Avenue, a small ski hill offered local skiing on what readers recall as two or three short slopes. The area’s lift is variously remembered as a double chair, rope tow, or bar tow, but all accounts agree that it had been out of service for years by the time students were skiing there around 2000-03. With enough snow, skiers made repeated runs and climbed back to the top on foot.
The hill’s modest scale was part of its appeal. Readers describe one run as becoming notably steep after a bend, while the surrounding slopes later served as nature trails and an informal venue for skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, and university wrestling conditioning. Lift poles and the lift building reportedly remained in place, offering reminders of an earlier operating era that faculty associated with the 1970s. The hill’s original name, opening dates, and operating history remain uncertain, but its accessible setting made it a memorable local recreation spot long after mechanical service ended.
Generated from DCSki's historical profile and reader-contributed memories.
Adam Harrington writes in with memories of a ski hill in Johnstown, Pennsylvania:
“I went to the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown from 2000-2003 and there was a ski hill near the gym off Highland Avenue in Johnstown, PA. The hill had two ski slopes and I think it was serviced by a double but I may be incorrect, seems to make more sense if it was serviced by a rope tow versus a double chair but when we skied there I swear it looked like a double. Mind is a little foggy and it has been some years since I have been up there. The lift had been closed for some time before I got there because of liability issues. Not sure of all the stats (vertical or open dates). We would ski there often when there was enough snow and hike back up, it was a decent size hill for its location. Google Maps shows an image of the hill here.”
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