Blue Knob is the second highest mountain in Pennsylvania,and sheer delight for skiers and snowboarders. Two members of our party chose the half-day skiing or snowboarding package ($54) which includes snowboard rental and lift ticket.
I limited myself to strolling the slopes taking as many pix as I could. Visibility, due to cloud cover, was bad the weekend we were there and limited a lot of great shots of the mountain.
Lift tickets range from $20 for night skiing only to $44 for weekend or holiday. Rentals for equipment range from $15-40 dollars for skis (depending on when rented) and $20-55 dollars for snowboards. Private lessons for both skiing and snowboarding are available. A Kinderski program and special outdoor play park are available for the younger set (4-5 year olds).
The slopes are delineated as 20% beginner, 40% intermediate and 40% advanced. There are also groomed cross-country trails available. There are a total of 34 trails and a vertical drop of 1072’. Group rates are available and can include rentals and lessons for beginners.
My favorite part was visiting the new tubing park. Suited up with my new bib snowpants, (which I purchased at the great ski shop inside the main lodge called "Snowflakes and Skis"), I was prepared to face the elements. Six adults went tubing and we had a BALL! Nightime, under the lights with a small crowd definitely beat out the crowded daytime experience here. After picking out a suitable tube (hint: pick one that is almost "over"-inflated for the best ride) you are hooked onto a slow-moving lift that pulls you up the steep hill. The hardest part of the experience is getting out of tube at top of hill. Once there, you have a choice of two "lanes". If with a group, loop your tube straps together and go down as a group. There’s a lot of screaming and laughing but it’s a ton of fun! Once at the bottom, get out of the way quickly to avoid other tubers coming down the hill. You have absolutely no control over this vehicle and that’s what makes it fun!
Check out The Summit Cafe and Muellers Pub at the lodge at top of the mountain. But for better food and a better time we loved the Clubhouse Bar and Grill and Auberge De La Montage (both located in Alpine Village) within walking distance to condos.
The only downside to the experience was that we were unable to get cell phone service anywhere on the mountain but outside at main lodge.