Montage Mountain Ski Resort

Montage Mountain
Aerial View of Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Location	Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States
Coordinates	41°21′12″N 75°39′33″W / 41.3533°N 75.6592°W / 41.3533; -75.6592
Vertical	1,000 ft (300 m)
Top elevation	1,960 ft (600 m)
Base elevation	960 ft (290 m)
Skiable area	140 acres (0.57 km²)
Trails	26 - 19% - beginner - 46% - intermediate - 19% - advanced - 15% - expert
Longest run	1.183 mi (1.904 km)
Lift system	7 chairlifts 2 surface lifts
Lift capacity	8,000/hr
Terrain parks	2
Snowfall	60 in (1.5 m)
Snowmaking	100%
Night skiing	100%
Website	www.montagemountainresorts.com

Montage Mountain is a ski area in Pennsylvania that is located 8 miles (13 km) from downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania. Situated roughly 125 miles (201 km) northwest of Philadelphia and New York City, this resort has twenty-six trails, two terrain parks, and one of Pennsylvania's longest snow tubing areas.^[1] The mountain has a summit elevation of 1,960 feet (600 m) and a vertical drop of 1,000 feet (300 m).

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History

Ownership

From 1984 to 1991, Montage Mountain was owned and run by Montage, Inc., a non-profit corporation.^[2] The ski area was developed with a blend of public and private money. Public funding was provided by federal economic development funds and a county bond.^[3]

In 1979, the land was purchased from Pennsylvania Gas & Water Co. for $14 million (equivalent to $56 million in 2022). Construction began in January 1984 and was completed in time for the grand opening in December.^[4]

Lackawanna County purchased the ski resort in 1991 for $14.7 million (equivalent to $31.6 million in 2022).^[5]

In 2006, Lackawanna County sold the ski area to Sno Mountain, LP, a Philadelphia-based investment group, for $5.1 million.^[5] The ski area was renamed Snö Mountain.^[6] Sno Mountain, LP filed a Chapter 11 petition for bankruptcy in 2012, claiming upwards of $24 million in debt.^[6]

National Penn Bank purchased the property at auction for $4.6 million in March 2013. The original name, Montage Mountain, was restored in May 2013 when the area was sold to real estate company Jefferson-Werner for $5.1 million.^[7]

Terrain

Montage opened to the public in 1984 with seven trails and three fixed-grip triple chairlifts.^[3] An experts-only North Face complex was opened in 1987.^[8] North Face featured one black diamond trail (Cannonball) and two double-black diamond trails (Smoke and Boomer). A third double-black-diamond trail, White Lightning, was added in the late 1990s. North Face is served by a fixed-grip quad chairlift.

Skiing at Montage Mountain

Montage Mountain has twenty-seven ski and snowboard trails, including White Lightning, the second steepest trail in the Eastern United States.^[9]

It also has a mid-mountain lodge with a full-service bar and restaurant that are open to the public during open seasons. Situated above the lodge are the beginner and intermediate slopes; the advanced and expert slopes are below. This advanced area is locally known as North Face; it features the steepest skiing in Pennsylvania.^[10] Montage Mountain has two terrain parks with jumps, rails, and features ranging from beginner to expert. Montage also has a gladed ski trail.

Trails

Beginner trails (green) are the Learning Area, Limited (the bunny slope), Runaround, Easy Street, Highball, and Mainline. Intermediate trails (blue) are Spike, Switch, Whistler, Upper Runaway, Upper Fast Track, Snake, Nordic, Sidewinder, and the Glades. Advanced trails (black diamond) are Lower Fast Track, Lower Runaway, Rattler, and Cannonball. Expert trails (double-black diamond) are Smoke, Boomer and White Lightning. White Lightning is the signature slope of Montage Mountain.^[10]

Mountain Statistics

Montage Mountain rises from a base elevation of 960 feet (290 m) to a peak elevation of 1,960 feet (600 m). The mountain has a vertical drop of 1,000 feet (300 m), tied for third-highest in Pennsylvania.

Lifts

5 fixed-grip chairlifts:

Shuttle (triple)
Short Haul (double)
Iron Horse (triple)
Long Haul (triple)
Phoebe Snow (quad)

2 magic carpet lifts

One along the snow tubing tracks;
One for beginning skiers.

Trails

The trail difficulty breakdown is:

35% beginner
30% intermediate
20% advanced
15% expert

There is also a snow tubing area.

Summer

Montage Mountain Waterpark is located on ski area grounds. It features six water attractions including a lazy river, wave pool, tornado (ProSlide ride), and water slides. Dry attractions include batting cages, beach volleyball, tetherball, mini-golf, and the ZipRider, a 50 mph (80 km/h) quad cable ride.

References

^ "Montage Mountain Resorts | PA Ski Resort | Skiing Snowboarding | Pennsylvania". PA Ski Resort | Skiing Snowboarding | Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
^ Devlin, Ron (September 29, 1991). "Lackawanna County May Buy Ski Resort". The Morning Call. Allentown: tronc, Inc. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
^ ^a ^b Walter, Claire (Nov 1985). "A Keystone State Secret". Skiing Magazine. Vol. 38, no. 3. New York, NY: Times Mirror Magazines. p. 313E. ISSN 0037-6264. OCLC 612061178.
^ "Lackawanna County Convention Visitors Bureau". www.visitnepa.org. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
^ ^a ^b "Sno Mountain Timeline". The Times-Tribune. 19 Oct 2012. p. A8.
^ ^a ^b Haggerty, James (October 19, 2012), "Sno Mountain investors attempt to force company into bankruptcy", The Scranton Times-Tribune, archived from the original on February 24, 2014
^ "Snö Mountain Renamed Montage Mountain Once Again". First Tracks!!. May 15, 2013.
^ Rosenthal, Susan (Nov 1988). "Montage, Pennsylvania. Expert Skiing in the Poconos". SKI Magazine. Vol. 53, no. 3. New York, NY: Times Mirror Magazines, Inc. p. 42E. ISSN 0037-6159. OCLC 60652576.
^ "Trail Map". Trail Map: Snö Mountain at Montage. Snö Mountain. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Comparative Angle of Steep Ski Trails". Skiernet. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2012-12-17.