Hitting the Slopes

By Sandra Deckelman & Steve Flynn

REGION — Over the next several weeks, we will be reviewing the slopes of northeastern Pennsylvania and the Catskill Mountains. If there is a slope you are dying to try, but want to hear about it first, drop us a line and we’ll try to add it to our hit list. We can be reached at sandy@riverreporter.com or 845/252-7414.

Jack Frost & Big Boulder, two mountains owned and operated by the same company and located about a mile apart in Blakeslee, PA, are on alternate sides of the planet when it comes to their facilities, skiing and otherwise. We traveled to these slopes on a cold February Saturday. One lift ticket (reasonable at $42 for a full day) was good for both mountains. Jack Frost closes at 4:00 p.m.; for $25 you can purchase a night lift ticket at Big Boulder from 4:00 until 10:00 p.m.

Jack Frost

We began the day at Jack Frost, which is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekends. Most of the day was spent in the terrain park, riding through the half pipe, which was well maintained and great to ride. Much to the dismay of the snowboarders, the jumps were closed off for a competition. The slopes were conducive to relaxing skiing and honing of skills, but were not extreme or overly challenging.

We ate lunch in the lounge (we bought the food in the cafeteria). The lounge required ID and no one under 21 was admitted. We were issued wristbands, which were checked when entering the lounge.

The food was expensive: $14 for a chicken breast sandwich, a turkey sandwich, (no lettuce or tomato), two French fry orders and a chocolate bar.

Big Boulder

Early in the afternoon, we traveled the few miles down the road to Big Boulder. On approach to the base lounge, the terrain park was visible and peaked everyone’s interest. We got right on the slopes from the parking lot, courtesy of the open-to-close ticket purchased at Jack Frost, and made our way up the lifts. The jumps in the terrain park were arranged quite well and led into the half pipe at the bottom of the slope. The terrain park was maintained well but the rest of the slopes were icy overall.

Boarders and skiers jumped nicely on the well-maintained jumps, but we found the courtesy of fellow boarders and skiers to be lacking. At the very top of the slope everyone was patient and waited their turn, but further down boarders and skiers tended to stand in the landing zones on the backside of the jumps, and skiers bombarded the half pipe, causing dangerous conditions for the terrain.

Attempting tricks in the pipe at Big Boulder is not advised unless you can rest assured that no “bombers” will come tearing through.

We took a break to warm up and get something to drink. The lounge was swarming with children. We went right to the bar and ordered. No ID was required. We were all shocked; this was the first of the 10 slopes we have visited where we had not been proofed.

We stayed long enough to watch the fireworks show (shown at Big Boulder on weekends) which made up, at least in part, for the insanity of the half pipe and the lack of expert terrain. Overall, we found the great lift ticket prices not worth the drive from Narrowsburg. If you wish to spend a little extra and stay close to home, we recommend Elk Mountain.

For more information on Jack Frost and Big Boulder, call 800/475-SNOW or visit www.jackfrostbigboulder.com.