Trip Report Roundtop 2/13/2005
February 20, 2005
I skied Roundtop today. It was a beautiful bleubird day and highs of approximatly 40F. Round top was 100% open and conditiosn were good for most of the day. We experienced firm conditions in the morning ans most trails seem to have been groomed, including upper ram rod.
Upper gunbarrel was setup in a very weird way. With huge jaged swales and moguls as terrain features. I wasn't feeling it so I decided to not try the trial. Lower gunbarrel was very icy and had the only moguls on the hill in the morning. After allt he "spring conditions I had forgottten what icy moguls were like. They were very icy and challenging.
The best snow was on exhibition and lower ramrod. I was there carving it up at high speeds all afternoon in very fast conditions. Despite the warmth the conditions remained fast and firm for the majority of runs. The exception was the bottom 100 vertical of the mountain where conditiosn were more soft and spring like. By late afternoon upper ram rod was bumpig up nicely wiht moderate sized push piles and I took a few last runs at the end of the day.
Overall it was a great day. I got to watch a little of the 1/2 pipe competition and Madeline and I both had a blast. Round top deffinatly has it over the other snow time resorts in terms of trail variety and it has a high fun factor for being such a small mountain. This is because they are going crazy with the #s and quality of the terrain parks they have built. I predict that this is the future of midatlantic skiing as it is a cheap and easy way to add fun, value, to a ski ticket and it doesn't require a ton of vertical to a have great park and pipe.
I think the locals at RT are deffinatly much more friendly and laid back than the clientelle at other close to DC resorts. There is deffinatly a good vibe from the people over there.
I skied at Roundtop the previous weekend in near 50 degree temps. I was amazed at how firm the bumps on Lower Gunbarrel were, especially compared to how soft the snow got the next day at Whitetail. Sun exposure makes a huge difference. (Also keeps the snow around a lot longer at Roundtop.)
Its a patteren, Round Top has some serrious northern exposure on all its trails.
I feel like such a newbie, first post and all (why didn't I discover this forum earlier?).
Of the three Snowtime PA resorts, I'm always drawn most to Roundtop. No, the runs aren't as long as Whitetail's. No, they lack any high-speed lifts. But as other's have mentioned, the snow quality and the general care and grooming that the RT staff gives the hill is top notch. Several times this winter, I've told lift operators to pass on to management and grooming teams that they deserve an "A+" for their efforts.
Also, I find that the pace of RT is more to my liking. It is a very mellow place, with a total committment to family fun. Beyond RT, Elk Mountain is my second favorite place with Blue Knob coming in third (when they have a good snow season). All three of these share the same kind of character; a family orientation, mellow, and with, generally, happy staff members. I always meet the nicest people on the lifts in these places.
Thanks for allowing a newbie to chime in.
VolklYokel