Just got back from the Springs for what was my last trip this season.

We arrived at 7 Springs just before noon, conditions were soft slushy spring snow. I spent about an hour teaching a friend the basics of falling leaf and guiding him down a beginner trail. After that it was off to the North Side. Conditions on the north side were reasonably good and again skier/boarder traffic was very light. Coverage on Northface, top to bottom was pretty good with no major bare spots. The conditions on Gunnar and Giant Step was good most of the way down but both had major bare spots on the last third of the run.

Only two of the four lifts serving that area were running but the lift lines were nonexistant, that is until the Northface lift started to develop problems. Overall it was food but after the rain and drizzle today I doubt the conditions will be all that good by next weekend. To be honest I would not go out of my way to go unless they get dumped on.

We stayed in the Holiday Inn in Somerset which was very reasonable at $75/room. They also had an awesome cover band playing in the lounge. I've been playing drums for a long time and I have to say the drummer and bassist in that band were nothing short of incredible. I believe they were called Mr Bickle and if you are in the area and they're playing I recommend checking them out.

We had lift tix for Sunday but decided to forego riding because the rain was certain have mucked up the hills a fair bit. The mountain website is posting a base of 34 to 68" Try more of an average of maybe 6 to 12". We obviously couldn't get a refund of the portion of our ticket we couln't use which I understand but it would be nice if they could maybe comp us something like mini golf or some bowling but that wasn't happening.

We had breakfast brunch at the Oakhurst Tearoom. This place is a winner. Sunday Brunch was $9, the regular buffet was about $12. Well worth it, the food is awesome. It's on Rte 31 west of Somerset.

So with the season being done it was time to strip down the board and put it back into hibernation. My base and my friend's nice new white base were filthy with dirt embedded in the wax. Base cleaner cleaned that right up and a new layer of protective wax was applied. Next year the ritual will begin again. For those of you with some days left, have a good time and cut some lines for the rest of us.

The conditions at Hidden Valley on Saturday morning were excellent. By Noon the 'velcro' snow started developing and I stopped until 3:00 PM when the cloud cover banished the velcro snow. There were no bare spots and the snow had that natural feeling to it from all of the snow that had been dumping recently. I dressed for skiing on Sunday and then it showered so we went to the Stone Villa Winery to buy a case of wine. When we returned at about 2:00 PM it was drizzling so I put my ski stuff in the closet for next year. At 3:00 PM the drizzle changed to snow (it figures!!!!). When I left at 5:45PM it was still snowing. I doubt it will be enough to salvage the last weekend in March given the weather forcast for this week. I look forward to the 2005/2006 season (baring a weather miracle)

Sorry to hear that conditions in western PA were marginal, and you had rain. Should have gone further south to Canaan Valley/Timberlin or Snowshoe. Tons on snow, no bare spots, gentle rain Sat. pm, but turned to snow by 9:00am on Sunday.
And the prices...awesome...a room at Canaan Valley Lodge (one night ok) was $65. If inclined to ski this weekend,
GO WEST, to WV and higher altitude skiing and riding.
The Colonel