DCSki Newsroom

In this Interview Series installment, we chat with Kevin Thomas to learn how he designed, built, and refined his own private rope-tow-served ski area in Pennsylvania. He breaks down how the lift works, what the steep terrain is like, and what it takes to keep the place skiable season to season—from trail work and simple grooming to day-to-day operations. Along the way, he reflects on the appeal of a stripped-down, back-to-basics approach after more than two decades of running his own ski hill.

Spencer Allen grew up joining his father, longtime DCSki Columnist Robbie Allen, on “Going Further Afield” adventures, developing an early appreciation for off-the-beaten-path mountains. Now in his twenties, he’s traveling the world on his own, skiing everywhere from the Alps to Japan and Mauritania, and documenting his journeys through a creatively edited YouTube channel. In this interview, Spencer reflects on his skiing roots, recent global travels, and his evolving approach to storytelling.

In DCSki’s Interview Series, we take a look at interesting people who have a connection to the mountains. We recently interviewed Pete Tolsdorf, who created a resource called SkiTripPlanner.com that helps match skiers with the perfect resort.

In DCSki’s Interview Series, we take a look at interesting people who have a connection to the mountains. We recently interviewed Ted McDowell, who joined Pennsylvania’s Ski Roundtop as General Manager last season.

In DCSki’s Interview Series, we take a look at interesting people who have a connection to the mountains. In early February, 2022, a new snow tubing park opened in scenic Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, providing day and evening tubing sessions throughout the week. We chatted with Matt Knott, President and Owner of River/Snow Riders, to learn more about this exciting new addition to the Mid-Atlantic winter sports scene.

Known as “Crush” on the DCSki Forums, Eric has been posting to DCSki for over 20 years — even as he’s changed locations from D.C. to Park City to North Lake Tahoe. Learn more about Eric in this interview.

In DCSki’s Interview Series, we take a look at interesting people who have a connection to the mountains. And there are few folks in the ski industry more interesting than Chip Chase, Founder of the White Grass Ski Touring Center in Canaan Valley, West Virginia. For over 40 years, White Grass has attracted cross country skiers with its beauty, snow, and soup.

Kenny Hess began his career at Massanutten Resort as a lift operator in 1980. Today, he oversees many activities at the resort. In this in-depth interview, Kenny reflects on Massanutten’s history, describes some of the key changes that have occurred in the industry, and previews exciting enhancements coming to Massanutten as the Virginia ski area celebrates its 50th year.

Known as “Laurel Hill Crazie” on the DCSki Forums, Rob Davis is a retired steelworker from Pittsburgh. Rob has a special connection to Pennsylvania’s Laurel Mountain Ski Resort, where he has skied hundreds if not thousands of times. Learn more about Rob and the history of Laurel Mountain in this interview.

Jimmy Petterson has led an exciting career: he began as a teacher, but quickly pivoted to becoming a professional ski bum. He has now visited ski areas in 75 countries, documenting his adventures in books, magazine stories, and television shows. DCSki interviewed Jimmy to learn more about his travels.

The DCSki Interview Series continues with Jeff Lifgren, who is in charge of Pennsylvania resorts Liberty, Whitetail, Roundtop, Big Boulder, and Jack Frost. Jeff touches on lots of topics in this in-depth interview conducted by DCSki’s John Sherwood.

Chris Diamond is a veteran of the ski industry, having served in leadership positions at Mount Snow and Steamboat. During his 44 years in the ski business, he saw a lot of change, but nothing like he’s seen since he retired in 2015. Since then, he’s published two books covering his experiences in the ski industry and the tectonic shifts caused in the past few years by acquisitions and the emergence of mega passes. DCSki interviewed Chris to discuss his books, his perspective on the industry, and where he sees the industry moving forward next.