SEVEN SPRINGS MOUNTAIN RESORT AND HIDDEN VALLEY RESORT MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AHEAD OF UPCOMING WINTER SEASON
Resorts to Kick Off 2015-2016 Winter Season with Upgrades All Over the Mountains
SEVEN SPRINGS, Pa. – Seven Springs Mountain Resort and Hidden Valley Resort are proud to announce some exciting new projects and amenities for the coming winter season!
“At Seven Springs and Hidden Valley, our mission is to provide our guests with a first-class, legendary experience,” said Eric Mauck, CEO of both resorts. “We closely examined all of our resort operations to identify areas that could be improved upon to provide an even more incredible visit to Seven Springs and Hidden Valley. This year’s package of projects and improvements focuses on fine-tuning the guest experience and creating the perfect environment to create lasting memories.”
NEW GROOMERS ADDED TO RESORT FLEETS
In order to continue to offer resort guests some of the best grooming in the country, Seven Springs and Hidden Valley have each added additional grooming technology to their fleets. Seven Springs welcomes four brand new Pisten Bully 400 ParkPro snowcats. Flaunting state-of-the-art agility and precision, these snowcats allow machine operators to consistently achieve the highest level of grooming quality.
Hidden Valley is adding two Prinoth BR 350s to the fleet. Known for their reliability and power, these snowcats are capable of meeting the highest demands and ensuring that guests enjoy slopes groomed to pristine condition each day.
“DEW YOUR NIGHT” TICKET AT SEVEN SPRINGS
Skiers and snowboarders can purchase an exclusive Seven Springs night ticket this winter by purchasing a Mountain Dew 12-pack at Giant Eagle or a 32 oz. fountain drink of their favorite Pepsi product at GetGo. Tickets must be purchased online. Details will be provided at the time of beverage purchase. The tickets will be valid Sundays – Thursdays, 5 p.m. – close, and will cost $45. Participants can also enter to win prizes including ski packages, lift tickets and winter apparel and equipment.
SEVEN SPRINGS INTRODUCES UPHILL SKI ACCESS
Seven Springs is proud to be the first resort in Pennsylvania to welcome winter uphill travel enthusiasts. Winter uphill travel by means of skinning or cross-country skis is becoming increasingly popular. Uphill travel will be permitted each morning from 7-9 a.m. Uphill travelers will be required to stay on the designated routes at all times. Seven Springs or Highlands season passholders can add Uphill Travel access to their pass for an additional $20. A stand-alone 2015-2016 Uphill Travel Season Pass can be purchased for $50.
SEVEN SPRINGS PARTNERS WITH TOM WALLISCH
Professional freeskier and Pittsburgh native Tom Wallisch has partnered with Seven Springs for this winter as his official resort partner. It is a natural connection given Wallisch’s roots growing up skiing the parks at Seven Springs. Over the course of his career, Wallisch has achieved multiple X Games medals, AFP slopestyle titles and Dew Tour podiums. The partnership will include video shoots and public appearances at the resort, giving local skiers and snowboarders the chance to meet a pro skier who grew up in the area.
“What Seven Springs has been doing as a resort is amazing,” said Wallisch in a recent interview with Freeskier Magazine. “Promoting and building such a huge park scene on the east coast is so cool. I really wanted to be a part of that movement and help bring some exposure to PA and where I grew up.”
SNOWSPORTS SCHOOL UPDATES
This season marks the second year of Seven Springs and Hidden Valley’s revolutionary Fun-Based Learning method of introducing skiing and snowboarding to beginners. The overall goal of Fun-Based Learning is for the newcomer to have fun! Inside the learning area, newcomers are introduced to the sensation of skiing or snowboarding right away, as the focus is on “going,” rather than “stopping.” Fun-Based Learning has had a successful retention rate resulting in more guests developing a lifelong passion for winter sports.
Seven Springs and Hidden Valley are making it easier than ever to get on the snow and learn to ski or snowboard. The new Triple Play Card includes three two-hour Fun-Based Learning lessons, three lift tickets and three equipment rentals with helmets for just $255. The Triple Play Card is the perfect way to learn a new sport with friends or family for one low price.
Skiers and snowboarders ages 8-15 can get an in-depth learning experience this season with the new Mountain Adventure Camp. The camp is open to all skill levels and includes a full day of professional instruction plus lift ticket, lunch, rental equipment including helmet and even a printed photo on the snow! One and two day camps are available.
A new Snowsports School Director has joined the Seven Springs team. JB Brier comes to the Laurel Highlands with a host of snowsports experience. Certified as a Level III AASI and Level I PSIA instructor, JB has served as a Central Division Examiner, AASI National Team candidate and a PSIA-AASI National Task Force Member. Brier is also an AASI Certified Level I Freestyle Specialist and NSCA Certified Personal Trainer. Brier is an alumnus of Seven Springs Snowsports School and most recently a Staff Trainer at Breckenridge Ski & Ride School in Colorado.
Brett Lesnick has joined the Hidden Valley team as the resort’s Snowsports School Director. Brett brings a wealth of recreation and winter sports experience having most recently served as the Director of the Kids Ski and Ride School at Wisp. A graduate of Frostburg State University with a degree in Recreation and Park Management, Brett is also a PSIA Level II Alpine Coach.
SNOWMAKING UPGRADES AND IMPROVEMENTS
The 2014-2015 winter season presented a challenge with a relatively low amount of natural snow. Luckily, conditions for snowmaking were abundant and Seven Springs and Hidden Valley made enough snow to fill more than 1,400 football fields with one-foot of snow. Both resorts added new snowmaking upgrades this season. Five new HKD SV 10 Impulse tower guns have been installed at the top of the North Face at Seven Springs and three portable snowmaking stations were installed on Bobcat at Hidden Valley. Several snowmaking stations at Seven Springs were also relocated, streamlining the system and improving snow coverage in key areas.
SPRUCING UP THE SLOPES
This summer, an extensive glade-clearing project took place at Hidden Valley and Seven Springs. Throughout the resorts, glade areas have been cleared allowing for pristine tree skiing this winter. Other aesthetic improvements were made, including the improvement of the off-loading area at the top of Avalanche chairlift at Hidden Valley.
HIGH HONORS FOR EAST COAST TERRAIN PARKS
A leader in the industry for terrain park design, progression and innovation, Seven Springs has become a destination for freestyle skiers and snowboarders. The resort’s dedication has led to its selection as the #2 East Coast Terrain Park by SKI Magazine’s 2016 Reader Resort Survey and #2 East Coast Terrain Park by the TransWorld SNOWboarding 2016 Resort Poll.
NEW WINTER EVENTS AT SEVEN SPRINGS
Seven Springs is excited to introduce some great new events to the winter lineup:
• The Streets Opening – Dec. 12, 2015
o In celebration of the season opening of The Streets terrain park, Seven Springs will be throwing a rail jam with a sweet after-party in the Foggy Goggle.
• Fat Tire Fridays – Fridays from Jan. 1 - Feb. 27, 2016
o A new winter concert series featuring a different band each Friday in the Foggy Goggle sponsored by New Belgium Brewing, brewer of Fat Tire Amber Ale.
• World’s Largest Lesson – Jan. 8, 2016
o On Friday, January 8, 2016 at 10 a.m., in YOUR local time zone, something special is happening. Something unique! Something that has never been done. Ski and snowboard areas across the country are going to set the World Record for the LARGEST multi-venue Ski and the LARGEST multi-venue Snowboard Lessons ever taught.
• Brewsfest – Jan. 16, 2016
o Celebrate all things beer at this new winter beer festival at Seven Springs.
• US Revolution Tour Finals – March 14 - 18, 2016
o Amateur freeskiers and snowboarders contend in Halfpipe and Slopestyle competitions in the final round of the 2016 Revolution Tour. The tour is designed to serve as a stepping-stone for athletes making the transition from competing at the grassroots level to the elite level. Top winners may earn an invite to be part of the U.S. Grand Prix, Junior Worlds, USASA Nationals, and participate in Project Gold camps.
• Burton Qualifiers Finals – March 26, 2016
o Amateur snowboarders compete for a spot in the 2016 Tokyo Rail Days in Burton’s newest touring snowboard competition.
NEW ROSSIGNOL BOOTS ADDED TO SEVEN SPRINGS RENTAL FLEET
The Rental Center at Seven Springs added 175 brand new pairs of Rossignol ski boots to the fleet. The new equipment will allow the resort to continue to provide the highest quality equipment to guests.
OFF-MOUNTAIN PROJECTS – SEVEN SPRINGS
Seven Springs is proud to announce the upcoming opening of the Highlands Market, a country-style store located just outside of the Main Gate, heading west on County Line Road. The Highlands Market will feature seating for 30 and offer prepared food, a large craft beer selection, fresh coffee and grocery items.
After a successful inaugural year, the resort’s newest restaurant, Foggy Brews, will remain open seven days a week throughout the winter season. Quickly becoming a guest favorite, the restaurant features a unique creative menu, an extensive craft beer selection and beautiful rustic décor that includes vintage photos and relics of skiing at Seven Springs.
OFF-MOUNTAIN PROJECTS – HIDDEN VALLEY
The hub of the resort – the Hidden Valley Ski Lodge – has undergone further renovations as part of an ongoing annual project to remodel the facility. The lodge received a fresh coat of exterior paint this summer. The Alpine Room and Yukon were remodeled. The seating area in the Sunrise Sunset Café was redone to improve traffic flow. New carpeting can be found in various areas throughout the lodge, including the Sunrise Sunset Café, hallways and access areas.
About Seven Springs Mountain Resort:
Seven Springs Mountain Resort, located in Seven Springs, Pa., is the perfect place for family vacations that create lifelong memories. Each year the family-friendly resort hosts more than one million overnight and day guests. Located within 200 miles of the major metropolitan areas of Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland and Washington D.C., Seven Springs is easily accessible from either exit 91 or 110 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
For more information on Seven Springs and the year-round lodging, dining and activity options the resort offers visit www.7springs.com or call (800) 452-2223.
About Hidden Valley Resort:
Hidden Valley Resort, located in Hidden Valley, Pa., is the ideal winter destination for families. With 25 slopes and trails and two terrain parks on 110 skiable acres and a first-class snowsports school, Hidden Valley offers a comfortable environment to learn to ski or snowboard.
Located within 200 miles of the major metropolitan areas of Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland and Washington D.C., Hidden Valley is easily accessible from either exit 91 or 110 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
For more information about Hidden Valley, visit www.hiddenvalleyresort.com or call (814) 443-8000.
About the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau:
The Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau is a destination marketing organization dedicated to promoting Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties in Pennsylvania. Established in 1958, the LHVB implements year-round seasonal marketing campaigns throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic to enhance awareness of the Laurel Highlands as a travel destination, which increases overnight stays, generates jobs and contributes to the economic growth and quality of life for the region.
The visitors bureau and its partners influence thousands of decision-makers and millions of visitors to choose the Laurel Highlands through direct sales, marketing, public relations, branding and visitor services. Destinations within the area include three architectural masterpieces by Frank Lloyd Wright – Fallingwater ®, Kentuck Knob and Duncan House; Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, the Flight 93 National Memorial, Idlewild and Soak Zone, whitewater rafting at Ohiopyle State Park and so much more.
Located within 200 miles of the major metropolitan areas of Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland and Washington D.C., the Laurel Highlands can be easily accessed from exits 67, 75, 91 and 110 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
To discover all that the Laurel Highlands has to offer, please call (724) 238-5661 or visit www.laurelhighlands.org, www.facebook.com/laurelhighlandsPA and www.twitter.com/laurelhighlands.
