Blue Mountain Resort facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Blue Mountain
Location	Lower Towamensing Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania
Nearest city	Palmerton, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40°49′20″N 75°30′48″W / 40.82222°N 75.51333°W / 40.82222; -75.51333
Vertical	1,082 ft (330 m)
Top elevation	1,540 ft (470 m)
Base elevation	458 ft (140 m)
Skiable area	164 acres (0.66 km2)
Runs	39 total 15 easier 5 more difficult 11 most difficult 4 extremely difficult 5 terrain park
Longest run	6,400 ft (2,000 m)
Lift system	13 lifts: 3 double chairlifts 1 triple chairlift 1 high-speed quad 1 high-speed six-pack 7 surface lifts
Lift capacity	13,500 skiers/hr
Snowfall	33 in (0.84 m)
Snowmaking	100%
Night skiing	100%
Website	https://www.skibluemt.com/

Blue Mountain Resort is a popular ski spot in Pennsylvania. It's located near Palmerton, Pennsylvania, on Blue Mountain. This resort is a favorite for people from nearby cities like Allentown, Philadelphia, and New York City. It's a great place for winter fun!

History of Blue Mountain Resort

The resort first opened in 1977. It was called Little Gap Ski Area back then. Ray Tuthill was the person who started it. In 1989, he changed its name to Blue Mountain.

When the name changed, they needed a new logo. Ray Tuthill asked people from all over the country for ideas. A local designer named Carol Stickles created the logo we see today. It shows a skier within the word "mountain." The resort celebrated its 30th birthday during the 2007-2008 ski season.

Upgrades and New Features

Blue Mountain Resort has added many cool things over the years.

• In 2002 and 2003, they added two advanced ski runs. They also made a new teaching area with two beginner slopes. These new areas were served by a triple chairlift and a conveyor lift.
• In 2006, the resort got eastern Pennsylvania's first high-speed six-person chairlift. This makes getting up the mountain much faster!
• In summer 2008, they spent $3.1 million on improvements. They made their snowmaking equipment better. They also built a new dining area. Plus, they added a new trail called Dreamweaver.
• In 2009, Blue Mountain was the first ski resort in Pennsylvania to get a BigAirBAG. This giant air cushion allowed skiers and snowboarders to practice cool jumps safely. (It's not used anymore since 2016-2017).
• In 2011, Blue Mountain teamed up with the United States Luge Association. This made it a training spot for luge athletes. It became the only natural luge track on the East Coast open to the public.

Exploring the Mountain

Blue Mountain has the biggest vertical drop of any ski resort in Pennsylvania. The top of the mountain is 1,407 feet (429 m) high. The vertical drop, which is the difference between the top and bottom, is 1,087 ft (331 m).

Getting Around

You can reach the summit using a fast quad chairlift or a six-person lift. There are also three double chairlifts.

• A beginner trail and an intermediate trail go down the eastern side of the mountain.
• Four expert trails follow the chairlifts to the bottom.
• An access trail connects the top to the western part of the resort.

Three double chairlifts go up the western side. They lead to trails for beginners, intermediate skiers, and experts.

Lodges and Snow Tubing

The main resort lodge is at the top of the mountain. You can even drive to it!

• Near this lodge, there's a special area for beginners. It has its own double chairlift and a surface lift.
• A beginner trail called Burma Road connects to the beginner area at the bottom.
• A second lodge, called the Valley Lodge, is at the bottom of the mountain. This is also where the resort's snow tubing area is located.

Trails and Terrain Parks

Blue Mountain has a total of 39 ski slopes.

• You'll find glade trails, which are trails through trees.
• There are also different terrain parks for tricks and jumps.
• The mountain uses special RFID ticket scanners at every lift. This makes getting on the lifts super easy!
• The resort offers 39 snow tubing trails. Each one is over 1,000 feet (300 m) long.
• Blue Mountain is the only place in Pennsylvania with family-size tubes for snow tubing. They also have single tubes. You can go snow tubing during the day or at night!

The five terrain parks include Terrain Run, Lower Sidewinder, Come Around Park, and Central Park. The longest trail on the mountain is 6,400 feet (2,000 m) long. The skiable area is 164 acres (0.3 sq mi; 0.7 km²).

Snow and Ski Teams

Blue Mountain gets about 33 inches (840 mm) of natural snow each year. But don't worry if it doesn't snow much! They have 100% snowmaking coverage. This means they can make snow to cover all their trails.

The resort has an alpine ski race team. It has over 125 competitors who race in USSA events. There are also 75 younger skiers learning to race. The resort's ski patrol was even featured on a TV show called Ski Patrol! It aired on truTV in 2008-2009.

Blue Mountain also has many ski and snowboard instructors. They offer different types of lessons:

• Family and Friends Beginner Lessons
• Private Lessons
• Explorers Children's Lessons
• 4 Week Children's Winter Adventure Camp

Trails and Lifts Information

Here you can find details about the different trails and lifts at Blue Mountain.

Trails

This table shows the names, lengths, and difficulty levels of the trails.

Trail Name	Length	Difficulty
Burma Road	4500'
Connector	670'
Easy Out	800'
Homestretch	1700'
Little Gap	430'
Paradise	4176'
Pioneer Pass	400'
School Hill	500'
Shuttle	900'
Sky Top	400'
Valley School East	1200'
Valley School West	1200'
Vista	1300'
Dreamweaver	2500'
Lazy Mile	5000'
Sidewinder	3175'
Switchback	3900'
Tut's Lane	1400'
Barney's Bumps	1140'
Blue Baumer Glade	520'
The Chute	700'
Crossover	400'
Lower Main St	1650'
Midway	900'
Razorback	550'
Sleepy Hollow Glade	400'
Upper Main St	1650'
Widow Maker	1300'
X-ing	690'
Challenge	3000'
Falls	350'
Nightmare	900'
Razor's Edge	3300'
Central Park	400'
Come Around Park	1700'
Lower Sidewinder Park	1740'
Terrain Run Park	1200'
Yeti Park

Lifts

This table lists the different ski lifts, their makers, type, and when they were built.

Climate at Blue Mountain

Blue Mountain Ski Resort has a climate called a Warm-summer Humid continental climate. This means it has warm summers and cold winters.

• In winter, the average lowest temperature is about −7.0 °F (−21.7 °C). The coldest temperature ever recorded was −17.9 °F (−27.7 °C) in 1994.
• Sometimes, it can get very cold and windy. The wind chill can make it feel like −19 °F (−28 °C) or colder.
• Large snowstorms with more than 12 inches (30 cm) of snow happen every few years.
• In summer, most days are a bit humid. But sometimes, it can get very hot and humid. The highest temperature ever recorded was 100.5 °F (38.1 °C) in 2011.

Nature Around the Resort

The natural plants around Blue Mountain Ski Resort would mostly be Oak trees. This area is part of the Eastern Hardwood Forest. The "plant hardiness zone" is 6a. This means certain types of plants can grow well here. The average lowest temperature for plants is −7.0 °F (−21.7 °C).

Spring flowers usually start to bloom around April 22nd. The beautiful fall colors, when leaves change, are usually at their best before October 20th.

Images for kids

• 

  Aerial View of Blue Mountain Ski Area

• 

  Valley Lodge at night with snow making machines on