Montage, PA: 2/23/25 on the Indy Pass

Jim said:
My first time at Montage today was fun. It marked my first skiing in Pennsylvania and the furthest south I've skied in the East... It's not a place that makes much sense for me to drive to just to ski, but I'd gladly do it again if it can be "on the way" somewhere like it was today.
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Do ya think it’ll still have enough snow to be skiable in early April? Might drive from The Cuse to Augusta to patronize a practice round. I’ve yet to ski Pa. but was born there. Seen Montage dressed in white from the road several times and wondered about it. Could be a good place to stretch the legs for a bit if possible.
 
Funny I almost went Sunday to burn an Indy day but decided to stay close to home. Its a fun place for a change of scenery and some interesting sites for some of you lift lookers. Still planning on a day or two there before the season ends
 
Great report @Brownski. I haven’t been to Montage since the late 1990s. It was the year before White Lightning was opened. The trail was cut but didn’t have snowmaking on it. I often bypassed Montage for Elk if I am traveling that far from the Philly burbs. Since Elk stands alone in PA, at least in eastern PA, for challenge and terrain. Montage competes well with smaller hills in the Poconos (Jack Frost, Big Boulder, Shawnee and Ski Big Bear). The current owner, the fourth since the area was built and opened in the 1980s, has done a great job managing and being profitable with the ski and off season activities. The members of NYSKIBlog have piqued my interest to re-visit this underrated hill. Since March is right around the corner it is time to consider my 2025-2026 pass purchases and whether I should consider the Indy Pass.
 
PA Ice said:
Since March is right around the corner it is time to consider my 2025-2026 pass purchases and whether I should consider the Indy Pass.
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Need to get on the Wait List this week to have any chance of buying an Indy pass for next season. Public sales start March 1. No guarantee there will be sales again, and no way to predict when that might happen.

Can get a refund later in the year if Indy doesn't have 250 locations or if your "favorite" resort is not on the list.
 
Thought $40 INCLUDING rentals was too good to be true. That’s amazing!
IF the crowds were the same what area would you consider better? Camelback or Montage?
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ciscokid said:
IF the crowds were the same what area would you consider better? Camelback or Montage?
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Haven't skied Camelback but have stopped by the base during the green season to get a feel for the place. My sense is that Camelback is a "ski resort" while Montage is a "ski area." Montage theoretically has more vertical, but that only makes a difference for a couple of routes that go from top-to-bottom.

Looking at SteepSeeker for the two places, I would guess an advanced skier would enjoy Montage more. Midweek a beginner might like Camelback more. On a weekend, an advanced beginner who is comfortable on the blues above the base lodge might be happier at Montage. Reasonably long runs with no advanced skiers buzzing by at a fast clip. Being able to get away from the intermediates/beginners at Montage by staying on the lower mountain is what makes it popular with advanced skiers on weekends.

I have a few friends who live in Philly and have season passes to Montage who are weekend warriors. One grew up skiing Montage. None of them have kids.
 
ciscokid said:
IF the crowds were the same what area would you consider better? Camelback or Montage?
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Depends what the skiers in your group are seeking. I would agree with MarzNC that CBack is a resort with multiple hotels, lodging and water parks at and around the base area versus Montage which is a ski area with some non-ski activities for off season. Camelback is typically very crowded during peak season days and is 45 minutes closer to NY/NJ where a lot its clientele come from. I would guess the skiable acerage is about double compared to Montage with about the whole mountain having a solid ~700 feet of vertical. Cbacks original trails have more character compared to Montage. For beginners and intermediates wanting and needing space to ski comfortably Montage is the choice. Montage has 2 to 3 runs that ski the full 1000 ft of vertical. However, most skiers ski either the top lifts or the lower lift servicing the diamonds. Both lifts about 500 ft. of vertical. In terms of black diamond challenge they are fairly similar.
 
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Camelback has much better terrain and layout, but some serious problems this year. They JUST got completely open a week or so ago with some help from Blue's snowmakers and groomers. In contrast Blue, a few miles South and lower, was 95% open before the new year. I did a few laps at Blue after work last week and rode up with Cback peeps every lift ride...

As far as crowds go, the few times I've been to Camelback over the last few years the shitshow rivals Blues. Montage is the clear winner there.

Taking two lifts for or a slow ass fixed grip that only runs sometimes for <1,000' vert gets old very quick
 
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