Hidden Valley, Laurel Mountain, Boyce Park open slopes this weekend
Dec. 22—Hidden Valley skiing fans can hit the slopes Friday, and those waiting for Laurel Mountain will be able to head downhill starting at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Vail Resorts announced opening dates and holiday hour for ski and snowboard operations at its Laurel Highlands locations.
Hidden Valley
Hidden Valley Resort opened its operations Friday morning, with planned access to the Rambler, Riviera, Continental and Bobcat slopes.
Holiday hours will be:
—Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
—Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
—Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
—Christmas Day, noon to 9 p.m.
—Dec. 26-29, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
—Dec. 30-31, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
—New Year's Day, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Regular-season operating hours will resume Jan. 2.
Vail officials have added a new snow-cat this year to help with snow grooming and have also installed four new Techno Alpin TR8 fan guns to help shift snow-making strategy based on weather patterns and need.
Laurel Mountain
Laurel Mountain opens at 9 a.m. Saturday, with planned access to the Tame Cat, Upper Broadway, Lower Broadway, Deer Path and Ski Top slopes.
Holiday hours will be:
—Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
—Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
—Christmas Day, noon to 8 p.m.
—Dec. 26-28, noon to 8 p.m.
—Dec. 29, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
—Dec. 30-31, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
—New Year's Day, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Opening-day activities will include a "First Skier" banner break, DJ, complimentary hot chocolate and cookies and granola bars while supplies last.
Lift tickets are available at LaurelMountainSki.com.
This year at both resorts, guests can also download the My Epic app to purchase mobile pass and lift tickets.
Boyce Park
In Allegheny County, the slopes at Boyce Park will open Friday for the 3:30 p.m. session.
County parks officials said both lifts are open along with the Casper's Beginner Area and Adam's Run. The slopes are closed to snow tubing today, and will open later in the season.
Ski slope hours will be 3:30-9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 3:30-9 p.m. Saturdays; and 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2:30-6:30 p.m. Sundays.
Lift tickets and snow tubing tickets may be purchased online in advance at bit.ly/ACLiftTickets. Additionally, 1-hour private ski lessons are available for $30 for county residents and $38 for non-residents. Those lessons are available at bit.ly/ACSnowLessons. A lift ticket must also be purchased along with the lesson.
Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Patrick by email at pvarine@triblive.com or via Twitter .
