Laurel Mountain ski area, located in southwestern Pennsylvania, has been given approval by the Ligonier Township supervisors board to reopen.
The ski area first closed in 2003 after Somerset Trust Co. claimed its assets from financially beleaguered operators. Seven Springs operated Laurel Mountain on a trial basis in 2004-05, but the ski area has remained closed since then. Seven Springs purchased the resort’s assets from Somerset Trust in 2008. State officials now hope to have the ski area back up and running in time for the 2015-16 winter season.
Plans call for replacing the resort’s 40-year-old double chairlift and upgrading snowmaking and electrical facilities at the ski area. In 2007 the state earmarked $6.5 million to improve Laurel Mountain’s infrastructure.
Facts:
- The ski area was founded by the Mellon family of nearby Pittsburgh in 1939, making it one of the state’s first ski areas.
- Vertical feet = 900
- Laurel Mountain’s Lower Wildcat Run is said to be the steepest ski run in Pennsylvania.
