Location, location, location! You just can’t beat it when it comes to delivering excellent skiing conditions. And Laurel Highlands delivers location, year after year. The fields and hills were devoid of snow along most of the PA Turnpike heading west from Harrisburg. But, on the climb to the Somerset exit things turned white. By the time we turned off of PA 31 near Kooser State Park, there was plenty of snow for skiing.

The early contingent arrived at Pine View Cabins about 1:30 pm on Friday to set up housekeeping and get in an early ski. We decided to try the limited set of trails at Kooser State Park. Driving into the parking lot was like entering the proverbial winter fairy-land. A light snow was falling, clinging to the trees and adding to the powder that already covered the heavy base snow on the ground. We skied the trail around the lake and continued on through the cabin area toward the now defunct Hidden Valley XC Ski Area trails. Conditions were perfect!

After returning to the cabins and showering, we dove into the wonderful “hunter’s stew” prepared by Nan. We all agreed, by the way, that the cabins Nan rented for this trip were definitely keepers. The two we had were both clean and nicely furnished. Each was equipped with two private bedrooms, shared bath and comfortable living/dining/kitchen rooms. Other units on the site can house up to thirty people in bunk-room style accommodations. They are about ten minutes from Kooser and Forbes and about twenty minutes from Laurel Ridge SP.

Saturday morning found us at Laurel Ridge State Park’s groomed trail system. Conditions were wonderful! There was a heavy base covered with several inches of Friday’s powder. All that had been groomed and track set by the folks who run the ski concession and area skiers were lining up to purchase trail passes. We spent the morning skiing the red and yellow trails that form the backbone of the eastern end of the trail system. By noon we were ready for lunch. Most of us ate outside because the warming hut was jammed with other skiers and their equipment. Our afternoon ski followed the orange trail out the power line and back through the woods. Tired, but happy, we loaded our gear into the cars and drove back to Pine View Cabins for showers and a well-deserved rest.

Later that evening we watched the multimedia slide show from last spring’s Award Banquet and consumed a chicken taco bake with trimmings prepared by Nan. After dinner Bill Stine “forked” our day’s skiing. After a bit of math, he concluded that the main skiing group had covered 3.5 miles at Kooser and 9.9 miles at Laurel Ridge!

On Sunday, a few of the group returned to Laurel Ridge while the main group tried the trails at Forbes State Forest. They were in great condition! We skied from the Tunnel Rd. parking area into the warming hut via Shafer Run Trail. There, a family was busy starting a fire in the stove where a few of us warmed up. After a bit of lunch, we took on Mountain View Trail Loop, climbing the ridge north of the warming hut and around to Tunnel Rd. Tired, we opted to skip North Woods Loop at the top of the ridge and descended the return trail back to the parking lot. After changing clothes in the parking lot, we headed for a well deserved dinner at Jean Bonnet before the drive home.

Given the great ski conditions, perfect weather, excellent accommodations, company and food, Wanda Pritulsky was moved to rate the weekend “four forks”!

Attendees: Nan Reisinger (leader), Wanda Pritulsky, Matt O’Donnell, Wanda Cole, Pete Oswald, Joan Short, Bill & Sandy Stine and Richard Levine.