Ski and Snowboard News, Deals, and Events

At Elk Mountain an Adult Season Pass (for skiers age 19 and up) costs $690 until Dec. 1, then increases to $750.

A Junior Pass (ages 13 to 18) costs $630, then $685.

Children's Passes (ages 6 to 12) and Senior Passes (65 and up) cost $565, then $620.

Elk also has various lift ticket deals. The area offers $15 skiing on Senior Tuesdays for skiers and riders 65 and up, on Jan. 6, 13, 20, and 27; Feb. 3, 10, 17, and 24; and March 3, 10, and 17. Elk offers $15 day or night skiing on Wild Wednesdays for college students on Jan. 7, 14, 21, and 28, Feb. 4, 11, 18, and 25, and March 4, 11, and 18.

Elk Mountain has 27 trails and the Stompin' Grounds Terrain Park, 1,000 feet of vertical, five double chairlifts, a quad, and a cable tow in the terrain park.

Commercial skiing at Elk began in 1959, when the area built a small base lodge, a 2.200-foot-long T-bar, and a few slopes at the site of a small operation run by the Scranton Ski Club.

A Hall double chair was installed in 1961, and a new set of trails cut, including the first expert trail used as the site of the 1960 Pennsylvania State Championships even before the chair was finished. Elk recounts that competitors and race officials hiked to the summit.

Snowmaking followed in 1962, along with more lifts and, in 1966, lights were installed for night skiing. Through the 1980s and 1990s, expansion continued with construction of base facilities, new trails, more snowmaking, and new lifts.