Pocono Talk

Skiing in the Poconos

The Poconos has a bunch of things to do whether you live here or vacation here.  The Winter months especially offer a large variety of things to do.Here is my Top 5 list of of Winter things to do in the Poconos.Some of these are really obvious, and others are not so obvious, but all of them are a ton of fun!

1.  Skiing/ Snowboarding
This is probably the most obvious and a large reason that many people visit the Poconos during the winter months.  The Poconos are about a 2-3 hour drive from most parts of New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia so it makes it very convenient for a weekend trip.  There are 5+ places to ski and snowboard in the Poconos, that number varies because some of the ski resorts (namely Alpine Mountain and Tanglewood) have undergone some economic hard times in the past few years.  Although I believe they’re both operational this year I would still double check locations before making plans.  Some of the bigger names are: Jack Frost Big Boulder, Shawnee, Jack Frost, Camelback, Blue Mountain and Big Bear.

2.  Snow Tubing
Most of the locations that offer skiiing/snowboarding also offer snow tubing.  I listed this separate since it’s something that is really cost effective, requires little/no skill and is fun for all ages.  With  “magic carpets” at many locations to take your tube back to the top it sure beats sledding in your backyard!

3.  Shopping
The Poconos offers great shopping including The Crossings Premium Factory Outlets with stores offering 25%-50%+ discounts on designer and name brands like Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, BCBG Max Azria, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Coach, Cole Haan, Gap Outlet, J.Crew, Liz Claiborne, Movado, Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.  There are also a bunch of great places to see things made like House of Candles and Callies Pretzel Factory and also to some unique stores like Switzerland Old World Gifts (with a $1300 beer stein) and Stained Glass Creations (both located next to each other on Route 611).

4.  Dog Sledding
Here is where it gets interesting…Dog Sledding!  What is a more fun, unique and cool thing to do then to try Dog Sledding.  I think even for the teen that thinks its “so uncool” to hang out with their family on vacation they couldn’t resist getting excited about a trip to the Poconos if you threw in dog sledding.  Artic Paws Dog Sled Tours offers dog sledding at the Inn at Pocono Manor and at $50/person/hour it is a bit expensive but it’s completely worth it for a once in a lifetime experience.

5.  Indoor Water Park
If the thought of being outside in the cold and snow doesn’t excite you then a trip to an indoor waterpark might just do the trick.  Great Wolf Lodge offers year round indoor fun at their indoor water park.  There are a ton of things to do including the waterpark with a four story treehouse water fort, “MagiQuest” a mystical based game, a spa, a game room with the most popular console platforms and tons more!

Don’t see your favorite winter activity listed?   Be sure to leave a comment and share what you love to do in the Poconos in the winter!

It’s here!!  In early October we got about an inch or two of snow, and now in early December we are finally getting our first snowfall that is much needed.  Right now the Pocono ski resorts are rejoicing, every skier, snowboarder and snow sports lover are getting ready to take advantage of it.  I am far from a snow bunny, I am definitely the “grab a cup of hot cocoa and watch everybody else ski” type of gal, I didn’t grow up in the area so I wasn’t born with that snow sports mentality but the excitement of friends and family says it all.

My 6 year old learned how to ski at Shawnee Mountain last year, he took part in their ski-wee program and I was overly impressed as to how much he learned in such a small amount of time.  My husband is an excellent skier and was an instructor at Shawnee for a few years but as any parent knows a child typically listens and learns better from other people.  So we signed him up for classes late in the season, he went for 3 sessions and I was skeptical as to how much he could actually learn.  My husband had taken him to Alpine Mountain (or hill as he likes to refer to it) a few times and in the backyard but nothing substantial.  By the end of the 3 ski wee sessions at Shawnee Mountain he was able to ski down from the top of the mountain.  In my “ski-newbieness” I would consider the top of the mountain the top of the bunny hill, but I mean the actual top of the mountain, ya know up the ski lift to the very top.  As a mother who can’t get down the bunny slope without running over some kid sitting down and texting on the mountain(that’s a whole nother story), to watch my 6 year old go up and come back down (not that I could actually see to the top) I was pretty darn impressed.  If only I had the lack of fear of a child, I would be a magnificient skier!  Alright, that’s dreaming but at least maybe I could get down my own driveway.

If you’re looking for ski classes for kids I’d highly recommend Shawnee, we priced out other classes and it was actually cheaper then most and they have the “carpet” that allows the kids to get to the top of the mountain without needing to actually take a lift which I think is great for kids, or anyone, that is just learning how.

Camelback was blowing snow today as I’m sure most other Ski Resorts are doing, so if they’re not ideal conditions yet they will be soon enough.  One of these days I will work up the courage to take advantage of living in a Ski haven and actually take some lessons, until then you can find me inside enjoying my hot cocoa.

At Pocono Talk our main goal is to encourage discussion about the Poconos, its that simple!  One way we hope to achieve this is to not only talk about the Poconos but to actually show you the Poconos as well through photographs and video.

Our first video to show you is a collaboration with Ken English of PoconoPreview.com that provides a general introduction to the Poconos and some comments from our very own Eric Kimes of Pocono Talk.  They recently visited Alpine Mountain Ski and Ride Center to get a preview of what it looks like before the snow starts to fall.  The video is available at PoconoPreview.com and is currently located on the front page. continue reading »