Montage Mountain, PA, Report: One of the Trickiest Places to Ski in America

Montage Mountain White Lightning — Montage Mountain’s White Lightning is the second steepest ski trail in the East. The pitch might be short but there is no debating if it is steep. | Credit: Liam Abbott

Montage Mountain Report from Tuesday, March 11, 2025

When you think of some of the most difficult places to ski in America, Montage Mountain just outside of Scranton, Pennsylvania, probably does not come to mind. Instead, you might think of major West Coast ski resorts such as Jackson Hole, Kicking Horse, or Palisades Tahoe. While the terrain at those resorts certainly outrivals Montage’s small footprint in terms of terrain difficulty, skiing in Eastern Pennsylvania is no doubt more difficult than almost anywhere in the United States because of its climate.

Montage Mountain Upper Fast Track 2 — Montage Mountain Upper Fast Track. Views of downtown Scranton and the surrounding towns near the top of the resort. | Credit: Liam Abbott

Montage Mountain Quick Facts

Date Opened: 1984
Multi-Destination Pass: Indy Pass
Number of Trails: 27
Skiable Acres: 140
Vertical Drop: 1,000′
Base Elevation: 960′
Summit Elevation: 1,960′
Average Annual Snowfall: 25″
Terrain Breakdown:
- Beginner: 20%
- Intermediate: 45%
- Advanced: 35%
Number of Lifts: 7
Night Skiing: Yes (100% of terrain)
Other Activities:
- Water Park (summer only)

Montage Mountain Iron Horse Lift. It didn’t matter what trail you chose, coverage was solid with brown spots few and far between. | Credit: Liam Abbott

Skiing typically isn’t possible when you get days at the end of the season approaching 70ºF. Yet to my surprise, when I refreshed the Montage Mountain Snow Report on Tuesday I saw that I could squeeze another ski day in with my Indy Pass and head out to Scranton to ski all of the resort’s terrain.

Regardless of the day’s specific weather, skiing simply shouldn’t be possible in Eastern Pennsylvania. Its relatively low-elevation Pocono Mountains paired with its latitude and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean make freeze-thaw cycles in the winter the norm for this part of America. That, paired with most ski areas in the region averaging less than 50″ of snowfall a season means that natural snowfall is a luxury and certainly not a given. Without the use of modern technology, most notably robust snowmaking systems, Pennsylvania skiing would be non-existent.

Despite all of these hardships, the Pennsylvania ski scene still thrives, with Montage Mountain being one of the greatest examples. When I visited the mountain for the first time this week, the resort had 26 out 27 trails open with some of the best spring skiing snow quality I have ever experienced.

Related: Pennsylvania Ski Resorts March into Spring with Multiple Events

There has been no natural snowfall in the region for over a month yet conditions on the slopes were flawless. I have never spent a day skiing in a t-shirt that was void of rocks, dirt, and puddles, yet somehow Montage didn’t have any. From beginner groomers such as Mainline to narrow trails through the trees like Ratler, I was utterly stunned with the conditions. An empty resort on a Tuesday added to the anomaly of Montage Mountain being practically fully open.

Montage Mountain Lodge — Montage Mountain Base Area. A ski area in the winter, and a water park in the summer. | Credit: Liam Abbott

While it felt like the final day of the season, Montage Mountain has other plans. Resort employees indicated aspirations to stay open for at least another week and a half, pushing operations into the third week of March. With the current weather outlook not seeing temperatures dip below freezing for the next week, this may seem absurd, but a massive man-made snow base still persists on many of the trails.

All of this begs the question—how is Montage Mountain pulling this off?

Montage Mountain Upper Fast Track. If you were willing to put in a bit of traversing, you would be rewarded with an empty wide trail on the far skiers’ right of the mountain. | Credit: Liam Abbott

Like all Pennsylvania mountains, Montage Mountain has mastered the art of snowmaking. 100% snowmaking coverage of a ski resort’s trails is a must. They take full advantage of any cold weather window that passes by, with some ski resorts in the region such as Blue Mountain continuing to blow snow as recently as last week. None of this snow is wasted, and groomers meticulously utilize it to evenly coat the slopes only where it is necessary, creating a patchwork of white ribbons that can be seen across mountain tops.

This dedication and expectation that these are the necessary steps to open ski areas in the Poconos are what makes them incredibly resilient, and some of the most difficult places to offer skiing in the country.

Montage Mountain Lower Fast Track. The Long Haul Lift may not have been running, but this kept the skiers’ right side of the mountain extra sparse. | Credit: Liam Abbott

Without modern technology, skiing simply wouldn’t exist in this Mid-Atlantic state. Although the mountains may not be impressive, the operations of these small ski areas are a testament to how robust and adaptive the ski industry is, especially when temperatures continue to rise.

Related: Slippery Slopes: Climate Change Threatens the Future of Skiing in North America

While it is easy to blow off Pennslyvania ski resorts as irrelevant, tiny, boring ski areas, even by East Coast standards, it is time to think again. The group of 27 ski areas gives me hope that the sport of skiing will survive, no matter how climate change may shift our winter weather. At the same time, Montage Mountain has an evenly dispersed variety of ski trails, including some seriously (short) steep skiing, that will challenge even the best skiers and riders.

For more information, check out Montage Mountain’s website.