Whitetail Resort

13805 Blairs Valley Rd, Mercersburg, PA 17236, USA

Address:	13805 Blairs Valley Rd, Mercersburg, PA 17236, USA
Phone:	+1 717-328-9400
Site:	skiwhitetail.com
Rating:	4.2

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 4

Michael Holt

After 34 years of snow skiing on two skis, I decided it was time to learn snowboarding. My 12 yr old daughter was also very excited to learn snowboarding. We purchased the All Mountain Pass which allowed my daughter and I full mountain(s) access all day through 10pm as well as equipment rental. Because we had all day to have fun, we decided to rent snow skis to play for a few hours on the fully open Whitetail Ski Resort. The weather was a very unusual yet perfect 62 F in February. Even with the warm weather, the base was at least 48 inches everywhere. My daughter especially loved the soft snow conditions when she would fall. After a few hours of skiing, we took a rest and had some lunch. Then, we returned our ski equipment and traded for snowboard equipment. We then went to our included free lesson with the awesome instructors, Tom and Christopher. Where we met up for class, there was another class for skier about to start that had at least 25-30 new skiers all lined up. Then, we went to the location for our snowboard class and found there was only 4 other people waiting for class to start. The class was the perfect size for the instructor, Tom. He was awesome! he explained everything making sure we understood. Then, we started practicing form to which Tom would spend as much time as needed with each patron making sure he/she got it. We then were handed off to Christopher who put us on the covered conveyor belt up to the top of the slope. Christopher continued the lesson making sure each on of us picked up his teachings. After practicing for a little while Christopher took us to the big bunny slope to which we snow boarded down. We then paired up and got on the lift. This was definitely the scariest part because getting off the lift was going to be tricky for all of us. Because of Christophers awesome instruction, we all felt confident enough to board the lift. Only one person in our class fell while getting off the lift. We then got back together as a group. Christopher had as "board" over to different spots on the slope in order to give instruction. He was instrumental in getting all of us to the bottom of the slope. Everyone in the class couldnt wait to take the ski lift again back to the top to practice. The worst part of the instruction was when Christopher told us that he would not be accompanying us back to the top and we had to say goodbye. Because of Tom and Christoopher, we had an awesome time at Whitetail Ski Resort. I highly recommend this ski resort to anyone at any and all ski and/or snowboard levels.

Alice Wang

Having grown up and lived in DC area pretty much my entire life, Ive been to Whitetail several times since I started to ski. Being only a 1.5 hour drive, it is one of the closest ski slopes to DC. For a day trip, many people go to either Whitetail or Liberty Ski Resort in Fairfield, PA, which is comparable in distance and time to Whitetail. These two ski resorts are owned by the same company. If youre a more experienced skier, I think Whitetail has more variety and has more challenging/steeper slopes than Liberty. Whitetail also has a better terrain park/half-pipe. One area where Liberty has the advantage in is night skiing. Whitetail has no black diamonds open during the night. While most of the best East Coast ski resorts are located in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, Whitetail is a good option for those just starting out skiing/snowboarding and its a nice option for anyone who only wants to go for one day. Whitetail is fairly crowded on weekends, especially holiday weekends. The lift lines are insanely ridiculous. Ive waited half an hour to get on a quad lift this past Presidents Day weekend. If you can, try to go during the weekday for lower prices and shorter lines. Ive gone on weeknights and there are practically no lines and not too many folks on the slopes. Its great because you dont have to worry about bumping into anyone or having to suddenly move out of someones way if they fall or change course. Prices: 4 hour flex - $53 (weekday), $64 (weekend). 8 hour flex - $58 (weekday), $69 (weekend). Extended (until 10pm) - $65 (weekday), $73 (weekend). Ski rental is $45 either weekday or weekend. Snowboard rental is $50. If you get the all mountain package deal (includes lift ticket, rental, and optional lesson), its $105. I believe Liberty is more or less the same price, maybe $1-3 cheaper on the above options. Another thing to point out: Whitetail is a dry resort and does not serve alcohol. Liberty, on the other hand, has a lounge where you can order alcoholic beverages. Many families prefer Whitetail for this reason.

Chris S

This is Mid-Atlantic skiing. Keep that in mind. Arrived on a Wednesday about 30 minutes after opening and no problems with parking and getting set for the day. The parking lot was pure ice - probably should have someone clearing a path. Plenty of people working the lift ticket line. All of the large lockers had been taken (I assume by people with season passes), so finding a secure home for your stuff could be an issue. Everything is well marked and easy to find, plus there are greeters to point you towards anything. No snowmaking the night before as the team had put in at least 6 night straight prior, but the surface was great. Well groomed and no ice at all. Best runs in the morning. I came on College Day, and by 11:00 scores had started pouring in. High Speed Quads kept lines to a minimum, but the slopes did get crowded by boarders riding their edges and skiers carving from one side of the trail to the other. But hey, we all had to learn once, so just keep an eye out and stick to the sides of the trails. Ill admit, after a few too many checks to avoid some of the more oblivious beginners, I did start to get annoyed, but thats all part of the bargain. Warm temps did start to slush the snow by early afternoon, so packed it up by two. Didnt really eat, but spent $12 bucks on peanut butter crackers, a cookie, and a Gatorade so that should give you an idea of what lunch will cost you. Still, a great place to spend a morning with quality runs on well maintained trail with excellent snow. Just get there early to avoid any on-slope bottlenecks, snow getting pushed, and packs of beginners.

James B

Waste of money! This is the most expensive ski resort Ive ever been to and it has the worst conditions as well. They also have a scam going with their lift tickets. Instead of giving you a separate receipt when you purchase your ticket, the receipt is on the actual ticket. The people at the window DO NOT tell you about this receipt (which is the only way to prove you bought a ticket) and once your ticket rips or falls off, you must purchase another one for full price. I understand some people may try and claim they purchased a ticket but didnt but if thats truly a problem, Whitetail should make sure their employees tell customers to tear off the receipt and keep it in a safe place. John D. Glover, the Guest Service Manager, is rude and will not help you in anyway, so dont bother asking. I asked to speak with the manager of the cashiers department and he just shrugged me off saying "he wont be able to help you". Very unprofessional manager, if you can call him that, and any decently run company would have fired him already. Also, be VERY careful where you leave your equipment, theft is a BIG problem at Whitetail. And remember, if anything bad happens to you there, it is all your fault and the resort WILL NOT help you whatsoever. They are only there to overcharge you for everything from the tickets ($71), to rentals ($50), to locker rentals ($12), to sodas ($4-5) etc. My advice would be to drive to Blue Mountain or Blue Knob, they are both only about an hour away from Whitetail and the conditions are always much better.