WHITE HAVEN, Pa. — On a soggy, hazy day like this, it's hard to imagine that in just three months, the mountain at Big Boulder Ski Area in Kidder Township will be packed with white powder.
Employees are already getting ready for the upcoming season, installing five new lifts and chairs across Big Boulder and its sister mountain Jack Frost Ski Resort.
"They're all quads. Some of them that we're replacing were doubles. Some were triples. So, it's all quads. They're going to be new, so that's great for the mountain. The terrain is being changed a little. Some of the starting and drop-off points are being changed as well, so it's going to be really a different mountain when you come to visit us this year," said Kristen O'Neil.
O'Neil works for both ski areas and explained that 175 of the old chairs will be auctioned off.
"They're just a really cool piece of Jack Frost Big Boulder history that we have, and people have a lot of memories that they get on the chair Lifts. Sometimes they've had a proposal on a chair lift or had their first ski ride on a chair lift, and it's just a great thing that you can look back on."
Most of the money raised from the chair auction will go to first responders at Lake Harmony Fire Company and Rescue Squad.
"We are very appreciative, and I would hope that the community steps up and supports them for their goodwill and the opportunity that they present," said Lake Harmony Fire Chief Ralph Lennon.
"Both of these are run with volunteers, and it's just a great thing to give back to as we can, as a community. They serve our community; they serve it every day, 24/7. So, it's one of the best uses of charity dollars we find," O'Neil said.
The chief says this money from the auction will help pay for bills and buy new equipment.
"We're like everyone else. We have an electric bill. We have a sewer bill, everything that a normal home would have, plus the firefighting parts of it. So, the money will certainly not go to waste, and it will be very, very well appreciated," Lennon said.
The chair auction starts on Friday at noon and runs until Saturday.
Click here to bid on chairs from Jack Frost.
Click here to bid on chairs from Big Boulder.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel.