UNION DALE, Pa. — Under sunny skies on Friday, skiers and snowboarders hit the trails at Elk Mountain Ski Resort in Susquehanna County. Many people have an extended holiday weekend for Presidents Day and are off from school or work, and the ski resort is a popular destination.
That's the case for father and daughter duo Evan and Elise Kline from York. They made the trip up to spend time together on the slopes before it got too busy.
"We've been coming up for years, but we've learned that a holiday weekend can be a little more crowded than normal, so we came up on Wednesday night," Evan Kline said.
Elise Kline says she's a bit new to the sport but is enjoying spending time with her dad.
"My dad did it when he was little, so he kind of gets me into it, and it's fun," Elise said.
Elk Mountain General Manager Gregg Confer expects big crowds for the holiday weekend. The mountain has all but two trails open to accommodate skiers.
"Our snow crew, our groomers, mechanics, all the outside operations people have done a great job, and we really appreciate their efforts," Confer said.
Punxsutawney Phil may have predicted an early spring, but snow lovers at Elk say they're happy he got it wrong.
"Fantastic! Spectacular! It's groomed nicely. We went on a couple ungroomed trails, it's awesome," Ardmore resident Larry Holmes said.
"Back home, it's terrible, but up here, it's always like. 'Shh, don't tell anybody.' It's been a lot better up here," Evan Kline said.