Blue Marsh Ski Area, Bernville, PA

Blue Marsh was the only lost ski area I actually had the chance to visit while it was still open. Maybe that familiarity was why it was the first place I came back to visit when I started this project. There is definitely something to the experience of trying to bridge the gap between past and present. Either with your own memories or your imagination (to an extent I suppose these become the same thing over time). 

In terms of relative levels of "lost" Blue Marsh isn't that lost of a lost ski area. It only ceased operations in 2004. Although it was officially closed in 2005. This makes it one of the more recent additions to the list of lost ski areas. Owing to its later closing date, it also happens to be one of the longer lived ski areas to have closed. The area was founded in 1968, although the exact nature of that opening is a little hazy. The owner of the nearby Heidelberg Country Club, who also happened to be an avid skier, John Guenther Jr. opened the area as the Heidelberg Ski Club. The best I can glean from aerial photos and lift installation records is that a Hall t-bar went up in 1969, although trails were already cut in 1968. So it might be that a rope tow operated for the first season, although this is really just speculation on my part. 

Heidelberg consisted of the t-bar and a mid-mountain lodge with ski rentals in an attached semi trailer. There was about 250 feet of vertical drop covered by snowmaking on the north side of a short hill next to the Tulpehocken Creek. The area was lit for night skiing. After the ski area opened the Army Corps of Engineers would dam the creek to create Blue Marsh Lake. Heidelberg continued to operate into the 1980s when it was taken over by partners headed by Joseph Aicholz in 1986. The ski area's name was changed to Blue Marsh and work was undertaken to broaden the area's appeal as a family friendly winter recreation area. At some point a double chair was installed to service beginner terrain at the bottom of the hill. This might have been either a Heidelberg or a Blue Marsh addition as I haven't been able to find a year for the lift installation of what might have been a secondhand lift from another area. 

After the rebranding snowtubing was added and gradually expanded through the 1990s. The 90s also saw the addition of new trails off the hill's west side. A terrain park and "halfpipe" for snowboarders was added. In fact, Blue Marsh was one of the earliest PA resorts to allow snowboarders onto their slopes in the 1980s. Burton even had a learning program at the hill in the 80s, a rarity for the area. The lodge was also relocated to the base of the hill, and in 1987 a Borvig triple chair was installed which largely took over from the old Hall t-bar. 

Despite a fairly aggressive number of improvements made in the 80s and 90s, Blue Marsh was not doing well financially. By 1995 the area was on the brink of being sold off at sherrif's sale. While financing was secured to stave off the inevitable for a time, the area ultimately closed for good after the 2003/2004 winter season. Most of the ski area's infrastructure was auctioned off, and what remained was largely demolished. 

Visiting the former ski area today the most striking aspect is probably how open it is. Blue Marsh isn't unique in this regard. Many smaller ski areas are really more like ski fields. The bottom of the hill was originally an open field, and the ski trails were never particularly well defined here. Even after 15 years without maintenance most of the area remains an open field, and saplings are only just starting to reclaim the edges.

There are very few remains of the ski area still on the site. The macadam parking lot, and snowmaking pond are of course still conspicuous. However, of the lodge only the cement pad remains. The foundations of the chairlift bottom terminal are still there, along with counterweight pit. There's even still the green plastic bristles on the decking along the loading area. At the top, a cement footer is all that remains of the top terminal. I haven't been able to find any information on what happened to this lift after the area closed. I also don't have any pictures of it while it was still in service here. Of the t-bar you can still see the tower footers along with the foundations of the top terminal. The top of the hill is occupied by a pair of large radio towers and a water tank. Interestingly, about the only structure still standing is the lift attendants shack at the top of the t-bar line. 

Ultimately Blue Marsh suffered being topographically challenged; a common theme among lost ski areas. While 250 vertical feet and the collection of relatively easy slopes (there was really only one short, steep pitch adjacent to the t-bar) was fine in the 1970s when ski equipment was primitive and there were fewer expert skiers to cater to, the area was innately vulnerable as there was never room to grow and keep pace with larger ski areas in the region. Many times people will point to the increasing cost of doing business in the ski industry, or poor weather, as reasons for an area to close. And while certainly these do contribute, and sometimes are the primary factors, it can't be understated how important geography is in the story of many lost ski areas. It is hard to keep up with those costs if a ski area can't offer the terrain it needs to be competitive in the modern era. 

Still, Blue Marsh offered the opportunity for a lot of folks to learn the joys of skiing, and certainly a few got hooked on it and are still skiing avidly today. That's usually the takeaway from these trips. Each one of these lost ski areas is a little piece of a community's history, and many stories and memories are tied up here. Remembering these places is important to remember where skiing and snowboarding came from. There are a lot of other Blue Marshes out there, and they all had their role to play. 

1988 trail map right after the name change. This also shows the new base area lodge and triple chair. This was before the snowtubing era removed some trails from the list. This map also depicts a beginner poma lift which I haven't seen mentioned elsewhere.

This was their final trail map. Note that the line drawing really emphasizes just how open most of this area was. The "Out Back" trail was a 90s addition. Also in evidence is the proliferation of snowtubing parks which took place over the course of the 1990s. They also advertised 300 feet of vertical drop, which was an exaggeration.  

A skier navigates slalom gates at night. This was somewhere around halfway down Bernview/Main Street, below the steepest section. 

A skier sending it somewhere at Blue Marsh. Picture is probably from the Heidelberg days.

News clipping mentioning Blue Marsh in regards to their policy allowing snowboarders on the slopes in the late 1980s. Not sure if the picture is also Blue Marsh. The area was one of the few to allow snowboarders at the time. 

2005 news article announcing the final closing of Blue Marsh. I believe the previous year was their last actually operating. The article mentions a housing development on the property. Plans have been floated from time to time, but so far nothing has been built. In the background is the mystery beginner chair. Not sure on the make but it can likely be determined by the design of the towers, however I am not experienced enough in such things to say one way or another. 

A view of the slopes under the beginner chair while the ski area was in operation. Pictured is a portable fan gun. I'm not sure on the snowmaking setup. It was likely improved from the original Heidelberg system though. 

Lift attendants shack at the top of the t-bar line. This is the only remaining structure standing on the ski area site. It seems to have outlived newer additions like the lodge and chairlift too, likely dating to the original t-bar installation in the late 1960s. 

Footer near the top of the beginner chair. The four bolts seem to rule out a Hall, which had eight bolts, and earlier Borvig chairs which had square pylons embedded directly in the footer.

Google Earth image of the area today. You can still see where the trails and slopes were from this vantage. Labeled are the approximate locations of the lifts and buildings. The snowmaking pond is at the left. Again, this area was pretty wide open.

USGS topo of the ski area. This really highlights the topographical difficulties Blue Marsh had in ever hoping to compete with larger ski areas. The top of the hill is 550ft above sea level, and the vertical drop is no more than 250 feet.