Camelback Mountain’s 2025-26 season ended on May 5 when it hosted its Cinco de Mayo party. After closing on Tuesday, Cliffhanger, a double diamond slope and the only open terrain at Camelback Mountain, was pretty skied out. Bare spots, dirt patches, and thin coverage both at the top and bottom of the run could be seen. The middle section of Cliffhanger had the best coverage, and the hope was that snow groomers could pull off their magic and make it to this weekend, May 8 through 10, but in the end, Mother Nature always wins. It rained at Camelback on Wednesday, and rain is forecasted for every day for the rest of the week.
It has been a historic, record-breaking season for Camelback Mountain, which started on December 3, making it the first ski resort to open in Pennsylvania for the winter. Tuesday marked its 138th day of operation—the longest season in Camelback Mountain’s history. It is a huge accomplishment, and many other ski resorts and people around the country have taken notice. While some ski resorts in higher elevations and colder temperatures started closing in March and April, Camelback Mountain was pushing to make it to the month of May. The team at Camelback Mountain made that a reality under the new leadership of Jason Bays, VP and GM of Camelback Mountain Resort.
“This season marked one of the most successful and memorable in Camelback’s history! Extending skiing into May was a significant achievement for the team and something that truly resonated with our guests and community. We’re incredibly proud of the energy, passion, and momentum the resort carried throughout the season,” Bays wrote in an email to SnowBrains.
Bays had turned a ski resort that had gotten a bad reputation for not focusing on skiing and riding. But Camelback Mountain Resort consists of a lot more than just a ski area. It also operates a hotel, an indoor and outdoor waterpark, a mountain coaster, ziplines, off-road UTV tours, a snow tubing park, and much more. Many locals had grown tired of the previous management and leadership at Camelback Mountain’s lack of effort in skiing. The mountain always seemed short-staffed, with long lift lines and a poor attitude from the staff at the mountain. All of those negatives have changed to positives since Bays took over the mountain at the beginning of this season. “The amount of positive energy surrounding Camelback this winter was, honestly, incredible to watch unfold,” Bays said in a Facebook post. “The support from this community spread across social media, ski forums, national ski pages, and conversations all over the East Coast.”
This change has had an immediate effect on locals who stopped going to Camelback Mountain to ski or ride. Many of those skiers and riders have decided to give the ski resort another chance and to see what all the hype was about. It has also attracted people who have never skied at Camelback Mountain before as well. This spring, Camelback Mountain was basically the only ski resort open in the mid-Atlantic and even in the Northeast. That drew people as far away as Cleveland, Ohio, Chicago, Illinois, Nashville, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina. It has turned into the hot spot for spring skiing in the mid-Atlantic. Last weekend, Camelback Mountain was one of five ski resorts that were still open in the East.
Great things are happening at the mountain, and there is a lot of buzz in the ski industry about Camelback Mountain. Doing a great job with everything the resort provides is paramount to Bays. Not only skiing and riding, but all the other activities and operations it offers. That change in leadership mentality has led to massive improvements, including focusing on making the ski season longer and better for skiers and riders. “On behalf of myself and our entire team, thank you for believing in us, believing in this mountain, and helping us bring Camelback back to life in such a powerful way,” Bays said.
Looking ahead to next season, Bays undoubtedly will continue to make improvements and upgrades to the mountain. What exactly those are still hasn’t been announced. But skiers and riders should be excited for not only next season, but also the future of Camelback Mountain. Its location and proximity to over 20 million people in New York City, Philadelphia, and New Jersey make it prime real estate. Operating and running a ski resort has a lot to do with hospitality and treating guests appropriately. Bays and the team at Camelback Mountain are making that happen, and former skiers and riders are returning, and new people are checking out the ski resort for the first time. Camelback Mountain’s 2025-26 ski season will go down in the record books, and it can also be seen as the rebirth of a beloved ski resort in the Pocono Mountains that locals and people have wanted to be great, and is finally headed in that direction.”We are already working on making next season even bigger, snowier, and more fun,” Bays said. “And yes…for everyone already asking: We absolutely plan to make another late-season push next year. Bigger. More snow. More events. More spring skiing.”
