Jack Frost Big Boulder (JFBB) is a ski and snowboard resort in Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania, comprising both the Jack Frost Mountain and the Big Boulder Mountain. Guests may access both mountains on the same lift ticket. Jack Frost Mountain provides a variety of terrains across 18 trails and two terrain parks that are accessible by twelve chair lifts. The trails span a vertical drop of 600 feet from a 2,000-foot summit.
Jack Frost has six dining options on the mountain, including The Frosty Toboggan Bar & Grill, which offers table service for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Fiddler's Fridge In E-2000 Bar & Lounge offers après-ski, live music, and dancing.
Big Boulder Mountain provides a distinctly different experience with the most progressive and innovative terrain park system in the Poconos. The mountain features ten trails and five terrain parks. Trails span a vertical drop of 475 feet from a summit elevation of 2,175 feet. The terrain parks at Big Boulder were recognized in 2016 by Transworld Magazine and Newschoolers.com as belonging among the top five terrain parks in the Eastern United States. The terrain parks offer a variety of features, including tree bonks, various rails and boxes, wallrides, tubes, and A-frames.
Terrain parks are accessible to both beginner and expert snowboarders. Visitors will find two of the resort’s three retail shops on this mountain, including the Boulder Park Lodge Shop and The Basement. Big Boulder Mountain offers five distinct dining options, from family-night pizza deals at the Lodge Cafeteria to the Burrito Bar at the Cantina, where guests can create their own burritos.
With extensive snowmaking capabilities, Jack Frost Big Boulder has consistently been the first park in the area to open and the last to close each season. Rental shops are located at the base of each mountain and offer tune and repair services in addition to equipment rentals. Lockers and bag checks are available at both mountains and may be used daily, or guests may purchase annual passes to store belongings through the season. Lockers can hold up to 4 sets of skis and snowboards. Both mountains offer snowtubing. The 3-hour long sessions begin at set times, so visitors are encouraged to check the website for the schedule ahead of time.
History: Jack Frost Big Boulder was the first commercial ski resort in Pennsylvania and the first to successfully use snowmaking on a commercial slope. In the 1940s at the height of the coal mining industry, employees of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company built a company retreat on the shores of Lake Harmony called the Split Rock Club, which included the Hazzard Ski Slope. In 1947, the lodge was sold and Hazzard became known as the Big Boulder Ski Area. Jack Frost opened in 1972 as a companion resort to the Big Boulder Ski Area, and both mountains now collectively operate as Jack Frost Big Boulder. Guests are welcome to use both resorts on the same lift ticket. JFBB proudly claims to be the first snowmaking mountain. The snowmaking machine was invented by a Big Boulder Ski Area employee, John Guresh, in 1956. Guresh’s machine resembled a sprinkler and created ice crystals that mimicked the look and feel of snow. Today’s JFBB resort is a subsidy of Peak Resorts, which owns and manages a dozen ski resorts, primarily in the Northeastern United States.
The Ski School at JFBB offers a variety of programming for children and adults. Children’s Day Programs are available for kids aged 3-10. Adult Group Programs offer 1 or 3-hour lessons for beginners or advanced skiers. An Adaptive Program is available on weekends for skiers with disabilities. Junior development and ski teams meet each weekend throughout the season, and there is a racing program available for parents as well. In addition to private and group lessons, a variety of weekend workshops and seminars are scheduled each season and are updated on the JFBB website.
Past and Future Exhibits: Past seminars at JFBB have included a Women’s Weekend Workshop. This 2-day intensive ski and snowboard workshop for women aged 18 and above was coached by women and included breakfast in the morning and a cocktail hour after the day’s skiing. The 2016–2017 season included Senior Wednesday Clinics for skiers over the age of 60 as well as Thursday Men’s Clinics and Ladies’ Tuesday clinics. Clinics met weekly and were free with the purchase of a lift ticket.
357 Big Boulder Drive, Lake Harmony, PA 18624, Phone: 570-443-8425
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