The Best Trails for Beginners at Seven Springs

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A Quick Note About Color Coding at Seven Springs

Before jumping into things, I wanted to take a brief moment to point out the color-coding system at Seven Springs for those who may not be aware. This resort, like all others in the region, follows the conventional North American labeling system for ski slopes. Green is considered easy, blue is considered intermediate, black diamond is considered expert level, and double black diamonds are the hardest on any given property.

Many factors go into the color-coding choices here, like the grade and width of the slope, tight turns, etc. It is not just a reflection of how steep the run is, but a culmination of everything. A steep, wide slope may be blue, whereas a similarly steep, narrow slope may be listed as black.

Although the color-coding system is likely to be the same everywhere in North America, there is inherent variability between resorts. A blue at Seven Springs may be different than a blue at Hidden Valley, for example. (I find the blues at Hidden Valley to be slightly easier than some of the blues at Seven Springs, for example.) A blue run at Vail in Colorado could be more challenging than a black diamond at Seven Springs. As such, it is best to think of these ratings as the difficulty levels within the specific resort only.

So if you have hit the trails at another resort, keep in mind that the color levels you are comfortable with may not translate 100% of the time and should only be used as a starting guide. A green at Seven Springs simply means they are among the easiest trails at Seven Springs only, and that is that.

The purpose of this article is to break down trails that are good for beginners at Seven Springs (naturally, the greens), share which ones we'd start with first, which ones we'd work up to as you progress, and then share some blue trails that you may want to ease into as you improve!

• Notes: Seven Springs' signage leaves a bit to be desired, especially at the top of lifts. We will do our best to try to share directions from the top of the lifts when needed here.
• When in doubt, most everyone we've met at Seven Springs has been quite friendly and more than eager to help beginners. Make friends on the chair lift and ask questions when needed!
• Finally, Seven Springs is arguably the most popular resort in the area, and can be quite busy on weekends and holidays in particular. Be mindful of the crowds.

The Best Beginner Trails at Seven Springs

Of our three ski resorts in the Laurel Highlands, I would classify Seven Springs as the intermediate resort. Nearby Hidden Valley (about 15 minutes away) is the most beginner-friendly, less busy, and first-ever riders may want to consider visiting there to get a feel for riding if you don't know the basic proficiencies.

That isn't to say that there aren't easy trails at Seven Springs- there are. But even the easiest trails here have some technical elements that true beginners may find challenging (especially if you're visiting on a busy day or when the slopes may be in less than perfect condition). We will note some of these issues as we go along.

Likewise, Seven Springs has a Front Face and a North Face, and beginners can (and should) visit both as you improve your skills.

For the earliest beginners, the furthest left trail when looking up the mountain, Village Trail, is among the easiest on the property. It is long, has a gradual slope, and is a great run to practice the basics on while taking in the beauty of nature. This one can be reached by taking the Avalanche Lift at the far left of the property (if facing the mountain from the bottom), heading left when exiting the chair lift, and staying right of the trail while following signs for the Village Trail.

The only downside with the Village Trail is that once you're done, you may need to cross-country ski a bit back to the main lodge, as there is negligible infrastructure to for an assist, like a magic carpet or tow rope. The alternative, the Cortina Trail, is a blue and a bit more challenging to get back to the main lodge due to being steep (we'll talk about this in the intermediate section). This is one reason why this trail is less visited- it is a bit rough to get back from.

Next up, we have Phillip's Run, arguably the most popular trail for beginners at Seven Springs. This one is not the easiest trail at Seven Springs, but it is the one you'll likely find the most beginners on purely because it is accessible from the top of the Polar Bear Express- the main lift by the lodge (turn left when departing). This one is slightly more challenging than Village Trail because it has tighter turns, a slightly steeper grade, and is often the busiest trail on the mountain (both beginners and those heading back to the lodge from the North Face via the Deer Pass Trail use this one a lot).

If you can feel comfortable on some of the slopes and tighter turns here, you're likely ready to move on to three more runs to explore the property further.

• On days with poor mountain conditions, such as ice, Philip's Run can be a fair bit more challenging, simply because of the sheer number of people riding on it and the effect the volume of riders has on the snow.

From there, we would make the argument that Fawn Lane, Boomerang, and Lost Boy (on the North Face) are strong contenders for where to go next.

Personally, we'd start with Lost Boy on the North Face. This is one of the longest runs at Seven Springs, among the most scenic, and is my personal favorite green simply because you can get onto the North Face proper from here (and, for pass holders, the North Face parking lot is midway down Lost Boy and is much easier to ski-in, ski-out than the main lodge). The main challenges on this trail are that it is narrow in some places, and the beginning and end segments have a slightly steeper pitch. If you can do Philip's Run just fine, particularly the steeper segments, this one isn't that much different.

The biggest problem with Lost Boy is finding the trail once you get off Polar Bear Express as the signage is poor. Hook a hard right once you get off the lift, almost to the point that you're turning around, and head down the gradual slope from there. If you head left, you'll fork off to some blue runs, so go mostly straight down the path here. (When in doubt, ask someone!) As you head down, you'll pass the Deer Pass Trail on your right that will take you back to the front face and connect to the middle segment of Philip's Run, and around here you'll start seeing better arrows for Lost Boy.

Once you're at the bottom, you can either take the North Pole Lift back up 3/4 of the way up or the North Face Lift to go all the way to the top- pending which is running on your day of visit.

To start getting a bit more advanced, Boomerang on the far left side of the resort (near Village Trail) and Fawn Lane will start getting some more grade and narrower slopes to help you practice tighter turns and gain a bit of speed. Fawn Lane exits partway into the lower area of Wagner Slope (a blue if starting at the top), and in the intermediate section, we'll share another trail that exits up a bit further as well. Every bit higher up Wagner you go adds a bit of grade, and is a great way to get incrementally more accustomed to skiing on a slope- Wagner is the trail we're targeting for at the end for proficiency!

• If you're spending a bit of time on Village Trail and are feeling very comfortable, you may just want to try Boomerang while you're over there because getting back to the lodge is challenging if you aren't comfortable on blues. But note that this one can be a fair bit steeper at spots. It is still a green, however!

After these, Lost Girl is perhaps one of the most challenging greens to tackle at Seven Springs. Like Lost Boy, it is long and scenic, but has a few areas of slightly steeper grade, tighter switchback turns, and is a fair bit narrow- not to mention sometimes more prone to icy conditions. So if other trail conditions are not their best, this one could be worth skipping or asking someone how it is like before trying it sight unseen.

To reach Lost Girl, you first will want to take the Lost Boy trail down to the bottom of the North Face. Instead of getting on the previously mentioned lifts. Follow the bottom of the slopes further down until you get to the Gunnar Lift at the far end (you may need to cross-country ski if you don't have speed). Take this one up, exit the lift to the right, and stay towards the left until you see signs for the trail.

If you feel comfortable with all of these trails, it is time to up your game with some intermediate blues!

The Best Intermediate Trails at Seven Springs

Working your way up to being comfortable on blue trails at Seven Springs will really unlock a lot of the mountain and is, in my opinion at least, a must to get the most out of a visit. I love riding the greens, but the blues at Seven Springs are where it really gets fun.

For your first blue, you may want to start practicing on the Cortina Trail. As discussed on previously mentioned trails, the Cortina Trail is another that connects to the Wagner Slope, and this time slightly higher up the mountain than where Fawn Lane enters. As such, you'll notice a steeper drop-in, which may pose a bit of a challenge the first few times, but then exits into the lower section of slopes you should be familiar with if you've tackled all the greens.

One of the reasons it is important to get comfortable on this trail is because it makes returning from other trails, like the Village Trail and Boomerang, all the more easy. Simply take the Avalanche Lift back up when done on that side of the mountain, turn right, and follow the signs for the Cortina Trail to return to the main lodge.

Once you are moderately comfortable on that trail, we'd recommend hitting Giant Boulder on the North Face for a more challenging blue. Take Polar Bear Express from the main lodge, turn like you're going to Lost Boy, but instead of following the trail down, hook a left when the trails branch off and follow the signs for this trail.

Giant Boulder is a bit of a challenge because an early segment at the top has a rather steep pitch. This will be somewhat daunting to first-timers. The reason we like to progress to this one is that the slope slowly starts to ease up as you go down the mountain. The first 50 feet down the slope are the hardest. The next 50 feet are a little more manageable. The next 50 feet are even moreso. And so on.

Growth on this trail is great because you may find the first 150 feet a challenge, and then find a point where it becomes easier again. The next time you do it, you may find only the first 100 feet a challenge. The first bit will always be the toughest, but it is a great trail to practice repetitively to nail the drop-in. Once you do this, you can unlock other slopes at Seven Springs with similarly steep drop-ins, like Wagner.

Wagner is objectively my favorite trail at Seven Springs, and is the one we think most beginners should work their way up towards to really establish yourself into the intermediate level. Much like Giant Boulder, the first few feet dropping into Wagner are the steepest. When facing down the mountain, you will likely note that the left side appears steeper than the right, so enter on the right side, keep tight on the turns there, and then progress left as you move down the hill.

In subsequent runs, practice entering further and further to the left, and working on building up speed and control on this wide, fun trail. After a few dozen runs, who knows, maybe you'll be comfortable hitting some more advanced runs, like Gunnar (a black diamond) or Stowe (a blue that has a slightly steeper grade at the top). This is what I did to work my way up to Gunnar!

Overall, while I still feel like Seven Springs is a better resort for intermediate riders, there are trails for everyone here. This guide highlights some trails we would personally select for a natural progression as you increase your skiing or snowboarding skills.

Do you have a favorite set of trails at Seven Springs? Comment below to share!

Seven Springs is located at 777 Water Wheel Drive in Champion, PA. I have received Epic Passes courtesy of Vail to ski on the property. As always, all opinions are my own.