Lost Ski Areas: Kahkout Mountain, 1972-2008 : Winona Lakes, Bushkill, PA

[@clfnole]

Brings back great memories. I grew up skiing here as my grandfather had a 2nd home there. We would drive from Long Island just about every weekend when there was snow from about 1978 to 1986. A time when nobody wore a helmet and snowboarding was unheard of.

[@chrisbuzzanca517]

I was on the Ski Patrol there in the 80’s and early 90’s. Great place for families. So sad to see it like this ☹️

[@mikedavenport1621]

Lot of memories I did all the upkeep on that ski slope for many years painting The Towers working the mountain grooming operating the lift running the snow guns all the places you walked I've been over that many many times over 15 years

[@wmclaubner7467]

I designed all of Karl Hope’s projects including this one. He was a great guy who let me plan them out.

[@averyzucco220]

That is awesome! I actually thought the trail layout here was really great, and of the lost area's I've visited I could tell pretty easily this one would have been my favorite to actually ski.

[@kennethmakwinski329]

Thanks for this info video. Stayed at a house this past week in which we drove past the ski lift and it drew my interest in the background of it.

[@christinemitchell8725]

My parents took us skiing here all the time in the 80s! We rented a ski house near by. I can’t believe I was able to find this. I just showed it to my mom as you were walking I remembered being on all those trails and I did once fall off the chair lift 😂 I do remember taking lessons here! No lights at night we snuck up on the big hill w our friends and would go tubing lol!

[@mikedavenport1621]

I worked as ski area manager at Winona Lakes I put a lot of work in that ski area a lot of good memories there thanks for making the video brings back lots of memories

[@averyzucco220]

Glad you enjoyed it! Wish I could have seen it in operation.

[@snowboardgirl1000]

I learned to ski here!

[@ghelley]

I learned to ski on the Locust Lake Village Ski Slopes(there is only two)It was 1969 and I was three years old 😊😊 Originally it was a tow rope . And it was heavy if only a few people were on it . Later it was changed to a J-Bar. Great Memories . Awesome videos Avery 👍👍BTW the nickname for our ski slope was called "The Lump"

[@WayneSmith-yf3fg]

This is so sad. My parents had friends that had a house backing up to that intermediate trail. We had family weekends there every year for a while, My father started skiing there at the age of 75. I spent many hours skiing those hills. You are right in that it was not lit at night. We would take out the toboggan and saucers and ride down the hills after the lift closed at night. Great memories of that place!

[@bridgetmcrory262]

My grandparents lived in the community. I grew up skiing here before I could barely walk. My grandma was also a ski instructor at Shawnee when I wAs very little. It was a very family oriented fun place to grow up skiing. I have lots of memories of ski races and parties at the clubhouse after everyone was done skiing for the day.

[@cedrich6618]

I learned to ski on this mountain. Many great memories with great friends in WLPOA. The lift was burned (arson). There was a group of people who told the community that they could pave the roads with the money used to run the ski operations (and got elected to the board on that false info). The members never voted to close the ski operation. A new board was voted in the following summer and the majority of that board would not fund skiing. Sadly, Winona Lost an amenity with no gain anywhere else. When skiing closed, quite a few people sold and moved. I moved to Masthope where Ski Big Bear is.

[@patriciarutt1637]

Never knew this place existed. makes me want to find and explore it! Keep up the good work, Avery!

[@patrickdelany8251]

You 100% missed the big picture. 1. It is pronounced Cac -Out Mountain. 2. The area thrived in 80's and early 90's. It was run by skiers and skier families. It was a vacation community. 3. They made money for the associatuon every year off of skiing operations. 4. They allowed guests to buy lift tickets which produced good revenue. 5. As families aged, non- skiers bought into the association. They were generally not as financially well off. By and large, they resented the skiers and skiing. They eventually took over and destroyed skiing. 6. The original lodge burned down in the late 90's. The outdoor pool was originally an indoor pool. Shawnee used pictures of it in their brochures for years. A new, smaller lodge was build to replace the origional lodge. 7. Someone set the lift engine on fire (I think arson but am not certain.) in the 2000's. 8. There was near constant litigation over skiing between skiers and non-skier homeowners.

[@averyzucco220]

Thanks for the info!

[@patrickdelany8251]

@@averyzucco220 - Let me know if you are looking to do a rev 2. I have a ton of pics from the 70's, 80's and 90s.

[@averyzucco220]

@@patrickdelany8251 The best place for that would be DCSki's lost ski area page. They added a page for Kahkout Mountain this year and they're always looking for more information about the history of these areas. Resources like pictures would be greatly appreciated. You should contact Scott Smith over there.

[@steveyv963]

Great video Avery. And thanks Patrick for that additional information too. That adds a lot more to the picture.

[@kemicon]

Maybe we all said it wrong but we pronounced it like "Cake Out" back in the day. I skiied there maybe three times.

[@snowboardgirl1000]

Yes, we called It Cake out mountain as well

[@berniefigler4791]

Sad I learned to ski on that slope in 1978

[@SerenityMiya2009]

I enjoy these.

[@averyzucco220]

Thanks!

[@porbeans]

pocono ranch lands has an active private ski restore? i lived there when this video came out, no longer do but that’s a huge surprise to me, never knew LOL

[@seaskiguy]

Great history info Avery. While there are certainly private ski areas around the country, probably the closest similar setup is in Ontario, where they had/have a lot of "club" areas.

[@Fly_with_Efe]

Checked out Winona a few days ago. Seemed like someone snowboarded there. But my friend lives in the community. He said the reason they stopped was the community hoa didnt knew how to operate it.

[@averyzucco220]

Most of the community had lost interest in the operation of the ski area which explains it, yeah.

[@goodtimefolkrock]

i have to say that that's not a bad hill for being right in the neighborhood enough different runs to have fun all day . i cant see why they dont figure a way to turn a buck with it . ........bigger than spring mountain here in pa .....seems like Doe Mt or whatever its called now.

[@ericlakota1847]

I know vermont and newhampshure their is a old closed ski area every mountian

[@berniefigler4791]

It was pronounced cake-out- mountain! Winnona lakes Winona falls! Skied there 78..79..80..81 as my friend raymond had a house there

[@khatske]

These ski areas are no longer, right? They are taken away and such?

[@averyzucco220]

Yep, they're all abandoned now.

[@khatske]

@@averyzucco220 oh jeez. 😔 sorry to hear.

[@ericlakota1847]

Soprized all the skier out their soprized more people dont watch thease videos their awsome ive never skied day in life but i love abandond and darelect