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Date of Visit: a handful of times from 2000-2013
Overview: Boyce Park Ski Area is a tiny little ski hill located on the edge of Pittsburgh. It is a part of the county park system, and is a perfect place to get a few turns in after school or work. I used to go here on weeknights in high school, and I just went after work the other night. Although it is tiny, it is a very relaxing place to ride. Boyce is also extremely cheap, at $10 for adults, so its worth it if you only plan to ride for an hour or two. Plus, on Tuesdays lift tickets are free! Really - they're absolutely free!
Slopes/Trails: Boyce really only has three trails. They are mellow and quite short, but I always seem to have fun here. It is a great place for beginners during the week, since it is never crowded (even on free ticket Tuesdays!). For me, I like to take runs and focus on a certain skill. For example, last time I went I was working on carving fakie over my bad shoulder. The trails are just long enough that you can get some real skiboarding in without having to dedicate the time to get to a real resort.
Park: Despite being tiny, Boyce will put up a few rails and boxes when they have enough snow. Right at the entrance to the ski area is a little ski/snowboard shop that is run by what I can only describe as "hardcore Pittsburgh snowboarders". They are always super excited to show you the newest stuff they have and remind me of the movie Out Cold. They work with Boyce ski area to have a few park features up. There's never anything huge, but its a good place to session a couple rails and have a lift to take you back up.
Backcountry: n/a
Non-skiboarding activities: The ski area is a part of the larger Boyce Park, which also has a skatepark, a wavepool, hiking and biking trails, and all kinds of other things. Since it is on the edge of town, you have virtually everything else you can imagine.
Food: The lodge has a couple vending machines, but being a 5 minute drive from Monroeville, you have pretty much every major restraunt chain right there as well.
Lodging: Technically, there are a few hotels 5 minutes down the road, but you only ride here if you live close by.
Summary: Boyce is a great little ski hill that I just rediscovered. I can get from downtown Pittsburgh to the slope in 30 minutes after work with traffic. Its not huge, and you will be done in an hour or two, but you can't beat the price and convenience. I'm glad I just rediscovered it, and I plan on going there once a week after work until they run out of snow.
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