1/31/2004

BEAR CREEK SKI AREA UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Macungie, PA - Bear Creek Ski and Recreation Area promises that the upcoming ski season will be more accommodating to visitors with the construction of new base area facilities including a new lodge, 53 room hotel, banquet facilities, rental shop, ski school, restaurant and day care.

Construction of the 110,000 square-foot, 18 million dollar project began in the first week of April 2004 and is scheduled for completion the end of November 2004. The hotel will be adjacent to the new lodge which occupies the footprints of the original buildings.

"The construction is moving along smoothly thanks to the great team of people we have working on this project. This major restructuring is going to be an impressive leap forward for the resort. With a hotel on site, we will be able to accommodate our out of state guests and host weddings and banquets in the off season to make the resort fully operational year round." stated General Manager Mark Schroetel.

Bear Creek's new 57,000 square-foot lodge will feature guest service amenities on the ground floor, including restrooms and locker rooms, season pass and group sales offices, a new 1,050 square-foot day care and a 2,420 square-foot ski school and children's learning center. A new 17,375 square-foot cafeteria and family dining area will occupy the second floor of the lodge, as well as a 1,400 square-foot area for picnickers, with seating and dining space for up to 750 guests. Adjoining the family dining facility will be The Grille at Bear Creek, a 3,920 square-foot full service bar and grille.

The new 43,000 square-foot hotel facilities will consist of 53 guest rooms, a combination of traditional hotel rooms that will sleep 4 guests and two-room suites that will sleep up to eight. Guests at the hotel will also have access to a private parking area, as well as the use of an indoor pool and indoor and outdoor hot tubs and an exercise facility.

Adjoining the hotel will be a 6,640 square-foot banquet facility with seating capacity for up to 300 guests. The room will also convert into three smaller facilities with seating for up to 150 guests in each section. Bear Creek is currently taking reservations for these facilities and the banquet rooms will be available for use in December of 2004.

Finally, a new 7,373 square-foot rental shop will be constructed just 40 feet from the new lodge and ticket windows, providing a better traffic flow for guests. In addition, the new rental building will house the 1,000 square foot Pinnacle Sports retail shop and a repair shop with brand new state of the art Grindrite® tuning equipment.

Additional improvements for the 2004-2005 season include the introduction of the Burton Method Center. The Method Center is a program created by the leading snowboard company in the world, Burton. The program is the most beginner friendly Learn to Ride program in the industry. Bear Creek is the first mountain in Pennsylvania to introduce the program for all ages. The program incorporates top of the line equipment which is specially designed for learning and low student to teacher ratios in lessons.

Bear Creek Ski and Recreation Area is located in Macungie, Pennsylvania, just minutes away from Allentown and Reading and an hour from Philadelphia and Wilmington. The mountain features skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing and boasts an elevation of 1100 feet with a 510-foot vertical rise. In addition to 86 skiable acres, skiers can enjoy great food, drinks and live music in a ski-in, ski-out restaurant or snuggle around a cozy indoor and outdoor fire pit.

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