Poconos smackdown: Camelback or Shawnee for Learning?

Recently I took my two daughters snowboarding, one day at Shawnee and one day at Camelback. This was my first time at both mountains. Here's how they compare...

Getting there
Shawnee and Camelback are both near the NJ/PA border via Rt. 80. From NJ, Camelback is about 20 minutes further.

Does size matter?

Shawnee trail map

Camelback trail map

When it comes to ski/board hills, the size of the mountain definitely matters. That said, for a beginner snowboarder, smaller Shawnee mountain was the perfect size. Ellery easily moved from the bunny hill to the green runs from the top of Shawnee, and she even tackled a blue run by the end of the day. Because the runs were short, they didn't overwhelm her little legs.  Meanwhile, her more experienced older sister had some fun once we moved to the longer slopes since she was bored on the bunny hill.

Camelback is a bigger mountain than Shawnee, and the green runs from the top are longer. This is great for a kid who is ready for more of a challenge, except for the fact that the green runs were pretty flat -- frustrating on snowboard, as we are discovering. Due to very challenging snow (if you can call it snow), the lower green chairlift run was just right for a wee one.

Meanwhile, the blue runs and terrain park on the far left at Camelback were great for Cyane, who is exploring new types of terrain. Nothing was too steep, and there were plenty of trail choices. Best of all, the crowds stayed on the other side of the mountain because the trek to the far lifts was kind of a drag on a snowboard.

Conditions
Conditions change from day to day, and that is part of the challenge of learning to master the slopes. Shawnee had thin cover on top of hard pack and ice. As long as edges stuck, there was nothing to knock over a little kid (although some out-of-control crazies came close).

Camelback was covered in fabricated snow that was like deep, heavy sand. While actual camels thrive in those conditions, small snowboarders riding 90-cm boards are pretty unhappy. Scratch that... VERY unhappy. The heavy snow piled up on Ellery's board, stopping it and making her face plant. Grains of ice filled her mittens, and it took an elaborate two-layer system using back-up mittens to keep her wrists and hands dry and warm. You know it's bad when your little one says, "Mommy, I like the ice better." Cyane, who outweighs her sister by 20 pounds and rides a 110-cm board, had an easier time in the deep dunes of sand snow, but she struggled in places, too.

Crowds
At these two mountains, the farther away from the lodge we got, the more open space we had. You just have to be willing to schlep to the distant lifts. Both mountains were crowded, especially on the beginner hills. Later in the day and at lunchtime, the crowds thinned.

Crowds are fine as long as skiers and riders know the rules of the slopes: uphill skiers must avoid downhill skiers and skiers must stay in control... that sort of stuff. Ski areas should also figure out better ways to funnel those coming from the advanced slopes away from the beginner slopes rather than onto them.

 If you have been to either of these mountains, please share your experience below!