SEATING ALFRESCO

To meet a need for outdoor seating, Mount Pleasant, Pa., owner Doug Sinsabaugh spent $4,000 on a metal roof with metal legs. It was essentially a car port, but Sinsabaugh added steel sides to protect guests from the elements. A sizable gap between the roof and the top of the walls ensured that the space would still be open air—a vital feature in the Covid-impacted winter of 2020-21. The whole thing took four staff six hours to build. Music gives the space a fun vibe, and for further comfort, Sinsabaugh installed a wood stove and propane heaters. Four 8-foot picnic tables and benches provide seating for up to 30 people.

TOBOGGAN ABODES

Mount Pleasant also updated its on-hill rescue sled storage. After Sinsabaugh spied a clever storage solution at nearby Peek’n Peak, N.Y., he and his team built on the idea. They used the same concept—split culverts mounted on wooden bases—but extended the nose of the structure so the sled would be fully covered, and added a rubber flap to keep snow and debris out. They also covered the runners in plastic, so that the sleds could slide in and out easily. The parts and pieces cost about $230 per structure, with some materials sourced from the mountain’s boneyard. “They were perfect,” Sinsabaugh says.