Dedicated snow-sports enthusiasts are a determined bunch.

Although the roads were slick with black ice and the precipitation was wet instead of white, they drove to the Laurel Highlands Sunday hoping the rain would stop by the time they got there.

It didn't. The rain continued all day and into the night. More than 600 skiers and snowboarders at Hidden Valley got wet. In fact, they got soaked. But they didn't seem to care. They figured it was worth the drive to take part in the resort's second annual food drive on behalf of two food banks.

The cost of a lift ticket was $10 or two cans of food. It will surprise no one that many guests contributed more than the minimum. The money and food was donated to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and the Community Action Partnership of Somerset County Tableland Services.

The soggy day also gave the visitors a chance to sample the quantity and quality of the resort's impressive snowmaking system.

"I was amazed at the conditions," said Shawn Chappel of Cuddy, who has been skiing at Hidden Valley for 27 of his 40 years. "The conditions were very good, especially when you consider the weather. There's a lot of snow out here."

Jim and Paula Hickey and their 10-year-old son, Jimmy, agreed.

"The slopes and trails were in good shape, even with all the rain," said Paula Hickey, 41, of Banksville, an intermediate skier. "There were a few bare spots here and there, but you have to expect that in weather like this."

I met the Hickeys and their friend Chappel late Sunday afternoon in the base lodge where Jim Hickey spent the afternoon reading the Sunday paper (Thank you, Jim). They were preparing to leave for home, a trip that would take much less time than their ride out that morning.

"It normally takes a little over an hour to get here," said Jim Hickey, 43, also an intermediate skier. "But it took more than five hours because of the ice and freezing rain. It was definitely tricky, but we were determined."

They were stuck in traffic on the Parkway East approaching the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, stopped again near the turnpike interchange in Monroeville and turned back when they left the parkway and tried to use Route 30 to head east.

The parkways, interstates and turnpike were closed temporarily because of the hazardous conditions.

Jim Hickey said the roads were just wet when he left home about 6:45 a.m.

He made his way back to the Parkway East to return home when he saw the Monroeville turnpike interchange had reopened.

"I took it easy because there were a lot of accidents," he said. "There were cars and trucks that had slid off the road. The turnpike was in good shape, especially from New Stanton to Donegal. We got here about noon."

Resort spokesman Bob Duppstadt said guests brought more than 3,000 cans of food -- "more than half-a-ton" -- for the food banks. "We hope to top that next year."

Skiers and snowboarders received a $10 discount off their lift tickets at Seven Springs last weekend if they brought a new unwrapped toy worth at least $10 for the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program.

Spokeswoman Anna Weltz said 334 toys -- 94 more than last year -- were collected. They included arts and crafts, board games, CD players, small electronic games, learning toys and sports equipment.

Marine Sgt. Jonathan Mitrosky, who picked up the toys at the resort Monday, said they will be distributed to children ranging from infants to teenagers.

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