demonstrations were also held in the off seasons on the slopes. Ski races were also held on the Sno-Mats. The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway operates tracks that abut the back of the Great Gorge South parking lot. For a time in the 1970s there was a seasonal train operated by the railroad which offered skiers a way to the slopes and then returned them home. In 1971, Great Gorge North was built on what is now Mountain Creek's Granite Peak, and a connecting trail was cut to connect Great Gorge North and the original resort, was renamed Great Gorge South. A connecting chair lift was also installed - the Sojourn double. Great Gorge North was part of a master plan that included a never-built Olympic ski-jump and training facility. Also in 1971, Playboy opened their $20 million, 650-room Great Gorge Playboy Club on of land a mile away from Great Gorge. Plans for the Playboy Club included a casino and gondola from the hotel to the base at Great Gorge North, neither of which were ever built. Gambling casinos were never approved outside of Atlantic City. The hotel hosted many celebrity shows and boxing events. The Playboy Club hotel closed in the 1980s. In late 1971, Great Gorge was foreclosed by their lender after a number of seasons brought little snow to the resort. 1971–97: Vernon Valley/Great Gorge In 1968, Vernon Valley Ski Resort opened to the north of Great Gorge. After the foreclosure of Great Gorge South and Great Gorge North, they were sold to Vernon Valley, which merged the three ski areas to form the Vernon Valley/Great Gorge Resort (VVGG). In 1974, VVGG was purchased by Great American Recreation (GAR), which invested in snowmaking equipment that allowed the new resort to survive seasons with little snow. In 1978, VVGG opened Action Park, a seasonal amusement park with over 75 rides and attractions including 40 water slides, bungee jumping, go-karts, bumper boats and mini golf. During the 1980s Cobblestone Village, a small shopping and dining village was built. The decade also saw the development of Great Gorge Village, a 1300-unit condo development of what were originally luxury housing units, and the Spa at Great Gorge, a four-star luxury resort and spa complete with an 18-hole golf course and a number of indoor and outdoor swimming pools. VVGG continued to upgrade its skiing operations, installing a number of