Seven Springs, PA – A county judge has ruled against a Pennsylvania couple, denying their request to close a seasonal road that crosses most of Seven Springs’ ski terrain.

Last week, Fayette County Judge Nancy Vernon denied the request of Gabriel and Gloria Hudock of Canonsburg, Penn., to issue an injunction forcing the township to keep Neals Run Road open this winter. Neals Run Road crosses the entirety of Seven Springs’ North Face, and keeping the road open would have bisected virtually every ski run accessed by the resort’s North Pole, North Face, Giant Steps and Gunnar Lifts — 70% of Seven Springs’ skiable terrain, according to court papers filed in the case.

The Hudocks, who built a second home along Neal’s Run Road in 2008, filed their lawsuit earlier this month and asked the judge for a preliminary injunction to prevent Seven Springs from covering the road in man-made snow this winter, arguing that a public road can’t be closed to benefit a private entity.  They maintain that an alternate route to access their home is treacherous and unreliable.

In denying their request for an injunction, Vernon found the Hudocks failed to prove immediate and irreparable harm because they have owned the property for seven years under the identical road situation that exists today.

The resort pays the township nearly half a million dollars in fees to keep the road closed from Nov. 15 to Apr. 1 each year. While the lawsuit remains pending, with Vernon’s decision in hand Seven Springs began making snow on Sunday, although an opening date for the 2015-16 season has yet to be scheduled.