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NOVEMBER 1, 2026

DCSki Resort Profiles Updated for the 2026–2027 Winter Season

DCSki’s Resort Profiles have been updated for the 2026–2027 winter season, with refreshed information on 30 ski areas across five Mid-Atlantic states. A longstanding feature of DCSki, the Resort Guide brings together mountain statistics, trail maps, interactive resort mapping, weather forecasts, driving directions, and links to related news and Forum discussions. Recent enhancements include improved navigation, expanded filtering and comparison tools, and the new Resort Matcher, which helps skiers and snowboarders discover mountains based on their location, preferences, and desired amenities.

OCTOBER 31, 2026

Whatever Happened to the Halfpipe?

Once a familiar sight at Mid-Atlantic ski resorts, halfpipes have largely disappeared. DCSki looks back at their heyday, the challenges of maintaining them, and a recent revival at Seven Springs.

1 comment

OCTOBER 30, 2026

The Economics of Making Winter: Does Snowmaking Pay Off?

A Canadian ski area's $2.5 million snowmaking investment raises a familiar question for Mid-Atlantic resorts: Does making more snow make financial sense?

OCTOBER 29, 2026

Priority Lift Lines: Winter Park Tries a New Approach

Winter Park is rewarding early-season passholders with priority lift access, adding a new angle to the debate over bypassing regular lift lines.

2 comments

OCTOBER 28, 2026

From Controversy to Commonplace: How Ski Helmets Became the Norm

DCSki looks back at how helmets went from a source of heated debate to standard equipment for more than nine in ten skiers and snowboarders.

OCTOBER 27, 2026

Three Big Changes That Reshaped Mid-Atlantic Skiing

DCSki examines how megapasses, improved snowmaking, faster lifts, and year-round investments have changed Mid-Atlantic skiing since the turn of the century.

1 comment

OCTOBER 26, 2026

A History of High-Speed Chairlifts in the Mid-Atlantic

From Whitetail’s pioneering high-speed quad to today’s six-passenger lifts, explore the history of detachable chairlifts at Mid-Atlantic ski resorts.

OCTOBER 25, 2026

Road Trips “R” Us

Jim Kenney recounts the beautiful, crazy, scary, lucky, and tasty moments gathered during decades of ski road trips across North America.

OCTOBER 24, 2026

You Had to Do What? Skiing’s Little Annoyances That Technology Left Behind

DCSki looks back at the snow phones, paper tickets, film cameras, fixed-grip lifts, and other ski-day inconveniences that technology has largely left behind.

3 comments

OCTOBER 23, 2026

Mountain Matchup: Liberty vs. Whitetail

DCSki compares Liberty and Whitetail, weighing longer runs and faster laps against varied terrain, short steeps, and a different mountain personality.

3 comments

Community Pulse

The Forum

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Updated 22 hours ago by needawax

7 Springs leadership rumor

Forum members weigh rumors about Seven Springs’ leadership and a possible North Face lift replacement, while considering the area’s underused terrain and competing resort priorities.

7 posts 5 participants 387 views

Updated 3 days ago by crgildart

Araphoe Basin's Lifts start spinning in 2 hours

bob reports Arapahoe Basin’s early opening as the nation’s first, while questioning Summit County’s snowmaking capacity amid low water levels and anticipating heavier crowds.

5 posts 3 participants 346 views

Updated 6 days ago by pagamony

Emergency server upgrade - please report any glitches

Scott describes an emergency DCSki software upgrade to address critical Internet vulnerabilities, asks readers to report glitches, and reflects on the site's long-running technology evolution.

10 posts 4 participants 626 views

Updated 8 days ago by JohnL

The 2026 Untopic

Scott revives DCSki’s open-ended Untopic, prompting members to share barbecue recommendations, biking and music memories, après-ski stories, travel plans, and glimpses of life beyond skiing.

22 posts 6 participants 2,169 views

Popular

Updated 9 days ago by JohnL

Road Trips "R" Us by Jim Kenney

JimK recounts decades of memorable ski-related road trips, blending scenic discoveries, roadside meals, close calls, and heartfelt reflections on traveling with his wife Kathy.

2 posts 2 participants 1,574 views

Updated 11 days ago by wfyurasko

New DCSki Launching Soon - Could be briefly glitchy

Scott previews and launches DCSki’s largest technical overhaul, adding new tools for exploring its archives, resort data, related content, and site history while readers offer feedback and spot issues.

29 posts 11 participants 1,961 views

Popular

Visit the Forum for all discussions →

Mountain Weather

Mid-Atlantic Skiers' Forecast

Updated 19 minutes ago

A mild, mostly dry stretch dominates the Mid-Atlantic through Wednesday, with highs generally in the upper 50s to lower 70s. Colder overnight lows in the 30s and lower 40s, especially around the Pocono Mountains and northern Pennsylvania, may offer limited snowmaking temperatures, but the daytime warmth is not favorable for building or preserving snow. Areas closer to Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg will be particularly warm, with several spots reaching 70 or better by Tuesday and Wednesday.

Rain chances increase Wednesday night and become more widespread Thursday, with rain likely across much of the region Thursday night. The higher West Virginia mountains remain cooler -- Snowshoe stays mainly in the 50s, while Canaan Valley Resort, Timberline, and Wisp run somewhat cooler than eastern resorts -- but their forecast is also wet late in the period. Overall, natural snow potential is absent and the outlook is unfavorable for ski conditions.

Weather Fact of the Day

Appalachian slopes can generate their own clouds through **orographic lift**: when moist air is forced uphill, it expands and cools until water vapor condenses. The cloud may cling to the windward ridge while the descending air on the opposite side warms and dries -- creating a sharp boundary where one side of a mountain is socked in and the other enjoys sunshine.

DCSki regional outlook based on National Weather Service forecasts for Mid-Atlantic ski areas.

From the Archives of Skiing

Ski History Fact of the Day

In 1946, Swiss engineer André Roch helped establish the International Ski Federation’s modern competition structure as one of the organizers behind the federation’s postwar expansion. Roch was already famous as an alpinist, guide, and ski racer, but his influence reached beyond the slopes into the institutions that governed international skiing.

The federation’s work helped standardize rules, organize championships, and create a common framework for national ski organizations. That structure made it possible for skiing to develop from a collection of local traditions into a truly international sport, with competitions that could be compared across borders.

Roch’s legacy is easy to overlook because it was administrative rather than mechanical. Yet the races, regulations, and international calendar familiar to modern skiers all depend on the kind of cooperation he helped build.

Around the Ski World

Elsewhere on the Web

Fresh ski and snowboard stories from around the web, selected daily for DCSki readers.

Updated 3 hours ago

POWDER Oct 31

A Comeback? No, Dane Tudor Is in His “Fourth Prime”

Dane Tudor discusses his return to filmmaking and his new movie, The Fourth Prime, after several quieter seasons. The profile offers a look at the veteran skier’s continued influence and the next chapter of his career.

Read at POWDER

WMUR Oct 31

Snow-making begins at major New Hampshire ski resort

Bretton Woods has begun its first snowmaking operations of the season as New Hampshire resorts prepare for winter. The early push highlights the importance of limited cold-weather windows before opening dates arrive.

Read at WMUR

OnTheSnow Oct 30

Snow Before You Go: Sierra Snows Through Sunday, Utah and Colorado Follow Monday

A Pacific storm is bringing snow to the Sierra before shifting inland toward Utah and Colorado. Mammoth, Kirkwood, Alta, Snowbird, and several Colorado resorts are among the areas highlighted for the next round of accumulating snow.

Read at OnTheSnow

Loon Mountain Resort Oct 29

More Snow Up High, a New Home for Operations, and Preparations for Black Ridge

Loon Mountain outlined winter preparations ahead of its Black Ridge expansion, which will add 272 acres of expert-only, in-bounds tree skiing. The resort also highlighted operational upgrades and preparations for the expanded mountain experience.

Read at Loon Mountain Resort

Aspen Snowmass Oct 29

Aspen Snowmass Celebrates 80 Years as it Welcomes Another Exciting Winter Season

Aspen Snowmass is marking its 80th anniversary with new on-mountain improvements, dining projects, and guest-service upgrades. The announcement previews changes arriving across the destination for the 2026–27 season.

Read at Aspen Snowmass

Unofficial Networks Oct 29

Federal Researchers Warn of Potentially Record-Setting El Niño: What It Could Mean for Ski Country

NOAA and Forest Service research points to an unusually strong El Niño, with warmer and wetter tendencies varying sharply by region. For ski areas, the pattern could favor precipitation in the Southwest while complicating snow conditions in the northern Rockies and Northeast.

Read at Unofficial Networks

The Gazette Oct 28

New tech helps shape Colorado’s ski slopes

Colorado resorts are investing heavily in automated snowmaking, more efficient equipment, and snow-preservation technology. The shift reflects growing pressure to create reliable early-season conditions amid increasingly variable weather.

Read at The Gazette

Links open external websites. Story summaries are generated from publicly available reporting and are refreshed once daily.

OCTOBER 22, 2026

Colorado Drought Raises Questions About Snowmaking’s Water Demands

Colorado’s severe drought is raising questions about snowmaking’s water demands, an issue that also affects Mid-Atlantic ski resorts.

1 comment

OCTOBER 21, 2026

Doppelmayr Expands U.S. Ski Lift Manufacturing with New Utah Headquarters

Doppelmayr’s new Utah headquarters doubles its U.S. manufacturing capacity and adds domestic production of lift towers and other components.

OCTOBER 20, 2026

New Study Examines the Future of Mid-Atlantic Snowmaking

A new study finds that Mid-Atlantic ski areas could face fewer reliable snowmaking windows as winter conditions change.

1 comment

OCTOBER 19, 2026

Snow Farming: Could Preserving Winter Snow Work in the Mid-Atlantic?

Snow farming allows ski resorts to preserve snow through the summer for use the following season. A successful experiment at Colorado’s Snowmass raises an interesting question: Could the technology work at Mid-Atlantic ski areas?

OCTOBER 18, 2026

Killington Fires Up 165 Snowguns as Eastern Ski Season Draws Closer

Killington has begun large-scale snowmaking ahead of the Stifel Killington Cup, but an opening date remains weather-dependent.

OCTOBER 18, 2026

The Curious Case of Laurel Mountain’s Hybrid Ski Lift

Laurel Mountain's 1955 hybrid lift combined T-bars and single-passenger chairs to carry skiers, including injured guests, back to its summit.

2 comments

OCTOBER 17, 2026

Mountain Matchup: Timberline vs. Canaan Valley

DCSki's Mountain Matchup series heads to West Virginia, comparing neighboring Timberline Mountain and Canaan Valley Resort to see what each offers skiers and snowboarders.

5 comments

OCTOBER 16, 2026

Snowboarding Participation Climbs as Alpine Skiing Holds Steady, New Study Finds

New SIA research finds snowboarding participation climbing among Americans, while alpine skiing remains steady and slope days decline.

OCTOBER 15, 2026

NOAA’s Winter Outlook Favors Warmer, Wetter Conditions for Mid-Atlantic

NOAA's updated winter outlook calls for a warmer, wetter Mid-Atlantic, with El Niño creating both added precipitation and fewer reliable snowmaking windows.

1 comment

DCSki Spotlight

Going Further Afield

Exploring off-the-beaten-path, unusual, independent, and mom-and-pop ski areas beyond the Mid-Atlantic.

Going Further Afield: Skiing Chile — August Turns in the Andes

A three-day August ski trip through Chile's Tres Valles combines expansive Andes terrain, surface lifts, reasonable prices, and memorable side trips from Santiago to the wine country.

1 comment

FEBRUARY 3, 2026

Going Further Afield: Bear Valley, California

DCSki Columnist Robbie Allen continues his Going Further Afield series with a look at Bear Valley Mountain Resort, arguing that its strong snow, varied terrain, and lack of crowds make it one of the Cali Pass’s most overlooked values.

1 comment

JANUARY 24, 2026

Going Further Afield: Dodge Ridge, California

DCSki Columnist Robbie Allen makes the case for regional passes like the Cali Pass by exploring Dodge Ridge, a mid-sized California ski area that offers varied terrain, manageable crowds, and strong value away from the mega-pass ecosystem.

NOVEMBER 3, 2025

Going Further Afield: Utah’s Eagle Point Resort - A Hidden Gem in the Middle of Nowhere.

Robbie Allen spotlights Eagle Point Resort, a remote and revitalized Utah ski area that delivers solitude, affordability, and authentic mountain charm far from the state's crowded mega-resorts.

2 comments

Explore DCSki

DCSki by the Numbers

1,809 published stories Browse more than two decades of DCSki reporting, features, interviews, and firsthand reports. Explore the Newsroom → 105,093 Forum posts Tap into years of Mid-Atlantic ski conversation, trip reports, advice, debates, and local knowledge. Join the discussion → 30 resort profiles Compare ski areas with maps, mountain statistics, practical details, and DCSki's candid perspective. Explore resorts → 127 Lost Ski Areas Discover the vanished ski hills and resorts preserved in DCSki's growing historical archive. Explore Lost Areas →

Catch Up

Latest Stories

Mid-Atlantic Skiers' Forecast

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Going Further Afield

DCSki by the Numbers

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