From Dick Barron’s snow reports at Seven Springs to Buddy Hauk’s welcoming presence at Whitetail, DCSki looks back at the resort leaders, instructors, patrollers, retailers, and other personalities who helped give Mid-Atlantic skiing its character. The feature also recalls the wider influence of figures including Herman Dupré, Sepp Kober, Ralph “Doc” DesRoches, and Ski Chalet founder Wilbur McBay.
Vail Resorts reported weaker fiscal 2026 results and a 12 percent decline in advance pass sales for the upcoming 2026-2027 season after a historically difficult winter in the western United States. The company, which operates eight Mid-Atlantic ski areas, expects a rebound with more normal weather while continuing investments such as a new fixed-grip quad at Seven Springs.
Night skiing has long been a defining part of the Mid-Atlantic ski experience, allowing school groups, working adults, and budget-minded skiers to hit the slopes after dark. DCSki looks at why available night-skiing hours have gradually decreased in recent years, and why skiing under the lights remains an important regional tradition.
The U.S. National Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2026, recognizing nine contributors including Olympic champion Ted Ligety, ski mountaineers Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson, Paralympian Stephani Victor, photographer Scott Markewitz, and ski-industry leaders, innovators, and historians. The inductees will be formally honored during the Snowsports History Celebration in Ogden, Utah, on April 10, 2027.
With another Mid-Atlantic ski season approaching, DCSki offers a practical preseason checklist for skis, snowboards, bindings, boots, helmets, clothing, and other equipment. The feature also explains when to seek professional service, why aging bindings can become a problem, and where skiers and snowboarders can get gear tuned in the region.
DCSki examines four Mid-Atlantic ski areas that have inspired years of reader speculation about untapped potential: Blue Knob, Canaan Valley, Laurel Mountain, and Winterplace. Drawing on their terrain, snowfall, infrastructure, ownership, and operating constraints, the feature considers what improvements might help each mountain deliver more of what skiers already value.
West Virginia’s Corridor H highway has steadily shortened and simplified the trip from Washington and Northern Virginia to Tucker County’s ski areas, including Timberline Mountain, Canaan Valley Resort, and White Grass. DCSki looks at how each completed section has changed the region’s place on the Mid-Atlantic ski map, while unfinished segments promise further improvements through 2034.
Seven Springs Mountain Resort is auctioning retired Blitzen triple chairs from September 25-27, 2026, giving skiers a chance to own a piece of the lift’s 50-year history. Proceeds will benefit three local volunteer fire departments, as the resort prepares to replace the Blitzen with a new fixed-grip quad for the 2026-2027 season.
The Atlantic has gone through September 25 without producing a single hurricane, while El Niño continues to strengthen and the eastern Pacific remains active. DCSki examines what the unusual hurricane season reveals about El Niño’s expanding atmospheric influence, and what the developing winter pattern could mean for Mid-Atlantic skiers.
Thinking about taking a ski trip to Europe? DCSki examines what Mid-Atlantic skiers should expect in the Alps, from enormous interconnected ski networks, trains and gondolas, and different trail markings to off-piste hazards, village life, mountain dining, and the practical considerations of cost and logistics.
