A sharp overnight cold snap delivered the first real taste of winter across the region, bringing a mix of natural snow and ideal snowmaking conditions to parts of the Mid-Atlantic. Several resorts — across West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania — took advantage of the early chill to fire up their snowmaking systems for a test run. The natural snow was especially impressive in the higher elevations, with areas like Canaan Valley Resort reporting more than 14 inches from the early-season storm.
In Pennsylvania, snow began blanketing the slopes of Seven Springs, Hidden Valley, Laurel Mountain, and Blue Knob on Monday, November 10, 2025. Anna Weltz, Senior Communications Manager for the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest Regions of Vail Resorts, said that the return of cold temperatures will permit the Seven Springs snowmaking team to train and prep for the season, testing out the snowmaking system. She noted that the cold snap won’t last long enough to build a base for opening, but is a promising sign of what’s ahead.
Vail Resorts owns multiple properties in Pennsylvania, which are covered under the Epic Pass. Epic Passes will experience their next price increase on November 16; learn more about the pass in this DCSki Story from earlier this year.
Speaking of Vail Resorts, Rob Katz — who recently returned to the CEO position — has brought back the popular Epic by Nature podcast he originally launched seven years ago. In the podcast, he chats with his Chief of Staff and guests from inside and outside the company to bring firsthand perspectives and expertise on a range of ski-related topics. You can find the podcast on platforms such as Spotify and Apple.
Also in Pennsylvania, Camelback and Blue Mountain Resorts have begun snowmaking operations.
Camelback plans to run 100 snowguns nonstop through Wednesday, November 12, blanketing the Sunbowl and Nile Mile trails. And at Blue Mountain, 160 snow guns began roaring overnight across 11 trails, including Vista, Paradise, and Freefall. Blue Mountain is often the first resort in the Poconos region to open each winter.
“Being first on the mountain each winter is something our team takes pride in,” said Ashley Seier, Director of Marketing at Blue Mountain.
Maryland’s Wisp Resort received over 2 inches of fresh snow and also fired up its snowmaking guns. It plans to keep the guns running as long as temperatures allow.
In Virginia, Massanutten Resort fired up its snowmaking guns for testing once the temperature dropped low enough.
West Virginia ski areas benefit from a high elevation and are seeing both chilly temperatures and a modest amount of natural snow.
In fact, over a foot of snow has fallen at Canaan Valley Resort. At nearby Timberline Mountain, the resort — which recently made upgrades to its snowmaking system — described firing up the guns with some “full-tilt” snowmaking, running the system at full capacity Monday night. Timberline has not yet announced an opening date.
West Virginia’s Snowshoe Mountain Resort is also making snow, along with Winterplace Resort.
“We’re excited to get snowmaking underway and begin crafting the season’s snow base as conditions allow,” said Josh Faber, General Manager of Winterplace. “With our powerful snowmaking system and with the right conditions, we can convert 7,200 gallons per minute of water into snow, which is enough to fill an entire school bus every two minutes,” he said.
Leading up to the drop in temperature, Winterplace had positioned 28 snow guns. The resort said initial snowmaking efforts will focus on the Heaven Holler Terrain Park and around the Resort Center.
While Winterplace typically opens in mid-December, the resort noted that it might be able to open earlier this season if cold temperatures stay in place.
A bit further to the south, Sugar Mountain Resort in North Carolina has already opened for the season - cementing its legacy as one of the first resorts in America to open each year, aided by its 5,236-foot elevation. Sugar Mountain began making snow on November 9, 2025, and — combined with 7 inches of natural snow — had built up enough of a base to open two lifts and five trails on Tuesday, November 11.
But Sugar Mountain isn’t the only one to open. The White Grass Ski Touring Center — located in the Canaan Valley region of West Virginia — also opened on Veterans Day. The cross country area — which can open with a small amount of natural snow — has received 14.5” of snow from the current storm, which was enough to open its trails.
“Expect early season conditions, ground not frozen, sticky skis,” the area explained. The area remains to open daily with ski school, rentals, sales, and cafe open until the snow disappears. To learn more about White Grass, check out DCSki’s extensive 2022 interview with Founder Chip Case.
Stay tuned to DCSki for the latest news on resort openings. And remember, before planning any early season trip, contact a resort directly to verify operating conditions as conditions and operating status can quickly change.
M. Scott Smith is the founder and Editor of DCSki. Scott loves outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, kayaking, skiing, and mountain biking. He is an avid photographer and writer.
There are no reader comments on this article yet.
