Saturday morning marked the beginning of the ski season for several Mid-Atlantic resorts, and more resorts are scheduled to open in the next several days. After a relentless stretch of warm temperatures throughout much of December, winter made a welcome arrival, allowing area resorts to fire up the snowguns in recent days. The long-term forecast shows cold temperatures lingering into January.

Pennsylvania’s Hidden Valley, Seven Springs, and Jack Frost Resort; Virginia’s Wintergreen Resort; and West Virginia’s Snowshoe Mountain Resort all opened for skiing on Saturday morning with limited terrain. Massanutten, Shawnee Mountain, and Wisp are scheduled to open on Sunday.

Most other resorts in the region should open within the next few days. Pennsylvania’s Liberty Mountain, Ski Roundtop, and Whitetail resorts have all begun snowmaking and may open by the middle of the week.

As always, before making a trip, check directly with the ski resort for the latest opening conditions. For the next few days, open terrain will mostly be limited to beginner trails. Terrain and base depths will expand as excellent snowmaking conditions continue.

Scenes from around the Mid-Atlantic are shown below.

Seven Springs opens. The new Polar Bear Express 6-person high-speed lift started running Saturday morning at Pennsylvania’s Seven Springs Resort. Up to four trails are open at the resort. Photo provided by Seven Springs Resort.

Snowshoe Mountain Resort opens. Nine slopes and and five lifts are open at the West Virginia resort. More terrain should open soon. Photo provided by Snowshoe Mountain Resort.

Snowmaking underway at Whitetail. Pennsylvania’s Whitetail Resort has started making snow on Velvet, Snowpark, Stalker, Limelight, and Upper and Lower Angel Drop. Expect an opening date in the next few days. Photo provided by Whitetail Resort.

Wintergreen Resort opens. Seven Springs wasn’t the only resort to debut a new “six pack” lift today. Virginia’s Wintergreen Resort also launched its season today, running its new Blue Ridge Express lift. Photo provided by Wintergreen Resort.