I was going to wait until after the holidays to start a Massanutten thread since I won't be there until Jan. 5, but they got Mass Transit and Yee Ha open already! Diamond Jim (DJ) is the only black open so far. Snowmaking has apparently started on Lower Paradice.
It's going to be quite a fun week for folks who are at Mnut this week or next week.
Lift and Trails as of Dec. 22, 2024:
From the web cam this morning. I should have taken a picture yesterday from Mueller's mile, you could see even more of the snowmaking:
Timothy.grasso wrote:
The best approach for a long weekend is to get a multi-day ticket. Double-check beforehand that the night sessions for all days are included in that case. That went away for a year or two after RFID was installed but came back. What I used to do with my daughter and her friend(s) is get to the lodge by 8:30am, ski from 9:00 to 11:30 or so, then head back to the condo for a leisurely lunch. We'd go back after 2:30 or 3:00 and ski into the lights. When they were older, that could mean 7:00pm or so.
Saturday morning can be less crowded as Sunday morning. Monday will feel very empty. People who are timeshare owners and only ski a few days a year typically get a 4-hour ticket on Saturday, sleep in on Sunday, and do something else on Monday morning after they check out. Snow tubing is probably already sold out for MLK weekend. Perhaps water park tickets as well.
Do you need to rent gear? Do you know where the free cubbies are at the Mnut lodge?
FYI, I'll be a Mnut with friends for MLK weekend.
We just finished a great weekend of skiing at Bryce. My brother in-law just planned a MLK weekend (Friday - Monday) trip to Massanutten.Not too worried about crowds on Friday. What’s a good game plan for Saturday and Sunday?
My 7 year old son can ski anything at this point (he can handle the blacks at Timberline, skiing properly) so I think heading up to the harder stuff will be less crowded. However, I always like to see the whole mountains, which we should be able to do on Friday. I dislike crowds so any advice for Saturday and Sunday is welcome.And does the 8 hour lift ticket include night skiing or is that separate cost? I know I will need some quiet to myself as my in-laws family is a lot!🤣Thank you in advance.
The weather conditions at Massanutten leading up to Christmas week have included more than one period good for daytime snowmaking. :-)
From wunderground:
Massanutten will have a recreational 2024-25 race league on Thursday evenings for pass holders and employees.
The Creekside (Southern Comfort) quad isn't running today, Dec. 30. From the webcam, the folks riding Peak to the summit are having a good time with spring skiing conditions. The base is plenty deep on the top of DJ to weather a few warm days before snowmaking temps return later in the week.
A side effect of not having Creekside for beginners is that a lot more people are on the long magic carpet since Meadow got enough snow coverage to stay open. Meadow is actually better for beginners because there isn't a double fall line. Also steep enough for beginner boarders, which isn't the case with Southern Comfort. Meadow is hard to see from the ski lodge, so many people who skied Mnut in the past aren't aware that the former terrain park was completely redone several years ago. It was the original beginner trail back in the 1970s, with a J-bar.
Creekside is running as of Jan. 1.
Still warm but good spring skiing for those who are out and about this morning.
Might get cold enough for snowmaking for a few hours overnight. Definitely expect snowmaking on Thursday night.
Snowmaking still in progress as of 10am on Jan. 2 at Massanutten. :-)
Snowguns on for the first time on No Hessitation under the Peak Express to the summit.
Got to Massanutten at lunch time on Sunday, Jan. 5. Staying on the mountain. Didn't start snowing until 9pm or so. Steady snow in the middle of the night. Fluffy enough under a layer of ice this morning on top of my car so that it was easy to clear off. At least 5 inches outside the Mountainside Villa unit. Good thing there was a big snow shovel with a metal edge in the unit.
Resort road is clear. The pickup truck with a snow blade was running all during the snowstorm so nothing ever built up on the roadway. Of course that mean clearing behind my car this morning.
We decided that the snowfall total at Mnut was probably 7-8 inches. It was relative dense snow that had a thin ice layer on top. There were signs at the base of the lifts warning people to stay off areas that weren't groomed. Skiing breakable crust is not generally going to work out well. But on the sides of trails enough boarders were cutting up the ice that it could be fun.
It was College Day ($45 for an 8-hr lift ticket). It seemed as if the line for Peak was 5+ minutes for most of the day. They were blasting music at the Mid-Mountain Grill.
Not a picture taking day since the upper mountain stayed in the clouds all day. After lunch I opted to stay on the Ridge Triple after riding up Peak once. Really no visibility at the top.
Winter scene, taken from Ridge Triple looking at Lower Showtime:
Slot was the only trail with no grooming at all
wgo wrote:
I was there with my kids yesterday. Like you say it was dense snow but still fun. Visibility from the peak was generally fine in the afternoon when we were there (we started at 2:30).
Glad you made it to enjoy the fresh snow.
Today it was sunny and cold. The snow surfaces were very good all over. Slot is building bumps and had a few icy spots worth avoiding. Showtime was the best per usual. I enjoyed Mueller's since it softened in the sun.
Based on the skis I saw on the boardwalk around 2pm, it was clear that locals with kids out of school for a snow day were happy to get in some unexpected skiing. There was a short line for Peak Express and Ridge Triple after lunch.
Snowmaking resumed in a few areas in the early afternoon. This evening we could see snowguns on for Pacemaker, Upper Showtime, and Easy Street when we headed back to Mountainside Village after an early dinner at Ciro's.
A few pics from Jan. 7. It was sunny and cold, with the wind picking up after lunch. With local schools out, it got crowded in the afternoon. We quit early. There were very few people on rental gear today.
Snow surfaces were in great shape everywhere. Bumps on Slot are forming. Had to be careful of a few icy spots. Snowmaking started up again. In the early evening could see snowguns on for Pacesetter, Upper Showtime, and Easy Street from an upper parking lot.
The snowmaking yesterday during the day and last night meant every trail was re-surfaced at Massanutten. The snowguns were on in different areas as the day went on. Overnight the emphasis started on the lower mountain in the evening. Must have blown the upper mountain afterwards. Made for great conditions today, Jan. 9. Mid-afternoon, there was actually a longer line for Peak than the base lifts. Can tell that college classes haven't started yet. Plus local schools were out again. Not that many people taking lessons so the teaching area was open all day if beginners wanted to use the short magic carpets. Don't remember seeing that before.
This evening was the first weekly Passholder hours, 5-7pm. The Southern Comfort lift and Peak are the only lifts running. After getting to Peak, I had a ball lapping the trails. All were open until 6:00 when ski patrol closed off Upper Paradice. That included No Hessitation and Slot. With the lights, better visibility than on a cloudy day or in the late afternoon when the sun is behind the mountain. A few bumps are growing at the top of Slot. No Hessitation needs more snow before bumps can grow.
In general, conditions felt like good New England snow. Not icy and only a few small slick spots on the steeper sections in the usual places.
Had a nice day up there today. There were a few bumps on Slot, though very irregular right in the middle. The sun sets very early on that slope which is good for snow preservation, but the light was so flat it became not terribly fun, because I couldn't see the bumps. I was just about to call it a day when they turned the lights on, and it came alive again.
I was trying out my new skis for the second day (IDone). It felt not that great. If I didn't know they were some of the best skis, I would have thrown them in the trash, but I figured it had to be me. I changed out with my old skis (Twister), and to my surprise I couldn't get back on my new skis fast enough, because they have so much more grip, and cold midatlantic days always have lots of slick spots. It seems I just needed to get used to them. They are far better probably than any ski I've been on, but they were so different it took a while to adjust. I still need more time, but I see the potential. Anyone else ever have that much trouble with new equipment?
