Looking for Suggestion this Monday and Tuesday
February 15, 2008
I want to take a trip within 6 hours of Westminster, MD to ski on Monday and Tuesday. I am looking for some suggestions and lodging options. It will be my wife and two kids. I am trying to avoid the crowds on Monday and I hope it won't be too bad if we do some afternoon skiing, as people will be heading home. I mostly ski Liberty, Roundtop, and Whitetail so I am looking for a change.
I am thinking about Timberline, but I am not really sure. Does anyone have a hotel suggestion at Timberline?
The valley is limited in "hotel/motel" accomodations and none are slopeside. However, I always recommend the lodge at Canaan Valley State Park. It's a short drive to t-line ( 7 minutes) and give you the option of skiing CV as well. The Conference Center has a good restaurant, bar, indoor pool, sauna, hot tub, ice skating, etc... Plus, there's the ski the valley pass which gives you access to either area.
Thank You. I will look into it. That sounds like a good idea. Maybe one ski area will be less crowded than the other on Monday?
In my experience, Monday of a 3-day weekend is usually not crowded at all in the valley. Most groups leave by 11AM, and checkouts for most rentals is 10AM. Regardless, Canaan Valley State Park will be less crowded than Timberline.
Tom
An answer to a similar question was presented in another thread, and echos what I was going to say...
For 6 hours from Westminster, you can actually get yourself up into New York, and those will be much more "big mountainy" than the stuff in PA.
aaron
Here's wojo's answer from the other thread:
2 hours - Blue Knob mid week is pretty good and pretty cheap. I have been there 3 times (2 with great snow). 1000' but feels pretty big. Can stay ski in/out. Can support a 3 day trip without getting boring.
4 hours - Sno Mt (two recent threads) and Elk are pretty nice and about 4 hours. 1000' but feel pretty big. Stay in Scranton. Each hill could support 2 days of skiing easily.
6 hours to Catskills - Wyndham, Hunter (been), Bellayre (haven't been) and 1500+ Can ski in/out. I had a great time at Wyndham mid week. Virtually private lessons and no lift lines, the runs were long and varied enough to keep me and a 4th and 8th grader happy for 3 days.
3 hours - Wisp, haven't been since the expansion, but does feel pretty big to me considering the vert.
if your looking to stay low cost, I would call canaan and do kids ski stay and free package. It comes with a fairly nice breakfast buffet for adults, you have to buy the kids buffet. you don't get valley pass but depending on conditions you might be fine wth the one mountain. Also I would look into Elk. they have several lodging places on their web site. It seemed to me you could get a condo fairly cheaply there.
For the hills in PA such as Camelback, Jackfrost, Elk, Sno, all are near enough to places served by Hotwire. I got my hotel in Scranton for 39$ and they let me upgrade for 10$ more.
At this point I am leaning towards the valley, but wanted to get peoples thoughts on Wintergreen or Massanutten as I have never been to those places.
I've skied both the Nut and WG on numerous occasions. I avoid both on Saturdays but find the crowds smaller on a normal Sunday. I would imagine that a holiday Sunday would find more folks at both. I think your biggest problem will be the predicted weather. I'm praying for white and not that "premature snow" crap in the valley. It's hard to say what they will get since NOAA is saying chance of rain/snow.
