Yes! The temperature in DC will drop below freezing Friday and Saturday nights. So sayeth Bob Ryan.

Oh, wait - the nearby resorts are closed. Gee, maybe next year.

Wisp still has plenty of snow, skied there last Saturday, had the place to ourselves (well, the rain in the morning kept people away). $20 dollar lift tickets till they close. Also, snow is in the forecast for Western Maryland/West Virginia mountain for the end of this week.

Wildcat Mountain in New Hampshire got 8 inches of powder yesterday and last night, with more snow predicted on Wednesday; I am heading up to that area on Thursday for some backcountry skiing. Winter isn't over!

Got this e-mail from Snowshoe Today (19 March):

Weather Forecast:
Cloudy today with some mixed precipitation. Highs today in the lower
40's.
Rain ending tomorrow with highs in the lower 40's. Turning much colder
on
Thursday. Flurries and snow squalls on Thursday with highs in the
lower
30's. Flurries again on Friday with temperatures in the mid 10's. The
weekend looks like it is going to be nice. Partly cloudy skies with
temperatures in the upper 20's.

Daily Comments:
Looks like we've got some cold weather and snow heading our way just in
time
for the weekend. As soon as the cold weather hits, we're going to fire
up
the snow guns to ensure that the conditions remain good through April
7th.
Speaking

More on the Snowshoe situation from Joe Stevens, Snowshoe's Communications Director:

"We are looking to make snow beginning tomorrow night through Saturday
morning. We are going to concentrate on the basin side, but we are going to
have 5 - 10 guns on Cupp Run to get that through April 7."

"Getting out there and grooming is the key to the situation right now. Grooming
with temps in the low 30s tonight will resume at that time. There is plenty
of snow out there we just have to get to it. You might want to also mention
that we are moving the Terrain Park up to Spruce Glades. See this week's
Snow News for more info."

For MHyman: If there was a sleeper in my eastern experiences I would say it was Wildcat, near Mt. Washington, New Hampsire. It can be god-awful cold there, but it has the best scenery in the east with Mt. Washington and Tuckerman's Ravine just across the valley staring you in the face all day. It also has 3 or 4 distinct and really enjoyable old-fashioned ski trails, about 2-3 miles in length, winding down a drop of 2,000 vertical feet. These cruisers have interesting changes in pitch and direction and are quite a contrast to the Colorado-style superwide, straight-down-the-fall-line runs that gained popularity throughout the country in the 1980's. Those types of expansive runs are not especially environmentally "green" and in the east have come to represent a heavy snowmaking liability during mild winters.

Wildcat also has enough bumps and glades to keep a double black diamond skier busy for a couple of days. There are even some extraordinary backcountry opportunities at Wildcat for telemarkers and cross-country skiers.

(Have fun, the day I was there, as much fun as I had on the trails on the front of the mtn, I envied the people I saw heading into the bush down the backside of Wildcat for a 7 mile run to the valley floor):

i was just at snowshoe. Conditions arent too bad, I was one of the last to ski Widowmaker. Maiinly slush monday and tuesday, some granular also; yet the slopes are still good! Get out there and ski!

Snowshoe expects to receive 4-8 inches as this cold front moves through. I checked Weather.com for Timberline and it looks like snow showers will begin tonight and not let up until 8 pm on Friday night. Even 4 inches would make for some pretty decent Saturday skiing. It sure would be nice to make a few more turns before the season grinds to a close....

The Latest from Snowshoe:

"Five inches as of 6 am 0 degrees and still snowing and we are making
snow at the Snowshoe area."

Hi - I was wondering which of the still open places - I guess Wisp, Snowshoe, or Canaan Valley - would be good to take my very little kids (3, 5, 8) to next weekend. They have never been on skis before. Are any of these mountains friendly to beginners? Canaan Valley is offering a too good to be true deal that weekend. Thanks! Juliann

More from Snowshoe (headed there soon!!):

"Winter's not over at Snowshoe! We picked up 6" of snow last night and a little more is expected by the end of the day today. The snow guns are also fired up on the basin side and on the Western Territory."

BTW, I skied at Timberline with my two little boys (3 & 5) this year, and it was perfect for them. They have a short beginner lift, and the Salamander trail is long and not at all steep - my littlest guy loved it.

Snowshoe looks like your best bet for area skiing this weekend. 6 inches plus some new manmade should make for awsome late Spring conditions. My hat goes off to Snowshoe for making snow this late in the season. Strict electricity contracts between resorts and utility companies make it hard for small resorts to blow snow past February. Snowshoe clearly had to pay big bucks for an extended contract. I hope the resort is rewarded with healthy sales. Cupp Run should offer the best expert skiing south of Stratton Mountain!

As for me, I'm heading to Timberline this weekend because I own a place there. Timberline is reporting 3-4 inches of new snow, and I suspect some lake effect will fall today. The resort's 12-36 inch base seems to be holding out despite the warm spells. This is Timberline's reward for laying down so much snow during the early part of the season before opening up terrain. I must admit it was frustrating for some to watch the snow pile up on Upper Almost Heaven for so long and not be able to ski it, but this weekend, we'll all be rewarded.

Canaan Valley has had some serious problems with water shortages this year and that is probably why they are offering the deep discounts. Unless there is ample natural snow, Timberline always has more terrain open and better conditions than Canaan. That's simply a function of better snowmaking and more water. Hopefully, Canaan will begin to rectify its water problems this summer!!!

man on monday that slope in the pic at the top of home page --ball hooter?--was all bumps! now its nice and smooth...too bad im bakc in FL

Thanks so much for all of your help! We have settled on going to Snowshoe the Thurs. before Easter weekend. I can't wait - I have not been skiing in 10 years!!!! Next question - should I make hotel reservations now (they would be final as of Monday) and risk bad weather or should I just wait until Thurs. to do it. I guess my real question is whether you can get a last minute hotel reservation at Snowshoe in the Spring? Thanks. Juliann

you should be ok w/ last minute reservations, but they might not be the cheapest

Juliann,
We were at Snowshoe this weekend and had a fantastic time - your kids should love it.
We were lucky to have fabulous conditions this weekend - the best skiing so far this year!
Don't forget to bring swim suits, since the indoor/outdoor pool and hot tub is a big hit with kids.
We made our reservations last Tuesday and left on Friday, and there were still options available. If you have not yet made reservations, I would recommend one of the condo complexes that are closer to the central village, which avoids a walk in ski boots with small kids. We stayed in Leatherbark, which was a 5-minute walk to the slopes for my husband and me, but a 20-minute walk with our 3-year-old in ski boots. But if you've already reserved a condo that is a bit further, don't worry, there is a shuttle bus. Skidder is a good slope for first-time-ever skiers, but the lift is slow, and our 5-year-old got bored. The slopes on the Northern Tract are good for kids, but the base was getting pretty thin on these trails. The only problem with the beginner slopes at Snowshoe is that there are a lot of intersections with more difficult trails. Overall, we had an absolutely fantastic weekend - the Saturday night fireworks were a nice bonus too.
Have a great time!!