After staying home for a few weeks I took my daughter to Wintergreen this Sunday. Unable to ski due to an injury, I got to hang out and relax while she went out and rode. The downtime allowed me to wander around with a camera, book her a last minute private lesson and generally soak up the vibe.

It was crowded, but no so much for a Sunday. Perhaps a lull before Presidents weekend. Other than during her lesson she stayed in the Highlands all day and said she never saw a line at the lift down there. Speaking of the Highlands, there were still no bump runs. Here is a quote from one of the mountain operations guys on Wintergreen's Facebook Wall:

"We have tried to let them build, but we only got sharp edged hard crud. Not really fun. Even with some warm in the 'day, it needs to stay warm for a few days AND nights to have them form, not anything I wish for"

The weather was mild, and the snow was soft but not too soft. Here are few photos I grabbed around the resort:

A picture of my daughter and her instructor getting ready to ride:



A colorful crowd on the Blue Ridge Express:



Wintergreen has had tons of Ski Patrol and Safety Patrol in evidence this season:



My daughter:



With the warm weather and deep base, these were not needed today:



Something is going on with Subaru and Wintergreen lots of banners and advertising all over the place. I would not mind having one of these:

Thanks for the pics and the report. I was at WTG on Friday with my 5-yr old and conditions were really good. I am thinking of heading up there again this Wednesday after work.

The mogul situation is really odd. I know that the mountain ops guys are top notch and they know what they are talking about, but it is strange that they say moguls cannot form when other local resorts do have moguls. I like Wintergreen and it is the most convenient resort for me to get to, but I'm thinking I will probably get my season pass from Massanutten instead next year.

I know some of the kids in the second picture down - members of the Wintergreen Freeride team! Glad you had a good trip.

I saw some "realtime" moguls at WTG about two weeks ago when they got natural snow. Started as about 6-8" of windpacked snow in the morning and then really bumped up nicely by the end of the day. Outer limits was seriously bumped up. But since then, temperature swings have dictated base rebuilding and strategic grooming, and maintaining moguls doesn't fit into that.

Normally, WTG will put out sticks on upper Wild Turkey towards the end of the season to farm bumps, and they will also let Outer Limits bump up as well. But it won't happen until snowmaking tapers off and grooming switches into maintenance mode. At least up until last week, they were still very much in a base building mode. What happens with weather after this week will probably dictate the rest of the season.

BTW, I agree with the observation about ski/safety patrol -- a much bigger presence this year, and welcomed. I also detect fewer dangerous skiers on the Highlands, and it seems like a more mature/pleasant crowd overall this year (at least on weekdays when I ski). Nice to see. I have had a string of 8-10 outstanding day trips at WTG this season.

The other reason we drive an extra 30 min to Massanutten from Raleigh is that it's possible to get a season pass that's good for weekends and holidays. WTG is great on weekdays but that's only good for me, not my daughter. Plus she learned at Mnut and likes it better. I think the teaching areas are much better than at WTG for kids.

FYI, Mnut is replacing the double-chair, Lift 5, with a triple this summer. That means even less of a line to get to MakAttack.

That's good info. I was already thinking of getting my pass from Massanutten next year, and the prospect of squeezing in a few more runs on MakAttack each session sure sounds good.

By all means avoid Wintergreen. Especially The Highlands. There are only 8 ways down this part of the mountain and only one lift to serve this entire section. You will also be forced to ski the entire vertical of the resort with no flat areas in which to rest and recuperate.

Point taken. I do like Wintergreen quite a bit, as evidenced by the fact that it has been my most frequented ski area since moving to the mid-atlantic 7 years ago. I am leaning towards Massanutten for 2 reasons:

1) Massanutten is generally more aggressive in letting moguls form; and
2) Much of my local skiing takes place at night during the week, when the Highlands is closed anyway.

I'm sure that I will continue to get out to WTG, especially when I can get there early enough to take a few runs on the Highlands.

Speaking of mogul formation, ya shouldda been at Blue Knob this past Sunday. Extrovert had some serious bumps (deeper than pretty much whenever I can recall) due to the warming temps, soft snowpack, and scads of skiers deciding that they could actually ski Extrovert under those conditions. It was a treat. And that trail is steep by Mid-A standards. An unexpected treat since the temps were a lot warmer than expected and the snowpack deeper than expected.

Good luck with WTG and the mogul battle.

Oh I know...I am just playing around. I am perplexed by the whole moguls thing too.

Looks like I am not the only one up late posting...I am planning on getting out to WTG at night a couple more times this year, let me know if you'd like to get together for some turns.

Sounds like it was a good time. I was at Tline where I had the pleasure of showing a couple Charlottesville area friends around the place for the first time. I think we have a couple new converts...

GRK, should have remembered you are out for the season. The WTG regulars and semi-regulars should get together next season for a day.

wgo, I am improving and can now easily lift 12 ounces. I am still on the hook as the taxi driver even though I am sidelined. I will be up there a couple more times this year with my daughter and a buddy from out of town Probably be going up the 20th at least. Send me a PM if you happen to be up that way and we can have a beer.