Where to go this weekend?
February 10, 2012
38 posts
19 users
20k+ views
I'm new to this forum. I've only been skiing the past couple of years, but loved every minute of it and the wife and I bought skis this year and want to get more days on the slope in this year. We had marked this weekend on the calendar as one where we could get out and get in our first turns of the season and try out our new gear before a New Years trip up to Vermont and New York.
A lot of resorts, Timberline, Wintergreen, Blue Knob, Wisp are opening this weekend. Snowshoe is already open. Are any of them worth making the drive to? Which one will have the most terrain open? It looks like Snowshoe might be the best this weekend but almost everything they have open are green slopes and I don't know if it will be worth the four hour drive. I am contemplating heading down to Charlottesville Saturday and hanging out hitting some wineries, maybe Monticello, and then making some turns at Wintergreen. Will they have anything other than green runs open and will they be able to do any additional snowmaking Friday and Saturday nights? Will the conditions at any of the local spots be worth the drive from NOVA this weekend? If so which ones?
Good question... I think Massanutten may be open from the top. I'd call first. If Wintergreen is not open yet, and they do open this weekend, there will be very limited terrain there and crowds. T-line and Canaan are not a good bet for this weekend. Snowshoe could have the most terrain open, but it will be a bowling alley. Wisp may do better, especially with their snowmaking capability. With the weather it'll be a crap shoot anywhere you would go. I do know that it's predicted to snow in the highlands Saturday night into Sunday, but how much is the question. Sorry I can't be more help.

I agree with kwill6.
Webcams show pretty ratty conditions this morning (Friday, Dec. 16 at 9:30 a.m.). Massanutten, Seven Springs and Blue Knob are open today with limited terrain -- check websites or call first. Liberty and Whitetail have announced that they're not opening this weekend. I agree that Wisp and Snowshoe show the best prospects, assuming that Wisp will crank up the guns tonight.
Cold temperatures Friday night, Saturday night and much of Sunday should help all around.
Woody
Wisp is having their birthday celebration Sunday and Monday so lift tickets will only be 10 dollars those days. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that they can get a couple of nice trails open for Sunday.
To add to Woody's post----
wait till Sun. and go to Wisp as they have discounted tickets that day! So you have:
1. Potential snowmaking tonight, Sat. and Sat. night with arguably the strongest snowmaking system of any of the Mid-A resorts.
2. Lower ticket prices so if the conditions stink, or it is crowded, or both, you don't waste too much $$$$.
Coming from Arlington, I think the drive time to the Nut, WTG, TL, Wisp or BK is roughly the same.
Woody, the Nut was only open to mid-station, right?
I may go to Wisp on Monday, have the day off.
Hmm, I guess it is between Wisp and Snowshoe. Blue Knob doesn't look like it will have much open this weekend, I will save Blue Knob for a trip when their advanced terrain is open. I wonder what Wisp's snowmaking team can do between tonight and tomorrow night? I just took a look at their webcams and it is sort of a sad sight. Though if they are having $10 lift tickets on Sunday and can get a lot of snow made and can get a few decent trails it might be worth a drive over early Sunday AM. On the other hand it looks like Snowshoe may get a couple of inches of snow this afternoon and they should be able to make snow tonight and tomorrow at Snowshoe, they might be able to open a little new terrain by Sunday AM. I really want to try Snowshoe when the Western Territories are open later in the season, if we can ever get decent weather.
I don't think you can go wrong with a $10 lift ticket to Wisp vs. $59? for Snowshoe. I'm not sure I'd pay $59 for snowshoe when its full on open.
Bryce is open today and has a webcam.
Bryce
To add to Woody's post----
wait till Sun. and go to Wisp as they have discounted tickets that day! So you have:
1. Potential snowmaking tonight, Sat. and Sat. night with arguably the strongest snowmaking system of any of the Mid-A resorts.
2. Lower ticket prices so if the conditions stink, or it is crowded, or both, you don't waste too much $$$$.
Coming from Arlington, I think the drive time to the Nut, WTG, TL, Wisp or BK is roughly the same.
Woody, the Nut was only open to mid-station, right?
I agree with what KeithT said. Hard to say no to Wisp, given the $10 tickets and all of us Jonesing to get onto the snow. As long as there are at least two top-to-bottom runs open, I'll plan to be there Sunday.
Like others, I live far enough away from Snowshoe to want to wait until the Western Territory is opening before making the trip.
And yes, KeithT, the Nut was open only to midstation on Tuesday. Some melting has occurred since then.
Woody
Not sure the Virginia resorts are worth the drive this weekend from NOVA. WTG is advertising 2 lifts and 5 trails. One of those will be an intermediate. They have decent elevation so maybe there will be decent coverage. Crowds could be a problem, just depends on weather the warmer weather scares people away. Awful lot of pent up demand so I am planning on crowds wherever we wind up.
Snowshoe Pictures 16 Dec Top of Snowshoe at dawn when I took my boy Tango out to play. Surface was corn with the temp in the low 20s. As of 2100, the temperature is still in the 20s and light snow. The entire day it's been snowmaking. There are three to- to bottom runs and more (supposedly) opening tomorrow.
Props to Snowshoe for opening up as much as humanly possible with the given weather we have.
I guess for a ticket that steep you've got to have a better product than anyone else. And right now I'd say they do.
Well, I probably ought to go to Snowshoe tomorrow judging from those photos and the rumor of three more top to bottom runs, but since Wisp has $10 lift tickets Sunday, I am going to save the 4+ hour drive to Snowshoe for another weekend in January or February, when all their terrain is open. See some of you at Wisp on Sunday.
I tried my best to hike down in the afternoon and see the other runs. There are some huge wales in some of the runs, Stemwinder, Yew Pine and others. There was so much groomer traffic that it was dangerous for my boy Tango and I so we went back up top. Got to give it to the ski operations people. They were definitely pounding some white stuff on the slopes.
My son is headed to the Springs on Sunday. I have to work the next 5 days.

but after that I'll be off work for 3 and 1/2 weeks. Anybody up for some weekday skiing after Christmas?
If anyone is going up to Wisp tomorrow (Sun 18th), I'd love to find someone to carpool with. My car developed a flat tire today, and while I'm trying to do a temporary fix, I don't trust it for all the way to Wisp. I'd be glad to chip in for gas.
Send me an email or give me a call. My email is keith.lamond@gmail.com and my cell is 703-627-8896
Keith
What slopes will be open tomorrow at Wisp? Will they be able to open the Northcamp trails? I saw that today they only had a few of the front side trails open but their report said they were making snow on all of the Northcamp trail and the webcam shows some decent snow down on them. Will it be enough to open them by morning? Hopefully.
I've never skied Wisp. Wondering if they are skiing top to bottom, or if there is a mid-station drop off, and only skiing the bottom half of 700'?
There will be top to bottom skiing on the front face, at least that is what they had open today and are making more snow on tonight.
Wisp consists of three areas or basically has runs on three sides of the mountain. I don't think any one area is 700 vertical feet, but if you take the highest starting point of the three areas combined with the lowest point of the three areas combined, you come out with 700 feet. I'd guess the front side is close to 600 feet if you don't get off at the mid station, which is 3/4 of the way up the hill.
Skiing mid-station only is often the best way to go for the front side of Wisp; after the mid-station you gain very little vertical and have a long, long flat section (that area is very flat at the top.) You need to ride to the "top" to access the other lifts.
Been at the 'Shoe since Thursday and returning Monday. Massive snow making underway, although I figured they'd have at least a couple more runs open today (Sunday). The snow making team, however, is doing an awesome job.
That's me in the blue jacket!Great day yesterday.
I made it to Wisp yesterday for their Birthday Celebration. Had a good time, though it would have been much better with a few more trails open. They only had Wisp trail Squirrel Cage and the Face open which were both fun, if littered with beginners flailing down the slopes once they tired of the only green slope open, watching boarders and skiers wiping out on terrain that was far beyond their ability was like watching a bloopers reel.
I hoped they would be able to open North Camp, given snow making on all of those trails since Friday. Though it looked like they had a lot of snow made over there they didn't appear to make an attempt to get any of the trails groomed up. I thought they could have had them open by the PM but I suspect they didn't bring in the personnel to open one or two more lifts and runs. Had they been able to get North Camp it would have taken a lot of pressure off the lift lines and lessened the game of human slalom. (dodging all the wiped out beginners and boarders sitting in the middle of the trail)
Overall definitely worth the $10 lift ticket and long drive to get in the first turns of the year despite limited terrain and long lift lines. The best runs of the day were after 4:00 when the crowds melted away, the guns were turned off, and I had gotten used to my new skis. Next stop Whiteface and Killington around New Years...
Way to get out there 2PTOG. Thanks for report. Have fun up North.
Went to Wintergreen Sunday. Eagles Swoop and Dobie were open top to bottom. Swoop was narrowed at the top so that pitch to skiers right was not available, but interestingly enough they did not groom the top flat. It was a little bumpy and rutty which made it kind of fun. Skies were blue, lift lines were short or non-existent and the snow was good. Not a bad day for only 2 trails.
Plus I found out I could still ski after my accident!
If anyone was up at wintergreen yesterday or will be up there today, let us know if there is any snow left. I was looking at the cam at mass and it was looking rough. Just want to make a few runs with my son, so I don't need a lot of terrain.
Just want to make a few runs with my son, so I don't need a lot of terrain.
That's pretty much going to be my mantra this season, I think. Managed to get out to Massanutten on Monday with my 6-yr old and we had a great time on the 2 greens and half a blue that were open. I hope they can keep those open during this current rough patch...
Alright, time to ask the question once again. Where to go this weekend? I am thinking that West Virginia ought to have some good conditions and probably be worth the drive given the four inches yesterday, cold temps for making some snow and chance of snow Fri/Sat/Sun. I am thinking either T-line or Snowshoe. Which one will be better this weekend? Should I seriously consider any other places?
the big GTG is at T-line this weekend.. see the thread in ice breakers.
Come to T-line and meet a bunch of us there. We all love to meet and ski with new folks. Free lunch too.
Looks like I may be headed towards T-line this weekend then. Conditions ought to be really good with a several inches of fresh spread out over a few days, and temps staying cold so no thawing. Do you think they'll open any of the trails they've been blowing on recently?
I'm hoping that they push twister out today. I know that they have been making snow on it, weather permitting, for the past several weeks. Regardless, the weather should be great and from what I see it could be an ongoing snow event through Sunday with maybe up to a foot of pow on the ridges. I just wish there was more base in the trees.
I am planning on driving from Arlington out to Timberline in the AM. Given snow in the forecast what route would ya'll recommend that I drive? I have a 4x4 pickup.
I66W-I81S-Rt55W-Rt48W-RT55W at Moorefield-Rt on RT33 at Seneca Rocks-RT32N at Harmon-Right on Timberline Rd.
Corridor H (RT48) to the end is typically quicker, but going up the curves at Scherr and RT 93 to Davis sucks in a storm. Rt93 is very exposed with lots of trucks.
Have fun!
Thanks, that's what I took last time, but I didn't know if that was the best in snow.
In heavy snow, I often take 68 all the way to 219to 32 in Thomas to the valley. From No VA this is about a 5 hr. Drive, but never has steep grades or especially bad visibility in snow. Avoid 93 in snow at all costs. 33 from Seneca Rocks to Harmon can be bad too going over Allegheny Mountain, but it's better than 93 in my experience.