Air:

Agree with much of what you say. Have you tried Skipjack? It is normally used for racing and besides, most people just blow by the entrance to the trail at Mach One and because of that, the trail is, and maintains itself. extremely well groomed.

I understand the next expansion is going to be in the Cupp/Shays area to fully utilize the under-used detachable quad there, and they will end up making several new trails on that side. I hope they are all black because that will keep the beginners from that side and prevent the safety mess that occurs on the Eastern side of Snowshoe.

I will say it again -- on Holiday Weekends, I would NOT recommend Snowshoe. The ski trail layout versus the crowd size is, IMHO, unsafe during those weekends, and if they end up making blue trails on the Western Territory, they will end up f-----g up that side too. On holiday weekends, I put my condo for rental and save myself the frustration of having snowplowers on a black run becoming a life insurance risk. I applaud their making all the green trails by the Powder Ridge lift, Yew Pines and the other Yew family. Hopefully that will keep the different experience levels satisfied and avoid hazardous experiences. This year, I have used that side for my warm-up runs and then gone to the Widowmaker, Knot Bumper and Skipjack side, then over to the Western part.

I respectfully disagree with you on the mountain layout. The upside-down setup is what got me to buy there. I like to drive up, park my car, and forget about burning fossil fuels until I have to return home. The setup there allows virtually everything to be within walking distance or a shuttle bus, and once the new Village is fully built, it will look like Tremblant, Stratton or Whistler. Besides, the million-dollar views can't be had from a base-side lodge.

Ibotta
I Agree with you skipJack is normally very sweet......but i did not like it so much this time..........the snow was not at it greatest......(probably from recent raceing and they had not made new snow but it was not bad) the thing i dont like about the upside down setup is that the location of the lifts calls for some lifts to be overused and others to be underused......other than that i love the upside down mountain setup........ but i dont think it skies as well....its is sure handy.....one thing that might decrees trafic alot if makeing grabhammer lift and highspeed quad or maybe even a 5/6 person highspeed and extending so it gets off at the same level as ballhooter.... my major complaint about the upside down mountain is that all 1--its very hetic you dont got a "base to meet at" where as for say timberline all the trails go to the same place... the other is that it seems to cauce some lifts to get alot of use and others to get none..........i think that all in all timberline has one of the nicesest setups i have seen but its a little smalll(they dont have much money to expand etcetc) and there lifts are from the STONE AGE.... i think that snowshoes upside down mountain is handy but the way it skies is poor.......... and why do they divide there trails in like 50 small trails?? True alot of other resorts dont ski that great but i think snowshoe is one of the worse i have seen in the mid adlantic... there gave it an outwest type of trail system but the place is just to small.......but unlike outwest they have there resort accomadations spread over 4 miles...hum........i agree it has it plus andm minuses but for someone who does not stay at the top it seems to have more minuses

I was just at snowshoe and to the say the least it got BORING after about the 2nd day.........The first day i skied practily every trail at the shoe area........widowmaker was great except there icefeild at the end (they need to do somethinga bout that) and Grabhammer was nice but easy.....UpperKnotbumper was Baren(it was open but COVERED in grass (they need to put the guns on it) i was never really a fan of choker and i liked it less this trip (expessly since they closed about half of it off due to hisler way) but i guess it was ok......... The Snow shoe area was really ice (expessly BALL HOOTER) and The bottom part of widow maker expessly near the lift..... There where no lift lines (DURING THE CHRISMAST SEASON!! WOW!!!! MUST BE THE FACT THAT IT NEVER GOT ABOVE 10!!!!!) A word of advice is try to aviod ball hooter....its a great lift but when its -2 degress outside with 30 mph winds when u get off the lift you have ice(its all ice up there) blown at ur face......trust me it hurts..... The Greens at snowshoe where in pretty good shape....they seem to have done some landscaping during the summer i hardly reconized the area.... Cupp run was in really good shape i havent seen it that nice in like forever but the first day i was there where blowing snow like crazy....and with it being near or below 0 the hole day and very windy it was misserable but the rest of my 4 days there it was great. Upper shays was also it great shape...... but the truth be known i would hardly call any of those "Black diamonds" Blacks i dident get close to falling during the day....they wernt even a challange expessly the ones like "lower knot bumper" HAHAHA THATS A GREEN WITH TREES IN IT....... Lower Shays was sweet....they arnt grooming it this year unlike last year where they groomed half of it... it was a real work out...... the first time i tried to stick to the sides and i dident fall.... The second time i tried in i went down the middle which was suacide on a snowbord i probably could of dont it on skis thow. ALL in all lower shays was great!!!!! i did it about 15 more times...but even it got old synce it is the only "BLACK" at the place.... Upper Shays is a Blue and Upper and lower Cup would probably be a "Double Blue or a Blue" in my book....As for SilverCreek...What is this place... a giant Bunny Hill????? It was great no ice but it was just plain o EASY!! i did get a few good jumps at the terran park.. the half pipe was only open 2 days (due to snowmaking and regrooming) i think silver creek is a good place to start the day at and ski for 1/2 hours over there (thats enough for me to do every trail at least 1 and a couple of them acouple times) the 2 blacks over there are really really easy!!! (there is a 20 foot section at the top of each which makes them a back the rest of the trail is blue hardness) Does anyone know if they are gona expand this place it is really really small expessly for all the people they get and at $55 smackers a lift ticket u would think they would have alot more area........ i herd that they cant expand between widowmaker and ballhooter because some guys owns 20 acers of that land and wont sell out to them.... i have herd that they are planning on explanding all around the lake and alot over at silver creek(needs it) and alot over at the Western Teratory) and maybe reopening the long synce closed Hawthorwn area (you can still see the 2 old trails there when there is snow... i mistook them for cupp and shays (backside of widow maker) does anyone know why they closed this area to begin with?? Plz drop a word if u know... All in all it was a good trip but i have decided that snowshoe is a good 2 day trip maybe 3 if u push it.... i think that they have a horrable trail lay out and there lift lawout is HORRIBLE some lifts see maybe 20 people the hole day like others are 45 minute lift lines... i think its the upside down mountain layout....hmmmmmmmmm i dont like that setup very much... i went to timberline 1 day on the way back and loved IT!!! they did not have much terran open but what terran they did was great!!!! they have giant monds on of snow on all there closed trails which looked liked a good sign...soon to open...they also open one of there natural snowfall double blacks.......which was great but a little easy...expessly after a bunch of beginners had gone down and covered up all the sink holes and flatened the place out......i really like timber lines trail layout and lift system(need new lifts thow) i wish they had more money for snow making and to expand the place as well as buld new lifts but they dont....sigh but it was still great.....how is cannon valley anyone know i have never been there..????? I hear timberline is normally better in terms of snow conditions and has harder terran....(terran seemed pretty easy there blacks where easy....but there double blacks seemed sweet)

plz Respond.....

I think that if you give the resort some time, the new construction will centralize the "rendezvouz" points and make it easier on all. They are also planning to do away with some of the cross trails that affect the safety factor and comfort level.

Once the "Village" is complete, I think you will love Snowshoe. It will be more skier friendly, more upscale, more geared towards a four-season experience, and catering to a greater crowd, as you will be able to take your non-skiing friends and they will be able to enjoy alternative sports, cultural amenities, and of course, shopping. I guess the models are Tremblant, Stratton or Whistler, and if you've been to those, they can certainly be amenable.

Agree with an upside down resort you won't have the crowds gathering at the same spot. But with some good human factors engineering, this can actually be a plus because it would avoid the crowding that one sees in "normal" ski areas. Besides, it would be nice to have the ski areas more-or-less divided into experience level areas so one can ski at one's level of experience without becoming either a safety risk or an obstruction.

In this factor, I REALLY like Wintergreen. The skiing conditions are not as good as the Shoe, but the mountain is definitely more organized and in order to descend to the lift that serves the black runs, a skier has to pass through a "gauntlet" with ski patrol watching. If he/she is not able to ski at the appropriate level, he/she is ushered to the trails leading to the blues and the greens.

lbotta
Unoforanutly i have never been to wintergreen maybe i should try it.....i am up to my ears with beginners..... but you have beginners everywhere.......one thing that really bugged me was this sign at timberline that they put on there double blacks it reads "CAUTITION THIS TRAIL IS A DOULBE BLACK AND IS FOR EXPERT SKIERS IF A NON-EXPERT SKIER IS ON THIS TRAIL SKI PATROIL HAS THE RIGHT TO REVOKE THERE LIFT TICKET" and i talked to ski patrol about this and he said they never take away peoples lifts tickets that sign is just there so peopel cant sue them if they hurt them selfs....this really annoyed me and bugged because it was all natural snow trail and i saw beginners on in messing up the trail by snowplowing etc and moveing snow..... i think that they should do something abou this adn actully take away peoples tickets and monitor there double blacks sigh.....but they are kinda undermanned...

They do take tics at Timberline. They took mine one afternoon about 5 or 6 years ago for skiing on a closed trail (that had lots of powder on it). It was a multiday ticket and fortunately they let me pick it up at the office the next morning so I could keep using it.
Blue Knob has their complex at the top of the mtn too. Like you guys have said that approach has its pros and cons. I think they did it that way at BK because a state road already went there for old USAF base. There was no road near the bottom and would have been expensive to build. At BK it always poses a problem getting to the area when they get a big natural snow dump, the roads get very hairy going to peak.
Off top of my head I can't think of a mtn top set up in Vermont or Colorado, some have condos and parking at mid points of the mtn. Only in the south/mid-Atlantic will the generally mild weather let you get away with putting everything at the top.

Yes, Shoe is going to expand but only 1 person even got it close to being correct. Western Territory (as is the plan now) will be home to additional advanced AND intermediate trails -- the quad is underused because there are very few advanced skiers in the Mid-Atlantic (whereas outwest, many of the lifts that service expert terrain are insanely popular like Squaw's KT22).

Also in the mid 2000's they are starting work on the third mountain village (when at the base of Snowshoe area, the mountain across the reservoir) that will be home to a new village and a slew of new trails.

That is the plan -- also the entire village is going to be redone (As many people mentioned) and as far as Timberline goes -- I heard rumors they sold Snowcats last year to pay a tax bill. Who knows.

Is this guy in 3rd grade or what???? Can't spell from your parts????