Snowshoe opens on 12/22 and I'm planning to go there on 12/30. What are the chances that Cupp Run will be open by then? Without Cupp, Snowshoe is nothing special for advanced skiers and can get real crowded too. What do you regulars think?

It's still iffy, I think, but the good news is that cold temperatures have finally arrived and Snowshoe may be able to make snow around the clock for the forseeable future. So there's a chance.

But, it does take a lot to open Cupp. Before the new Western Express high-speed quad went in, there was a midway unloading station with the old lift, so Snowshoe could open just the top half. Now, it's everything or nothing.

Called Timberline today and they said they are aiming to open up on December 27, which is the latest opening ever for them, I believe. They usually open up White Lightning from top to bottom as one of their first trails, so that might be the steepest skiing in West Virginia until Snowshoe opens up more terrain. Heading up to New York/Catskills on Saturday to get in a few turns; we are thinking of going to Windham to avoid the crowds at Hunter. Has anyone been to Windham?

Snowshoe shouldn't be too crowded this weekend because their bookings are off for the Christmas period, and the mountain relies mainly on its overnight guests for lift ticket sales: for more, see my article on the Intrawest conference call. Also, rumor has it that they might be able to open up more trails as the weekend progresses than 7 promised on their web site (1 top-to-bottom at Snowshoe and Silver Creek). However, I would not count on any Western Territory terrain to open much before the 27th. The west side doesn't hold snow as well as the other north facing mountains, and as a result, Snowshoe tries to get all its north facing terrain running before it focuses its compressed air and water on the Western slopes.

I'm heading up to my place at Timberline in a couple of hours, but I don't have Internet up there so I won't be able to report on that resort's snowmaking progress until I return. I called Timberline yesterday as well and the person I spoke to said they are taking things day to day. In short, they could pull a rabbit out of the hat and open earlier than the 27th. Timberline can put a lot of snow on the mountain if this cold weather continues. Their web site is still promising to open ASAP as of 0600 on 21 December.

I hope to ski Snowshoe on Saturday and maybe Sunday or Monday as well. I really wanted to go to Killington this weekend but the wife vetoed the idea, arguing that the limited skiing and hords of New Yorkers and New Englanders will make it a nightmare. The Intrawest people noted that Christmas is a HUGE period for the New England resorts but not as big here in the Mid-Atlantic. If Killington is booked close to 100 percent and only has 15 percent of its terrain open, that could be recipe for lots of waiting as reward for a ten hour drive. On the other hand, 50 trails is 50 trails.

Mitch, I've never been to Windham but I here it is less crowded that Hunter--less steep too. If you have a Whitetail season pass, coupons, or a frequency card, bring it--Windham is owned by the same company and they tend to honor Whitetail discounts when the tail is closed.

I sent emails to Joe Stevens, director of communications, at Snowshoe and to Brian Rowe marketing at snowshoe. My question was, "How many trails do you think you will have open between Dec 27th and Jan 1st?" A summary of the replies follows(edited):

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Mark,

We will open Saturday, December 22 with limited terrain and go from there. Looking at the weather, there will be additional trails open by the time you get here. (Dec 27th) Yes we are concentrating on Beginner and Intermediate at both Snowshoe and Silver Creek. Plus the Aqua Center opens December 22, that will be fun for the children. Now for the number of trails to be open, well if you can tell me for sure what the weather is going to do, maybe I would have a better guess.
We are hoping for 45 - 55 percent open by January 1, weather permitting of course. Thanks for your continued support.

Joe Stevens
Director of Communications
Snowshoe Mountain
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Hi Mark,

Thanks for the email. When we open on the 22nd, we anticipate having 7 trails open (2 runs from top to bottom). If the weather holds up like we anticipate it doing, we will probably have 6 or 7 (if not more) top to bottom trails open. It's not great, but it's pretty good given the recent weather. So, with that said, I think the skiing will be pretty decent during your stay.

Brian Rowe
Snowshoe Marketing

Hey, there's some great news for you! Thanks to aggressive snowmaking, Snowshoe plans to open Cupp Run around noon on Thursday (December 26), just in time for your visit. Snowmaking is underway on Shay's Revenge, too. Snowshoe plans to have at least 65% of its terrain open by the weekend.

Keep up the good work Fellas us floridians who don't get any snow are hoping to have a fun time when we come up to Snowshoe January 4th through the 5th Snowboard time!

Snowshoe had a awesome powder day on 12/29/01 with lots of terrain open for everyone. Looks like they will set the record for o to 100% open this year!!!