hi,

dunno if anyone has priced lodging at snowshoe for this season, but they've lost their gourds! The trend of outrageous prices continues (ex. Spruce Lodge $278/night/weekend!)

I'm currently searching for places off the mountain, but not too far (20 miles or less) that are en route from DC. Anyone have any recommendations?

Toby

yeah, those are on my list to check out. have you stayed in any of them?

I once stayed at Cardinal Inn B&B in Huttonsville. Nice, but a good 45 minute slog to Shoe. Also, breakfast, a communal affair, takes a long time, and would be frustrating for skiers hoping to get early tracks in at Shoe.

http://www.cardinalinnbandbwv.com/

Hi Toby!

Staying adjacent to the slopes always carries a premium, but it's not as bad as you thought. I double-checked and the cost of staying at Spruce Lodge this winter is $278 for *two* nights, not per night -- the cost is $139 per night, which is far more reasonable.

The Snowshoe on-line reservations system gives the total package cost, not the nightly cost, so that probably led to some confusion.

Of course, if you can swing going mid-week, you can get a bargain on lodging and uncrowded slopes. If I checked things correctly, staying at Spruce Lodge midweek for three nights would be about $198 if it straddles a Wednesday, with Snowshoe's new "Wednesdays free" promotion. That's only $66 per night. (But don't hold me to that -- check with Snowshoe's site or reservations number.)

- Scott

Toby,
There is the town of Marlinton, West Virginia which is just a little further than 20 miles away. There are several motels right along Route 219.

-Warren-

Try staying at the INN at the base of the mountain. Of course if you feel really daring, you can always camp if you go at the right time.....=) very daring though! I would suggest the INN or traveling a bit though...

wow...camping...that's hardcore, man.

scott...i realized my mistake after posting...i had done nightly & 2 night/ weekend comparisons & got the 2 mixed up. while drastically better, its still alot given the quality of the units. by the time you get into something nice like whistlepunk, etc., you're paying a good bit more than 125-135/night.

also, a major "gotcha" w/ the way they label how many people can sleep in a unit is the use of foldout sofa-beds. If anyone has slept in one of those after a hard day on the slopes, you know what i mean. so, if you want to take a crew & have real beds each, it racks up pretty fast.

i think we've pretty much resigned ourselves to go during midweek in order to make snowshoe reasonable. aside from the flying time/inconvenience, we've actually found it cheaper to go to breckenridge, co!

you could also stay at the brazen head inn. a nice B&B with a good restaurant and Irish bar.