I'm a longtime skier, but this will only be my 3rd ski season in this area.

On weekends during peak season, which of these resorts have the worst/best lines ?

Blue Knob
Whitetail
Roundtop
Liberty
Seven Springs
Snowshoe
Canaan Valley
Timberline

(You can either rank them or give a grade to each one.)

I enjoy skiing around here to teach others and warm up for western trips. But I cannot stand waiting 5 minutes for a lift.

Thus far I've gone to mostly Blue Knob due to distance and cold weather. Whitetail was so crowded once last year I wished I didn't go at all.

I'm curious to hear what you all think

My estimate would be Blue Knob as least crowded on peak weekends, not that it will be empty. Canaan and T-line maybe next but crowds there seem slightly unpredictable, then all the rest a tie for most crowded, with perhaps Whitetail at the top of the list. You didn't mention Bryce, but you did mention teaching others. Bryce Mtn, Va is smallest (500' vert), but least crowded within 2 hrs of DC and therefore an excellent learners mtn. I've been there on some very "peak" days in recent years and no bad lines.

Crowds? That depends a lot on where you ski within a given resort. It also depends a lot on when you ski. Midweek or nights are never crowded anywhere.

At Whitetail, the Expert's Choice lift rarely has long waits, even on weekends. The same holds true with the Easy Rider Quad.

Similarly, the wings of 7 Springs are generally uncrowded even on big weekends. You can often find quiet places to ski at the Springs if you know where to look. Try the Gunnar, Avalanche, or Tyrol lifts.

The Basin at Snowshoe can get crowded but I've rarely waited in a line at Silver Creek or Western Territory. Also, it takes 11 minutes to ride up the Thunderdraft Triple at Timberline for 1,000 feet of vertical and only 6 minutes to ride the Western Express at Snowshoe for 1500. That not only means fewer lines but also much more skiing per hour.

Canaan Valley and Blue Knob rarely boast long lines but limited snowmaking at those resorts can mean limited terrain. Lifts are also slow.

Wisp has upgraded its lift capacity this year and is another good bet for short lines.

Ranking resorts by crowds, in short, makes no sense. It's like rating colleges based on average SAT scores.

Just a suggestion for the Springs....

Keep away from Avalanche on race days, Tyrol is a much better option. Also Gunnar lift can get very crowded on the weekends. The North Pole lift, Blitzen (on Alpine Meadows) or Giant Steps are the best options to avoid the lines.