We're in Alexandria and have a day off coming up on 2/5...but so does Fairfax county! So much for my hope to avoid weekend-level crowds, I guess. How crazy do you think either of those places will be? We did Bryce last year (and they skied the whole mountain) but I really want to get them to a place with more slopes.
It really depends on the weather that week. If there is snow on the ground down here they will be noticably more crowded as people will think about it. As far as Liberty vs Whitetail crowds, I suspect they split it evenly. If you are worried about crowds and the size of Liberty meets your needs drive the extra 30 minutes to Roundtop and you shouldn't have to worry about crowds. Roundtop is bigger than Bryce... and probably slightly smaller than Liberty.
Something similar happens last week of Jan, when Anne Arundel schools always have 2 days off after midterms, creating a 4-day weekend. I've not seen a big bump at either place, or Wisp- though I do always run into a few folks there specifically because of the days off.
I don't think one county's worth of surge will spoil either place. If its not cold and no snow on the ground at home, it won't occur to the casual-ski set to head up on a random weekday. Having said this, I tend to see more VA plates parked at WT, and more MD/Del/PA at Liberty.
IMO, the setup at LIberty works better for spreading people out between the front & back; everyone has to funnel to the same base area at WT unless you are lapping the black trailpod.
If weather and conditions are decent Whitetail and Liberty can often see good crowds on Fairfax County "teachers work day" holidays.
rbrtlav wrote:
It really depends on the weather that week. If there is snow on the ground down here they will be noticably more crowded as people will think about it. As far as Liberty vs Whitetail crowds, I suspect they split it evenly. If you are worried about crowds and the size of Liberty meets your needs drive the extra 30 minutes to Roundtop and you shouldn't have to worry about crowds. Roundtop is bigger than Bryce... and probably slightly smaller than Liberty.
Depending on the age of the kids, I think I'd still prefer the layout of Massanutten over Roundtop. With a mixed ability family, skiing on Lift 5 can be a lot of fun. Some people can do mid-station while more advanced folks ride to the top. Have only been to Roundtop a couple times so not sure what the equivalent lift would be covering beginner/intermediate/advanced.
OnTheSnow is an easy way to compare acerage for ski areas. But no substitute for first-hand experience.
