Heading up from Northern VA to ski Wisp for the first time tomorrow. Looks like they've been getting a few inches here and there all week and it's been cold enough that they're hopefully keeping the machines on at night. Friday looks mid-30s so hopefully we timed this right before a warm and rainy weekend.
Any tips? We haven't skied there before so I don't have a sense for the lay of the land. The kids are confident blue skiers and had a great time all afternoon on the black runs (Paradice and Diamond Jim) at the Nut last year.
Also, any local schools out tomorrow, or should I expect light crowds?
Thanks!
The section with Main Street is my favorite. They are mostly blacks over there...but the best views. If you have any snowboarders in the group try and stay close as there are flat sections throughout the entire mountain.
Also look at a trail map before you venture out. The lift system is a bit odd for a resort of that size, there are multiple places that may require 2 lifts to get back to the base.
My buddy lives in Deep Creek. Things are looking good there right now and Fri may be the best day. You should be fine as far a crowds go.
Park in the main lot and head over towards the lift ticket area. On that lower level are lockers so you can change and store your extras. There are also restrooms and ski shop there. Check Liftopia for lift ticket deals today.
On the floor above are 2 bars and a cafeteria area where you can grab lunch. The place is a little spread out so take a trail map and make sure to explore all the trails. Given what you said, the kids should enjoy pretty much all the runs at Wisp.
If I hadn't shoveled snow for 3 hours yesterday I'd consider going myself ......
Here's a local HOA that has a bunch of webcams in the area.
Blue Don,
You are clearly the man to go to for the webcam goodness. Thanks!
Dbren,
I have only skied Wisp on a single weekend but I liked it a lot. The longer blue runs have a very nice New England type feel to them. The Face has a short but satisfying steeper section. If your kids are fine with DJ and paradice at Mnut they will be fine on most of the blacks at Wisp. This is actually an important factor when you are skiing the Main Street section - in order to access any blue runs from this section, you need to take another short lift from the top of the Main Street lift. This made logistics a bit tougher for us when we were there a few years agao, since my daughter was not yet comfortable on the black terrain. The top of the mountain, where you navigate from one section to another, is very flat - not a big deal if you are comfortable skating around but for younger kids it could get a bit tiring.
I assume from your post that you are doing a day trip, not an overnighter. If you are doing an overnighter, and are staying at the main hotel, be sure to ask for a ski locker in the section closer to the slopes - when we were there our locker was in a separate section that was not adjecent to the slopes so we ended up dragging our skis thru the hotel several times.
wgo wrote:
Blue Don,
You are clearly the man to go to for the webcam goodness. Thanks!
Many thanks wgo. I scratch my head at many of our resorts. A simple Nest Cam can be set up in 15 minutes and streamed live on a website. I have a couple of them http://video.nest.com/live/GQYQSSgBhX and https://video.nest.com/live/hZdr6LhSBx
(Liftopia has lifts only at $50 but I need rentals, too)
Extended day lift + rentals on the Wisp site are $69. Which is crazy considering lifts/rentals at Whitetail are $122!
. Dbren wrote:
. This is why I always drive past WT on my way to WISP. Plus WISP gets a lot of natural snow. I'll be making some turns there once I'm done with my 2:30 CC.(Liftopia has lifts only at $50 but I need rentals, too)
.Extended day lift + rentals on the Wisp site are $69. Which is crazy considering lifts/rentals at Whitetail are $122!
Dbren wrote:
(Liftopia has lifts only at $50 but I need rentals, too)
Extended day lift + rentals on the Wisp site are $69. Which is crazy considering lifts/rentals at Whitetail are $122!
Location matters, just as in real estate. I drive 45 min longer to ski at Massanutten instead of Wintergreen for assorted reasons. Less crowded lift for blue/black terrain is a factor. One ski lodge is enough for my needs.
