Is there anyplace decent to ski near DC?

Hi - Welcome to the area & happy Thanksgiving!

There is lots of specific mid-Atlantic ski info on this site that is not covered on Epic (which is world-wide in coverage):

www.dcski.com

For example, an advanced skier recently asked a very similar question to the one that you just asked:

http://www.dcski.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000389.html

(BTW, note the reverse chronological order of the posts on DC ski.)

Tom / PM

[ November 27, 2003, 12:32 PM: Message edited by: PhysicsMan ]

I lived in northern Virginia, about 30 min. from G-town, for ten years. The best place to go in my opinion was Timberline and Canan. These two mountains are located within 10min from one another with a variety of lodging in between. It will take you about three hours to get there but they are far better than the closer places, such as Whitetail. Whitetail is ok but the snow conditions are always less than average, its crowded, and feels like a very generic man-made resort. Another place I really liked was Snowshoe. Bigger mtn, better snow, again about three hours or more away. There's also Wisp which is close to a four hour trip. Though overall I like Snowshoe and Timberline/Canan best.

Give Liberty and Whitetail a try. They're within 1 1/2 hrs. from DC. Don't go on a holiday weekend. The best time to ski there if you have to do a weekend is between 8-11 am. Otherwise, sneek away mid- week and enjoy the turns.

I'm also going to put a plug in for the best ski shop in the area. Ski Center on Mass. Ave. www.skicenter.com Their selection and service is excellent.

Welcome to DC.....

The closest areas are Whitetail, Ski Liberty, and Ski Roundtop. All are less than 2 hours away in South Central PA and owned by the same company. They also own Ski Windham in NY and all of their operations are run very professionally. None of them are comparable to Tahoe, western, or even New England areas. That does not mean you can’t find good snow and terrain. Of the three southern PA resorts, Roundtop has the best terrain. You’ll find nice groomed cruisers, good bumps, and some nice steeps in Gunbarrel, Ramrod, and Upper Lafeyette. Powder, look elsewhere since it will all be groomed. Besides, they only average three feet of natural a year. Beginners are to the skiers’ left, intermediates and cruisers in the middle, and advanced/expert runs are to the right. The last time I was at Roundtop was a very busy holiday weekend and never waited for a lift in the advanced areas while the beginner lifts were packed. The DC/Baltimore weekend crowds have been lessened since Whitetail opened. If you go during a weekday, you will never wait.
PA’s best is probably Blue Knob which is about an extra hour drive to the north west. Many in the know call this place the Mad River Glen of PA. That should tell you something about the terrain... unrefined. As are the facilities and overall operations. Go only when there is a good base and a recent snow storm.
Further drives will take you to West Virginia resorts and the Poconos in PA. Good stuff in these areas if your looking for a weekend trip. Overall, the skiing is not bad in the Mid Atlantic. It could be worse, you could be going to med school in the south and put up with skiing in North Carolina for your fix.

Snowshoe in WVA has a neat village on top of mountain with quite a bit of lodging. It is in the middle of nowhere but you will definitely want to go there at least once to check it out. It's not like being out west but it's worth the drive compared to your other alternatives around the area. Pricy high-season but early and late you can find some great deals. The resort averages 200 inches of snow a year. About the best you are going to find unless you go to New England or out west. There is a new road that saves about 30 minutes (I think)coming from DC. I'm the opposite directions so never drove it but I did read about it on Pocohontas County website.

Seven Springs PA is a nice resort also but vertical is about half that of Snowshoe. Seemed like a better place for kids though. If I had small children I would probably go there more often.

Check out the website www.snowshoemtn.com
If you can afford it, stay within walking distance to village. Otherwise, a shuttle bus runs to all the lodging on top of mtn.
And take your bathing suit, Split Rocks outdoor pool and hot tub are a must do after a day on the slopes. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]
[img]smile.gif[/img]

Snowshoe in WVA has a neat village on top of mountain with quite a bit of lodging. It is in the middle of nowhere but you will definitely want to go there at least once to check it out. It's not like being out west but it's worth the drive compared to your other alternatives around the area. Pricy high-season but early and late you can find some great deals. The resort averages 200 inches of snow a year. About the best you are going to find unless you go to New England or out west. There is a new road that saves about 30 minutes (I think)coming from DC. I'm the opposite directions so never drove it but I did read about it on Pocohontas County website.

Seven Springs PA is a nice resort also but vertical is about half that of Snowshoe. Seemed like a better place for kids though. If I had small children I would probably go there more often.

Check out the website www.snowshoemtn.com.
There are some other real estate and private owners that rent out units on top of mtn, PM me if you are interested and I'll find the links for you.
If you can afford it, stay within walking distance to village. Otherwise, a shuttle bus runs to all the lodging on top of mtn.
And take your bathing suit, Split Rocks outdoor pool and hot tub are a must do after a day on the slopes. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]
[img]smile.gif[/img]

Seeing double? LOL Sorry about double posting. Stupid internet cable hookup keeps losing the connection.

If you do some research on www.dcski.com, you'll find most of the answers you are looking for...

Here's my advice for what it is worth.

Day Trip: Whitetail

Why? High-speed quad; 920 feet of vert.; good range of terrain for intermediates; one nice expert trail (Bold Decision); 1.5 hours from DC; excellent night skiing.

Advice: Buy a 4 hour ticket.
Problems: Crowded on weekends.

Overnight: Timberline

Why? Lots of natural snow; rustic, New England style atmosphere; 1,000 feet of vert.; excellent upper intermediate terrain; 2 nice expert trails (Drop & Off the Wall); relatively inexepensive lodging (try Village Inn or rent a slopeside condo); 4 hours from DC.

Advice: Go in late January when most of the terrain is open and the lake effect machine is still running.

Problems: Timberline, because it is privately owned, does not have the same level of snowmaking that Snowshoe or 7 Springs possess. There are also no high-speed lifts.

Overnight 2: 7 Springs

Why? Good conditions and lots of terrain; excellent food and services; best apres ski in the region; 3.2 hours from DC; north face has some good upper intermediate terrain.

Advice: Stay in Somerset to save money. Don't miss the foggy goggle for apres ski in the main Wagner lodge.

Problems: Smallish vertical (750 feet on the North Face and less on the Wagner side). Lodging at the resort is pricey.

2 Nights: Snowshoe

Why? Good conditions and lots of terrain; excellent expert terrain (2 trails with 1,500 feet of vert.); Superb lifts, including two high-speed detachables; lively village and apres ski scene.

Advice: Don't go on a holiday weekend.

Problems. Can get crowded on big weekends. Lifts, lodging, and food are expensive and staying off the mountain is inconvenient (day parking is also limited). Only two trails have big, 1500 foot vertical--the rest of the mountain has a smallish vert. (Basin is 800 and Silver Creek is 650). 5 hour drive from DC.

no

Congrats on getting into med school though.

[ November 29, 2003, 12:52 PM: Message edited by: BV ]

I agree with West Va Skier.
White tail is deffinately worth a day trip and is the best resort within 2 hours from DC. only get 4 hour ticket since the terrain is so liimited and that you wiull be borred after 4 hours and it starts getting really crowded at 11 am. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I think Blueknob is a good day trip as well its only 2.5 hours away and is never crowded. Go later after a big snow to make sure all terrain is open. Its the best resort in the mid-atl when its all open.

For overnight, snowshoe, 7springs, t-line / cannan (2 resors 10 min apart), and wisp are all decent. I think a 2 night trip of wisp, cannan and t-line is very do able since wisp is only about 45 min form t-line and cannan. Peace.

I agree with everyone on Timberline and Canaan Valley...Canaan Valley's conditions are always soft and powdery. Timberline has the challenge, but go after a snowfall. Their conditions tend to be a little hard and frozen. My new favorite place is Laurel Mountain. It's in Ligonier Pa. It's a down scale resort. They have cheap prices, from lift tickets to food. The sking is sweet. You can always find natural powder. 900 feet vertical. They have a steep double black. There are no overnight accommations at the resort. :

no

Congrats on getting into med school though.</font>[/quote]BV

I realize this post was done in good humor because I've read many of your other posts and know that you have a wicked sense of humor. I also know from your other posts that you are a REAL expert who has skied Silverton--a true test of ability. In no way, shape, or form does my skiing come close to your's. My biggest accomplishments are Kandahar at St. Anton and some of the off-piste on the starboard side of Schindler at St. Anton (not the narrow couloir on the port side that you see in STORM).

For someone of your ability, the Mid-Atlantic does not have much to offer. There's almost no off-piste to speak of except some gladed terrain at Blue Knob and the Cherry Glades at Timberline. Marked double black piste in the Mid-Atlantic may be good practice for some advanced intermediates like me but it's too limited for real experts.

With that being said, the region offers some good terrain for blue skiers. Upper Shay's and Cupp run at Snowshoe will thrill any intermediate when conditions are good and they often are at Snowshoe because of it's continental climate and high elevation. Timberline skis big for 1,000 feet of vert., and it's groomed black terrain is perfect for decent intermediates. Similarly, trails like Gunnar at 7 Springs are a blast for the intermediate. The person who posted the inquiry defined herself as intermediate and as a result, I think she'll have a decent time skiing here. At least, she will keep her skiing up to par until she can afford to make some bigger trips further afield..... [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[ November 30, 2003, 06:12 AM: Message edited by: West Virginia Skier ]

Absolutely right - it was just a bit of humor. FWIW, I grew up skiing in the Midwest and western New York. I think everyone would agree that there's definitely some good skiing to be had on the other side of the Mississippi, you just have to search harder for it. I'm not that familiar with skiing in the mid-Atlantic region, so I can't offer too many helpful tips, just sarcasm. One nice thing about that area is it forces you to learn better techniques - you don't have a ton of terrain to choose from and the conditions generally require more discipline. Somewhat related to that, I think the whole freeskiing scene will see tons of park rats coming from the East soon.

[quote]Originally posted by BV:
BV. I think the park rat scene has just about peaked here in the Mid-Atlantic, but I may be wrong. Annecdotal evidence picked up from the DCSki forum suggests that trees are the latest rage. Everyone wants more glades. Timberline will be adding some new gladed terrain this year but its best glades (Cherry Glades) are still out of bounds, although some people ski them anyway. They were logged a few years back and the resort never bothered to clean up the stumps. The same is true with some of the gladed terrain at Blue Knob.

One of the problems here, that your post alluded to, is that experts get bored in a hurry. Parks, trees, and bumps are the answer most resorts have come up with to please the expert, but there's a problem. We get some incredibly crappy skiers here and they all seem to want to ski double black on their first day out on the slopes. These low caliber skiers make our limited double black terrain most dangerous indeed. At Snowshoe, I often avoid the best runs (Cupp and Shay's) on weekends because that's where the bad skiers are. Ironically, the best skiers are over at Silver Creek (now called Ruckus Ridge) enjoying slopes with limited vertical but few skiers.