Mid-Atlantic/Southeast skiing (PA, NJ, DC, MD, VA, WV, NC) for 2021-22

[marzNC]

I am so jealous. I can't ski yet, so I'm ski shopping. If I don't get on the slopes soon I may have to buy something.

Since my husband wanted to do the "owner's update" and got Massanutten Mad Money, I had an excuse to get another Dakine Cosmo (6.5L) backpack. I like the color a lot better than the old brown one I got at Mnut years ago.

Frost was still pretty thick on the car at 9am. I'm in the valley at Regal Vistas this time.


All the RFID gates at the base are installed

 

[BlizzardBabe]

Woot! Thanx for the update!

 

[marzNC]

Woot! Thanx for the update!

Here's a more surprising update . . . they tested the snow guns! I noticed the white at the top of DJ as I was headed out from Regal Vista to the fitness center.

White top to bottom on DJ and Southern Comfort. Also Lower Showtime. Saw a bit of snow on Geronimo from one of the fan guns near the top.

 

[marzNC]

Canaan Valley is celebrating 50 years this season. The trails were established on the site of the first ski area in the south that was created in the 1950s. CV is a WV State Park.

Canaan Valley Resort Ski Area Celebrates 50th Anniversary

With Multi-Million Dollar Improvements Davis, W.Va. (November 15, 2021) – Canaan Valley Resort’s ski area, the site of the first commercial ski development in West Virginia and any state south...

www.skisoutheast.com

 

[marzNC]

Apparently the ski areas good for folks in Pittsburgh will have White Friday and Cyber Monday deals.

https://www.7springs.com/tickets-passes-rentals/special-offers/

https://www.laurelmountainski.com/s...lRYK4x-a8ay8KveAV1r8Ekfj8x49S81hA7EyHpyqXDUcQ

http://www.hiddenvalleyresort.com/winter/ski-and-ride/winter-specials/

 

[marzNC]

The snow guns are on at all the NC, VA, WV ski slopes this morning. Temps dipped into the low 20s early last night and it's expected to stay pretty cold for a few days. Those big fan guns can put out a LOT of snow in 4-8 hours when the wet bulb temp/humidity status is in the ideal zone.

 

[marzNC]

For the southeast, the best collection of webcams is on SkiSE.

Ski Webcams and Weather Webcams for Ski Resorts

Resort Cams is the best source for ski webcams and weather webcams in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic at ski resorts in North Carolina, TN & West Virginia.

www.resortcams.com

Mike's crew helped to install almost all of the high quality cameras showing the slopes over the last decade or two. He started SkiNC/SkiSE back in the 1990s just for fun because he and his family love to ski and play in the outdoors in general. They live in the NC mountains.

 

[BlizzardBabe]

I'll take a drive up the hill and check it out tomorrow

 

[marzNC]

I'll take a drive up the hill and check it out tomorrow

Best place for a quick view of the upper mountain is from the parking lot next to the Mountain pool.

Massanutten early January 2021, from viewpoint at end of the ridge road

 

[marzNC]

With help from Mother Nature, ongoing snowmaking upgrades in the last decade are paying off in the southeast. Could be that half of the ski areas/resorts will be open by Thanksgiving weekend. Three will be open by Friday for sure since App announced they will open today. Sugar and Cataloochee open earlier.

Since App is quite small and in a university town, they are requiring reservations to avoid being overrun. App is a reasonable day trip from Charlotte and Raleigh and lift tickets are relatively cheap. There is 100% snowmaking and trails are 100% lit for night skiing.

 

[marzNC]

Snowguns still on as of 10am at Massanutten on Nov. 24. The snow whales on the tubing run look pretty deep. They'll might need to drain for a few days. I would guess the goal is to have tubing open by Black Friday.

 

[SarahXC]

I skied Cataloochee today. They blew most of the day yesterday as I checked the webcams several times through the day but today guns were off by 9:30 am or so. Great conditions, sunny and firm but not ice. Softened nicely at the top by noon. No snow guns on yet tonight but should get several more nights below freezing in the next week.

 

[TNtoTaos]

I skied Cataloochee today. They blew most of the day yesterday as I checked the webcams several times through the day but today guns were off by 9:30 am or so. Great conditions, sunny and firm but not ice. Softened nicely at the top by noon. No snow guns on yet tonight but should get several more nights below freezing in the next week.

I was just looking at their website, starting to think about planning a visit soon. Do you know if Cat is planning on having any ski demo days? I'm in the market for new skis, but really want to have several to demo before buying. Also, I'm sure you've skied Wolf Creek -- any comments? It's so close to Cat that if we drive all the way out there it seems to make sense to hit both areas.

 

[marzNC]

I was just looking at their website, starting to think about planning a visit soon. Do you know if Cat is planning on having any ski demo days? I'm in the market for new skis, but really want to have several to demo before buying. Also, I'm sure you've skied Wolf Creek -- any comments? It's so close to Cat that if we drive all the way out there it seems to make sense to hit both areas.

You mean Wolf Ridge in NC. Wolf Creek is in CO.

Wolf Ridge is unlikely to open up before mid-Dec. It depends a lot more on natural snow than Cat or the other ski areas in the region. Messy management history as I understand it.

Did you ski Bryce last season using Indy? Cat is about the same size but with a bit more variety for the trails.

The best demo days in NC are at Sugar during SugarFest. Going to be Dec. 10-12, 2021. That's where I first demo'd skis after I started skiing at Massanutten in 2004. Also can check out the ski shops in the Boone and Banner Elk area that tend to have early season sales around that time.

SugarFest – Sugar Mountain Resort

www.skisugar.com

 

[SarahXC]

I have never seen nor heard of a demo day at Cataloochee (in my three years skiing there, although I don’t ski Saturdays on my limited pass). Still I would be super surprised, as there are so many first time/early beginner skiers and fewer experienced skiers so I definitely don’t see it as their kind of niche.

I have skied one day at the NC Wolf (Ridge or Laurel—as they have changed the name). The conditions were pretty rough that day and not a lot was open but I did get one route down from the top I looped. Fine for the $15 lift special they had that day. I haven’t felt the need to go back at window rates. I’ve heard from several people that after a good natural snow it’s great, but haven’t been here for the last few as I’ve been in CO a lot during the winter. As @marzNC mentioned they seem to suffer in the management department and we have been very happy to be Cat skiers when we are not traveling out of state.

 

[marzNC]

All that cold weather in the NC mountains (and at my house) made a huge difference in the past week. Beech is opening on Nov. 26. Early season prices thru Dec. 9. They will offer group lessons for kids this season.

That means Cataloochee, Appalachian, Sugar, and Beech will be open for Thanksgiving weekend. Can't remember the last time that happened pre-pandemic. Sugar and Beech are over 5000 ft. Cataloochee's base is around 4600 ft. Even App is around 4000 ft at the peak. Of course, the ongoing investments made in 100% snowmaking in the last 60 years are the ony reason there is still lift-served skiing in NC. These four ski areas were all founded in the 1960s, after snowmaking machinery was past the experimental stage.

 

[Tennessee]

Maybe we should do a meet-up for Sugarfest or Cat? What do you think @TNtoTaos @SarahXC @marzNC? I live about an hour from Sugar and have room for a few guests — not fancy but room in my loft so you would have to navigate a loft ladder. I have been to Sugarfest several times to demo skis and it’s great! This would be a good year for it with the early season conditions being so good. If there’s any interest we could do a Diva meet up thread. Cat is further for me but doable at 2 hours. I would probably opt to stay in Maggie Valley. Any thoughts?

 

[marzNC]

Maybe we should do a meet-up for Sugarfest or Cat? What do you think @TNtoTaos @SarahXC @marzNC? I live about an hour from Sugar and have room for a few guests — not fancy but room in my loft so you would have to navigate a loft ladder. I have been to Sugarfest several times to demo skis and it’s great! This would be a good year for it with the early season conditions being so good. If there’s any interest we could do a Diva meet up thread. Cat is further for me but doable at 2 hours. I would probably opt to stay in Maggie Valley. Any thoughts?

I'll be pretty close to Colorado by the time SugarFest starts. Starting the drive out to ski Wolf Creek on Dec. 8. Picking up my ski buddy from Ohio at the Nashville airport the following morning.

A MOTH thread for SugarFest sounds like a good idea.

As for Cat, maybe we should have an ongoing MOTH thread for 2021-22 to discuss possibilities? I can sleep at my daughter's apartment now that she's out of the student apartment complex.

 

[TNtoTaos]

Maybe we should do a meet-up for Sugarfest or Cat? What do you think @TNtoTaos @SarahXC @marzNC? I live about an hour from Sugar and have room for a few guests — not fancy but room in my loft so you would have to navigate a loft ladder. I have been to Sugarfest several times to demo skis and it’s great! This would be a good year for it with the early season conditions being so good. If there’s any interest we could do a Diva meet up thread. Cat is further for me but doable at 2 hours. I would probably opt to stay in Maggie Valley. Any thoughts?

That sounds like a great idea! Sugar is about a 6.5 hr drive from me, and I'll bet Rita would want to come, as well, since she's also planning to buy skis this year.

 

[TNtoTaos]

OK, so who's going to start the MOTH thread? And @Tennessee , we would definitely like to take you up on the offer to crash at your place, since it's a full day's drive each way.