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

marzNC

Angel Diva

marzNC

Angel Diva
Snowcams in NC, VA, WV are fun to watch today. Timberline has plenty of people enjoying Preview Weekend. Massanutten was able to keeping making snow into mid-morning. Snowtubing is open this weekend.

Cataloochee, App, Sugar, and Beech are open under blue skies.

Snowshoe is definitely into winter operations. Winterplace and Canaan Valley need more snowmaking before spinning lifts.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
From what I saw on the webcam, quite a few people had a very good time at Timberline this weekend. They will be closed for a few days and start 7-day operations on Friday, Dec. 3.

My guess is that by the weekend of Dec. 4, the ski season in the southeast will have started in earnest. Not all the lifts will be running, but the majority of the ski areas/resorts will be open. There are a few warm days expected in the next week, but it will cool down at night. So shouldn't be too much snow melt as everyone works to build up the base on core trails.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
In case there are folks in the DC area who are new and don't know what ski shops are around, here's the list from DCSki.

Ski Center LTD
Alpine in Fairfax
Pro-Fit in Leesburg

If you need a boot fitting, look for a man named Brian. There is more than one but both are highly recommended.

Pro-Fit is also where Inside Ski is located. That's a rolling carpet set up. Can do a few lessons during the off-season, or early season if the slopes are slow to open.

I've been happy with Freestyle in Charlottesville. It's an hour from Massanutten and more or less on the way from NC. They do the demo weekend at Massanutten but don't know yet if that's going to happen this January. Quite a few Massanutten ski instructors get their gear from Freestyle.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
The DCSki folks had a very good time at Timberline last Sunday. If I lived in DC or Richmond, I probably would've made the drive too. Having a high-speed detachable 6-pack to the summit makes a huge difference. The ride used to be 12 min, if you were lucky. Now it's about 5 min with a short line. Plus the improvements in snowmaking and the lodge have completely transformed the place.

November 2021 Preview Weekend at Timberline Mountain, WV

I'm heading to Timberline in January. Now when I'm at Massanutten, even a day trip can be worth it. Did that twice last season. This time I'm going to stay overnight.
 

Tennessee

Angel Diva
Skied for the first time this season today at Beech Mountain for a half day. Pretty good snow for early season. It got a bit warm and the snow got a bit sticky. My legs got tired! I blame the sticky snow for that. I think I would have done better with my super slider stable Kenjas but my Nordica Nemesis rock skis were what I chose. I really need a narrower ski.

All in all a good start to what will be a great season!
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Skied for the first time this season today at Beech Mountain for a half day. Pretty good snow for early season. It got a bit warm and the snow got a bit sticky. My legs got tired! I blame the sticky snow for that. I think I would have done better with my super slider stable Kenjas but my Nordica Nemesis rock skis were what I chose. I really need a narrower ski.
Sounds like it was worth the drive. :-)

For snow like that, you should consider DPS Phantom. I have it on all my skis except the powder skis that live with Bill in NM. It really makes a difference when snow is sticky because it's warm.

I tested out Phantom the first season in May in Oregon. Had Phantom on my Head AJs and warm weather wax on the BPs (2011 version). Was also using a paste wax on the BPs after half a day. Ended up using the AJs more even though at 78 underfoot they were not the optimal skis for off-piste. But I could trust the glide a lot more.

Next test was the BPs with Phantom and Stormrider 85 without at Alta in April. That trip there were several days with temps at the base in the 50s. I did a lot more skiing with the BPs than most people at Alta Lodge after 2pm. Many didn't bother to go out after lunch at all.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Thanhs @marzNC, I have been seriously considering the DPS Phantom treatment. I think I could do it myself….
Oh yes, very easy to do yourself. Especially in the southeast when it's not that hard to have a warm sunny day even during the winter. I've done five pairs of skis at various times in the last few years.

This wasn't the optimal day but back in Jan 2018 I really wanted to test out Phantom. Back then needed 3 hours for each Part. The current version only requires one Part and much less UV time needed. I was headed back to Massanutten the weekend after the Kickstarter Version 1.0 arrived at my house. These are the AJs. They have over 80 days on snow since being treated. Got a stone grind last season. Works great.
DPS Phantom on AJs Jan 2018 - 1.jpg
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
In case anyone can't find it, here's the Phantom thread.

 

tinymoose

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Jack(son) Frost and Blue Mountain (PA) are opening this coming Friday, December 3.
 

Lmk92

Angel Diva
Thanhs @marzNC, I have been seriously considering the DPS Phantom treatment. I think I could do it myself….
Every time a conversation comes up about Phantom, I have to chuckle. I was freaking out when I applied mine. The bottoms of my skis weren't black after application - they had a grey tinge, with streaks of white. I was certain I had ruined them (as if I couldn't have just waxed as usual if I had messed it up). Divas were reassuring me, and I even had the folks at DPS emailing me. Of course everything was fine. Take it from a worrier - you can do it.
 

alison wong

Angel Diva
I have been seriously considering the DPS Phantom treatment. I think I could do it myself….
I considered doing myself but ended up getting a shop to do it for me.
Reason: light (wavelength) exposure is more consistent, allows even chemical reactions occur b/w solution and the base during the hours of exposure. (At shop, they put skis in a light box).
vs.
if you leave it under sun exposure, sunlight can vary during the hours of exposure.

This was the reason given to me from a professional and I was sold on that.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I considered doing myself but ended up getting a shop to do it for me.
Reason: light (wavelength) exposure is more consistent, allows even chemical reactions occur b/w solution and the base during the hours of exposure. (At shop, they put skis in a light box).
vs.
if you leave it under sun exposure, sunlight can vary during the hours of exposure.

This was the reason given to me from a professional and I was sold on that.
If there had been a ski shop within an hour's drive of my house or Massanutten, I would've taken my Stormriders to a shop. But the snowboard shop you went to in Baltimore is the closest to NC or TN.

I considered having Phantom done in SLC, but the logistics were too complicated. Even though the Alta Ski Shop is a major DPS dealer, they haven't got a DPS Cure Station. Probably don't have the space.

The tour I was able to do at DPS in SLC in 2019 was fascinating. Since I invited JimK, he wrote up a trip report.

April 2019
DPS Ski Factory Tour, by Jim Kenney
 

HikenSki

Angel Diva
The DCSki folks had a very good time at Timberline last Sunday. If I lived in DC or Richmond, I probably would've made the drive too. Having a high-speed detachable 6-pack to the summit makes a huge difference. The ride used to be 12 min, if you were lucky. Now it's about 5 min with a short line. Plus the improvements in snowmaking and the lodge have completely transformed the place.

November 2021 Preview Weekend at Timberline Mountain, WV

I'm heading to Timberline in January. Now when I'm at Massanutten, even a day trip can be worth it. Did that twice last season. This time I'm going to stay overnight.
I’m super excited to visit in late January! My husband loved the place back in March and actually prefers Timberline runs over those at Snowshoe. Unfortunately I was ill and wasn’t able to make it out during our visit there. Looks fantastic and HUGE improvement over previous owner conditions. I last skied there in 2011.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I’m super excited to visit in late January! My husband loved the place back in March and actually prefers Timberline runs over those at Snowshoe. Unfortunately I was ill and wasn’t able to make it out during our visit there. Looks fantastic and HUGE improvement over previous owner conditions. I last skied there in 2011.
No contest between Snowshoe and Timberline for trails and terrain. Especially on a busier day. I've ended up at Silver Creek on a weekend after lunch because the Basin had too many people. Lapping the two trails in the Western Territories is fine for a few runs, but not an entire day. Also can get pretty icy by the afternoon.

I'm going to Timberline with @Lmk92 mid-January. I did day trips from Massanutten last January. First trip was with a teen who likes trees. There was enough snow for us to wander around in one of the glades. Second time I went solo because I had so much fun the first time. Having a 5-min ride to the top with a detachable chair is a total game changer. This season the snowmaking is also that much better from what I heard. The Perfect family have been snowmaking at Perfect North for decades.
 

HikenSki

Angel Diva
Yeah the Perfect team knows what they are doing! Will be excited when they bring back night skiing next season. The high speed chair will certainly be welcome. While Snowshoe has the acreage, we often spend our time at Silver Creek to avoid the crowds. The snow is often better too. With a little one in tow now, I'll be getting fewer days on the snow until our guy is big enough to join us. For now we swap time on the slopes, which is better than nothing!
 

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