Mid-Atlantic/Southeast skiing (PA, NJ, DC, MD, VA, WV, NC, TN) for 2022-23

[tinymoose]

@tinymoose I may have to take you up on the offer, haha! I'll have to see how far a drive it is for @ballen's brother. Airport recommendation? I have the Indy base pass; might as well use it

I wonder what ski patrol does for transport on the lower half blacks, though! How do the bodies go back uphill? By snowmobile?

Montage should only be a little over an hour from the Allentown area? I think that's where her brother lives, right? Plenty of airport options. Allentown has its own airport, but I think it's pretty small. Also the Philly and Newark (outside NYC) airports are larger with more flight options. Both should be a little over an hour away, probably more with heavy traffic.

I would guess snowmobile maybe if the person can't get on the lift? I've def seen them sled someone to the lift, load them on the chair, and then also take the sled up empty. I'm assuming they reload the person in the sled at the top. Obviously person has to be somewhat mobile to pull that off.

 

[marzNC]

WOw!! How have I never done this!? I have to figure out this Indy pass. Im Def getting an epic, but might do Montage/indy also.

The Indy Pass has only been around for a few years. The list of ski areas/resorts kept growing. It was geared to people who ski less than 6 days a season because they have busy lives for assorted reasons.

My home hill was an early adopter. For season pass holders, can get a discounted Indy Pass for use elsewhere. I've used it to explore Cataloochee in NC, Bryce in VA, and Canaan Valley in WV in the southeast. All places that weren't quite worth the extra driving and paying for a lift ticket. I had a good time at all of them.

The list for New England includes Jay Peak and Waterville Valley.

 

[marzNC]

Snowshoe is sticking to the idea of staying open until April 2.

So is Sugar Mountain in NC.

Sounds like Montage is the only mountain in PA that's hoping to have slopes open next weekend.

 

[Lmk92]

I know NY isn't technically discussed in this thread, but I've been watching Greek Peak, which is also on Indy, as a possible day trip. It looks like they're still open, at least through April 2.

 

[marzNC]

I know NY isn't technically discussed in this thread, but I've been watching Greek Peak, which is also on Indy, as a possible day trip. It looks like they're still open, at least through April 2.

I read about ongoing conditions thread about Greek on the NYSkiBlog. Pond skim is April 1.

Haven't made it there when there is snow on the ground. Have stopped by the base briefly on the way to Lake Placid a few times when I was going to Ithaca on the way. Seems to have fun terrain but the lifts are a bit creaky.

 

[Lmk92]

I was really hoping to get there this season, but I've got my fingers crossed for next year!

 

[marzNC]

For anyone who lives in driving distance of Timberline, WV, the lowest prices for season passes end April 1. Senior rates start at age 60. For the first time, there is an unlimited joint pass with Perfect North. Probably because Perfect North is going to implement RFID for 2023-24. Perfect North pass holders have been encouraged to make the drive to Timberline during late season.

There are midweek pass options too.

 

[HikenSki]

We grabbed our passes during this sale. What was even sweeter was if you had visited after they went on sale, they applied that day's lift ticket to the season pass, saving up to $95 depending on the day you skied. They didn't advertise this on their website, only on signs at the door and inside the lodge, like a "Thanks for visiting us, would you like to save even more?!"

 

[whiteface4ever]

Actually, it is quite common that if you buy a season pass for next year now, skiing is free this year until closing.
My favorite, Whiteface, has that same policy.

 

[marzNC]

Actually, it is quite common that if you buy a season pass for next year now, skiing is free this year until closing.
My favorite, Whiteface, has that same policy.

It depends on the region. This thread is for the southeast and mid-Atlantic, mainly south of PA Turnpike. There were very few mountains open after the first weekend of March this season. Snowshoe and Timberline in WV were the exception at pushing through to April 2.

It wasn't that many years ago that no resorts in the southeast sold season passes in the spring. Usually couldn't buy a season pass until after Labor Day, or even not until October.

 

[marzNC]

We grabbed our passes during this sale. What was even sweeter was if you had visited after they went on sale, they applied that day's lift ticket to the season pass, saving up to $95 depending on the day you skied. They didn't advertise this on their website, only on signs at the door and inside the lodge, like a "Thanks for visiting us, would you like to save even more?!"

How cool!

The way Timberline day tickets work, can more then one $10 credit when skiing midweek if also only skiing a few hours after 1pm. That credit can be applied to buying a second ticket for a second day or food or drinks.. Not only during that season but also during the next season.

The card issued is not only an RFID lift access card, but is also a Gift Card for credits. There are two different IDs printed on the card. Need to use the Gift Card ID to use a credit to buy another lift ticket online.

Perfect North is going to RFID for 2023-24. Season pass holders who don't get the joint pass will be able to get a 50% discount on Timberline tickets. That perk was offered during late season before. I rode up with a man from Ohio who decided to spend a weekend at Timberline. He was very happy. Cincinnati is a 6-hour drive from Davis, WV. That's a bit shorter than driving from Washington DC to southern Vermont.

 

[HikenSki]

How cool!

The way Timberline day tickets work, can more then one $10 credit when skiing midweek if also only skiing a few hours after 1pm. That credit can be applied to buying a second ticket for a second day or food or drinks.. Not only during that season but also during the next season.

The card issued is not only an RFID lift access card, but is also a Gift Card for credits. There are two different IDs printed on the card. Need to use the Gift Card ID to use a credit to buy another lift ticket online.

Perfect North is going to RFID for 2023-24. Season pass holders who don't get the joint pass will be able to get a 50% discount on Timberline tickets. That perk was offered during late season before. I rode up with a man from Ohio who decided to spend a weekend at Timberline. He was very happy. Cincinnati is a 6-hour drive from Davis, WV. That's a bit shorter than driving from Washington DC to southern Vermont.

Yeah, their credit system is pretty nice. We tend to ski mid week and might not ski more than four hours, so we get money put back on the card, which can be used to purchase food in the lodge or at the gift shop. A few weekends ago they offered lift tickets at $55. If you were using a preloaded ticket, they credited the purchase difference back onto your card ($40 if you paid peak pricing). I used that credit to then cover some of the cost of the next day's ticket. Worked out great and made skin quite affordable. I do like the RFID system, making it super easy to get onto the lift.

 

[marzNC]

I do like the RFID system, making it super easy to get onto the lift.

At this point RFID is becoming more typical in VA and WV. Snowshoe is behind. Winterplace also hasn't made the transition. Massanutten, Bryce, Wintergreen, Canaan Valley, and Wisp in MD implemented RFID in recent years. My guess is that the pandemic may have influenced the timing, but the advantages of being able to let guests add days online and/or get a ticket using a machine instead of waiting in line at a ticket window are obvious. Presumably the cost is less than a decade ago, although still a substantial investment.

I first used an RFID card for lift access at Alta in 2008. Never occurred to me back then that RFID was relatively unusual at American ski resorts. I've been noting resorts switching to RFID in this thread for a while. What I've learned is that using RFID doesn't require having RFID gates for lift access. There are RFID cards that can be hand scanned, as has been the case for the proprietary RFID system developed for Epic passes starting in 2008. On my trip in February, hand scanning was the approach used by Grand Targhee and Bridger Bowl. Was nice not to have to fish out the card or deal with a gate sensor.

More ski resorts going to RFID

Intrawest is putting RFID gates on the main lifts at Steamboat for the 2015-16 season. Also using RFID at Winter Park. The online FAQ is pretty comprehensive. Never thought about the idea that the EZPass/iPass for roadways tolls are based on the same technology. Does your home mountain use...

www.theskidiva.com

Next season, not only will Ikon and Epic pass holders have an RFID card, so will folks who get the Mountain Collective Pass. Of course, there will still be a visible bar code for resorts like Snowshoe that aren't RFID-ready for 2023-24.

 

[tinymoose]

Probably doesn't need said, but last day at Montage for the season was yesterday. They blew and pushed snow around on some of their traverses to make some terrain available this week. Kudos for a well made attempt against a season of otherwise really crappy weather.

 

[Lmk92]

Probably doesn't need said, but last day at Montage for the season was yesterday. They blew and pushed snow around on some of their traverses to make some terrain available this week. Kudos for a well made attempt against a season of otherwise really crappy weather.

I saw the kudos to them on the local news. It was also the opening day of baseball at the stadium there. The comment on the news was something like: not a great day for either sport, weather-wise

 

[marzNC]

For those in the DC/NoVA or central PA area, read on about a big sale in late May 2023 at the Ski Center Ltd. in Gaithersburg, MD.

REMODELING SALE
Mother's Day, May 14th through Memorial Day, May 29th

Come join us for our huge REMODELING and EXPANSION SALE!

We are having a HUGE SALE to reduce our inventory in preparation for our expansion and construction. We are EXPANDING to offer a broadened selection of equipment and more space to better serve our boot fitting customers. We need your help!

This will be the some of the BEST DEALS of the SEASON! Everything will be on sale including skis from Atomic, Dynastar, Fischer, Head, Rossignol, Stockli, Armada, Volkl, and more. Snowboard equipment from Never Summer, Jones, Yes, Dragon, and more will all be heavily discounted. We still have a good selection of clothing and accessories from Arcteryx, Helly Hansen, North Face, Giro, Smith, Hestra, Dakine, Leki, and more. Upgrade your gear NOW at the best prices! Here are few highlights.

• Skis 30% - 50% OFF

• Boots 30% OFF
• Clothing 50% OFF
• Helmets & Goggles 40% - 50% OFF
• Snowboard Equipment 40% OFF