Mid-Atlantic/Southeast skiing (PA, NJ, DC, MD, VA, WV, NC, TN) for 2024-25

[marzNC]

It's past time to start thinking about the 2024-25 snow season for skiing/boarding in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and southern New York. The lowest season pass rates are long gone. If you want to discuss Big SNOW in NJ that has an indoor slope open year round, that's fine too.

NC: Sugar, Beech, Appalachian, Cataloochee*
TN: Ober Mountain* (formerly Ober Gatlinburg)
VA: Bryce*, Massanutten*, Wintergreen*
MD: Wisp*
WV: Snowshoe***, Canaan Valley*, Timberline, Winterplace*

PA, western: Blue Knob, Seven Springs**, Hidden Valley**, Laurel Mountain**
PA, closest to DC: Liberty**, Roundtop**, Whitetail**
PA, eastern: Elk, Montage*, Jack Frost/Big Boulder**, Blue***, Camelback***, Bear Creek

NY Catskills: Belleayre, Hunter**, Windham***, Plattekill

* - Indy Pass
** - Epic
*** - Ikon

What's new for the above list is that Wisp and Wintergreen joined Indy. Also there is a combined pass for Blue and Camelback called the Peak-to-Peak Poconos Pass.

Here's the Mid-Atlantic discussion for 2023-24:

Mid-Atlantic/Southeast skiing (PA, NJ, DC, MD, VA, WV, NC, TN) for 2023-24

With fall colors starting in the Appalachian mountains, it's time to start thinking about the 2023-24 snow season for skiing/boarding in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and southern New York. If you want to discuss Big SNOW in NJ that has...

www.theskidiva.com

 

[marzNC]

Vail Resorts put out a summary of updates and changes for the Epic resorts in PA recently. They are bringing back group lessons for kids at 7Springs. Hidden Valley will have seasonal programs for youth 8-14 and for women. Laurel Mountain is hosting a "steep terrain" seasonal program for adults 18+. Whitetail and Liberty will have more ski school capacity for younger kids.

There is more parking at 7Springs. Improvements in snowmaking infrastructure should be noticeable at Roundtop and JF/BB once Mother Nature helps out with cold dry weather so that snowmaking can begin in earnest.

September 2, 2024

Vail Resorts’ Mid-Atlantic Ski Resorts Prepare for the Upcoming Winter Season

Vail Resorts’ eight Mid-Atlantic ski resorts are looking ahead to another fun-filled winter season, with scenic and welcoming ski and ride terrain for all...

news.vailresorts.com

 

[marzNC]

Noticed that @tinymoose and @liquidfeet discussed Montage in another thread recently. It's a reasonable hill for people who work M-F to ski on weekends, especially on Sundays. What's unusual is that the advanced trails are on the lower mountain. White Lightning is short but so sheet that grooming is done with a winch cat. I've skied at Montage a few times when I had other reasons to drive to/from upstate NY or Boston after Montage could get snowmaking going.

Montage is day trip distance for folks in the Philadelphia area. I know DCSki members who head up to Montage and/or Elk and stay overnight for a night or two. Someone with an Indy Pass who has a flexible schedule could have a good time skiing Montage for a couple days midweek.

Montage winch cat, December 16, 2017



Divas at Montage on a Sunday, December 2017

 

[tinymoose]

Look at those skiers ready to go on that advanced expert terrain. We should have gotten our photo in front of the sign.

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

That's a great picture @marzNC thank you for sharing it. Indeed, Montage is a great ski hill in PA, I was introduced to it thanks to @tinymoose

 

[marzNC]

Ski swaps and sales in the fall seem to be back for the folks in the DC/NoVA area. Here are a few listed in the 2024 DCSki swap thread. Whitetail is having a Fall Festival once again.

Buckmans in PA is having a pre-season sale Oct 15-19 that includes "consignment" stuff.

The Black Friday event at Wintergreen is a fundraiser for the Wintergreen Ski Patrol, 10:00am-1:30pm.

Oct 15-19: Buckmans, 5 locations in PA
Oct 19-20: Alpine Ski Shop, Sterling
Oct 26: Whitetail, PA
Nov 17: Pro-Fit, Leesburg
Nov 29: Wintergreen Ski Patrol, between Lynchburg and Charlottesville in VA

 

[marzNC]

Timberline has been hosting a fall festival for a few years. They run the lift for people who want to ride to the top for a view. Artober Fest is a fundraising event for ArtSpring, a local non-profit founded in 2011 to support the arts scene in Tucker County. Sounds like good family fun with plenty of free activities.

Artober Fest – Timberline Mountain

timberlinemountain.com

 

[sbf2023]

Looking forward to some local skiing!

 

[marzNC]

Looking forward to some local skiing!

Do you ski on weekends or midweek? I'll be in WV for a midweek stay in mid-January with a couple other Divas. Plan to mostly ski Timberline but since we have the Indy Pass, may spend a few hours at Canaan Valley too.

 

[marzNC]

Added a few swaps. The dates below are the sale dates. Check websites for when stuff can be dropped off in advance.

Oct 11-20: Alpine at Appalachian, NC
Oct 11-13: High Mountain Sports at Wisp, MD
Oct 12-13: Mountainside Ski & Sports near Roundtop, PA
Oct 15-19: Buckmans, 5 locations in PA
Oct 19-20: Alpine Ski Shop, Sterling, VA
Oct 26: Whitetail Fall Festival, PA
Nov 2-3: Ski Roundtop Racing Club at Roundtop, PA
Nov 17: Pro-Fit, Leesburg, VA
Nov 29: Wintergreen Ski Patrol at Wintergreen in VA (between Lynchburg and Charlottesville)

 

[marzNC]

Ski Center LTD in Gaithersburg is having their summer sale Sept. 26-30. The Ski Center swap is Oct. 12, 3-9pm and it's a benefit for the Liberty Ski Patrol. Swap drop off starts Oct. 1.

 

[marzNC]

Apparently the swap at Alpine on Oct 19-20 benefits the Snow Sports Museum of West Virginia, which is in in Canaan Valley. It was founded in 2018 and is open for a few hours in the afternoons on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, plus midday on holiday Mondays.

 

[marzNC]

Unfortunately, getting ready for ski season in the NC/TN mountains is going to very difficult in the next few months. Hurricane Helene not only flooded rivers, it caused so much rain that there have been landslides that have severely damaged many roads. An entire section of I-40 in heading east is gone close to the NC/TN border. The road up to Beech Mountain (town and resort) has a gaping hole that means it's impassable. The main streets of Maggie Valley and Boone were under fast moving water for hours.

Posted on Facebook for Beech Mountain Resort
"Update | Sunday, September 29, 2024
As of September 27, Beech Mountain Resort is closed for the summer season due to the severe storm that has left our town without road access, power, and water. While the resort weathered the storm relatively well and sustained some damage, we know many neighboring communities are facing devastating challenges. We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for the incredible generosity shown by local businesses. Fred’s General Mercantile remains open, and we appreciate Brick Oven Pizzeria for providing pizzas to those in need, as well as the Beech Mountain Club for offering meals to our volunteers and town workers. This spirit of support exemplifies the strength of our community. Our communication is somewhat limited right now as our communications team is on Beech without access, but we will do our best to provide updates and respond as quickly as possible to messages. We are resilient, and we believe we will be back in shape and open just in time for the upcoming winter season. For those on Beech Mountain, we’ll be providing food and drinks in the afternoon in the lower paved parking lot at Beech Towers. We will keep you updated as the situation evolves."

 

[Alyssm]

Terrible news regarding the hurricane damage. It sounds like from the Facebook post, as with Vermont with all the recent flooding, the community is banding together to help. I hope Beech is able to recover in a reasonable time frame.
On a different note, Big Snow in NJ is offering a discount on the 6 pack visit tickets for a limited time.

 

[marzNC]

Beech and Sugar in NC are in recovery mode. Have not seen any news about App. The area around Boone and Banner Elk was not hit quite as hard as farther south and west. Still will be a while before power and roads are back to a "new normal."

Posted on Facebook for Beech Mountain Resort
Update | Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Beech Mountain Resort is fortunate to have fared well through the impact of Hurricane Helene, but our focus is now on supporting our staff, community, and neighboring areas as they begin to rebuild. Some of our staff members have been personally affected, and several communities in Western North Carolina have faced significant losses.

Due to the disruption caused by the storm, we are delaying our annual season pass sale by at least one week as we work to restore power and bring our office back online. While the situation is evolving, we will post updates frequently and appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.

Please note that infrastructure across the region is currently fragile, and unnecessary travel is not recommended. For those looking to help, water donations are being accepted at Beech Mountain Town Hall, and Feeding Avery Families is providing food and water to those in need.

Thank you for your continued support as we focus on recovery and look forward to a great winter season ahead. Please email us for support at [email protected]

 

[marzNC]

Hatley Pointe is using Instagram mostly for updates, but posted on FB yesterday that they are on track for the planned opening in November. The FB Reel showed HP cooking and feeding folks, probably for free. From the comments, the locals seem to have embraced the new owners as "good neighbors."

"Our region has been heavily affected by Hurricane Helene. We have received countless messages on the status of the mountain and family members located in our area. We have successfully contacted many loved ones in the affected areas and are continuing to come together to help in any way possible. As for the mountain, we were blessed to not experience the storm at the magnitude that many others did. We are still on target to open late November and our pricing will be debuting on October 5th! Please, if you or your loved ones are in need of help, don’t hesitate to reach out! We have our team stationed on the mountain to assist in any way we can from supplies to a warm meal."

 

[marzNC]

Getting to Greek Peak in central NY is a bit of a stretch for folks who live in the mid-Atlantic, but might be worth it for someone who has an Indy Pass and can travel midweek. Combined with Montage, could be a fun ski safari staying overnight in the region for 1-2 nights.

September 30, 2024

Business of the Week: Greek Peak Mountain Resort

Greek Peak Mountain Resort is the Greater Binghamton Chamber Business of the Week. Greek Peak opened in 1958 and has been a staple ski attraction in Central New York.

www.binghamtonhomepage.com

 

[marzNC]

People in TN who usually ski in NC will have a hard time getting to any of the NC resorts this winter. I-40 and I-26 are closed at the NC/TN border because of catastrophic damage to the roadway. The nature of a mountain highway is that a quick temporary repair is not an option.

This TV news report includes video of the washed out section of I-40 and a picture of the bridge that is gone on I-26.

September 30, 2024, with updates

I-40 won't reopen any time soon between NC and TN, NCDOT says

Historic flooding in East Tennessee and North Carolina swept away a part of I-40 East near the state line on Friday.

www.wbir.com

 

[BlizzardBabe]

Ran into one of the head honchos @ Massanutten the other night. Apparently, they've installed a chiller to cool the snowmaking water and can blow at higher ambient temps than one would think. I don't know if this is new equipment or if they've been using it for several seasons, but it at least was encouraging. I'm so ready to ski!

I'm heading to Coeur d'Alene Idaho for meetings next week and if I see snow at upper elevations I'm literally going to salivate my way through the conference.

 

[marzNC]

Ran into one of the head honchos @ Massanutten the other night. Apparently, they've installed a chiller to cool the snowmaking water and can blow at higher ambient temps than one would think. I don't know if this is new equipment or if they've been using it for several seasons, but it at least was encouraging. I'm so ready to ski!

Sounds good. Probably similar to the 5 million gallon tank that Wintergreen built a while back. Helps not only to start with colder water, also helps to have more water at a higher elevation to start with. The pump capacity was upgraded a few years ago. That was needed in order to be able to blow snow on the upper mountain on more than one trail at a time.