The temperature "conspiracy" is continuing this morning as somehow the resorts into West Virginia and Maryland – and at Wintergreen Resort in Virginia for today – have figured out how to control the thermpstat such that they get the cold temps that allow for snowmaking when those resorts further south just keep missing it.
It’s been a few days since the resorts in Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina have made snow and many already had marginal base depths and therefore several are now showing some sporadic thin coverage areas and even a few bare spots. That is despite the fact that several resorts upped their base depth earlier in the week as we closed in on the President’s Day weekend. Naughty, naughty.
That is WHY we stopped reporting the marketing numbers that many of the resorts are reporting. Needless to say we have downgraded some of the base conditions terms from "good" to "decent" at some areas.
The pick of North Carolina today will be Appalachian and Sugar Mountain. No thin coverage or bare areas there. The test look good, with plenty of side-to-side coverage, but they are beginning to show some wear and are looking forward to the snowmaking temps that are headed their way on Monday evening.
As mentioned Wintergreen Resort in Virginia was the lone ski area in Tennessee, Virginia or North Carolina to be able to make snow last night. Anne Marie Jones writes, "Cooler air allowed arrived into the region last evening allowing mountain crews to make snow. The current weather forecast shows temperatures in the low 30’s in the am and rising middle to upper 30’s throughout the day. More cold air is expected to arrive into the region early Tuesday AM allowing for continued snowmaking effort.
Today we have 23 slopes and trails open for skiing and riding and 6 lifts. The average snow base depth throughout the resort is 20-40”.
Wintergreen gets the nod for top pick in the state of Virginia with Bryce and Massanutten both in good shape though.
Into West Virginia we’re seeing that Canaan Valley and Timberline Resorts in Tucker, WV are reporting temps just out of snowmaking ops for this morning but they have been able to make snow lately and although they will get some rain today, they have snow in the forecast for most of the week ahead.
Snowshoe is reporting 30° and they made snow overnight and will continue as long as temps allow. They have 57 trails open today and some rain in the forecast later in the day and Monday AM, but snow is in the forecast from Monday midday through Thursday with highs in the 30s and lows in the teens.
Snowshoe’s reporting has been "spot on" this season and continues to be as Laura Parquette offers us this insight, "Temperatures have warmed slightly from yesterday, and although today will be cloudy, the majority of the day should be fantastic for skiing. Some rain showers are in the forecast for the afternoon which are expected to begin sometime after 4pm. Presidents’ Day has a chance for rain showers in the morning with the rain expected to change to snow in the afternoon. Today you can enjoy 57 open trails in the Snowshoe basin, and if you want to beat the crowds, head over to the Silver Creek area. The Creek is 100% open with 14 trails and has some of the best conditions on the mountain! If you tire of the slopes, pop over to our great 5-lane tubing hill. After dinner, you can return to the snow for night skiing and riding until 9pm. For more fun, check out our adventure program, which includes guided snowmobile tours and snowcat excursions. Also, tonight our friends at Budweiser will be hosting a party at The Connection with the band Conch Republic. Be sure to check it out! **Skip Jack will be closed today for ski team training followed by NASTAR racing. Registration for NASTAR will take place in the Shavers Center** Have a great day and think SNOW!"
Winterplace was not able to make snow, but they are in good shape with plenty of base, no thin coverage being reported and 100% of the terrain available.
Like the West Virginia resorts, Wisp Resort in Maryland has snow in the forecast for the week ahead. They will pick up some rain after about 1pm today and there’s a 90% chance for this afternoon and night. They have 30 trails open with a good to great base.
Ober Gatlinburg in Tennessee is already reporting 51° and some thin coverage, but plenty of good skiable terrain on the 5 trails they have open.
THE NORTH CAROLINA REPORT…
It is amazing how quickly conditions can turn on a dime. Just a few days ago we had some snow and everything was covered in a coating of frosty white from the powdery snowfall and now just a few days later we’re seeing that ugly term "some thin coverage and bare spots" beginning to show on some of our reports.
The top picks for skiing and riding today (if you’re into dodging some rain drops) will be Appalachain and Sugar Mountain as they have the best conditions right now. The rest look good as well, but are showing some thin coverage areas on various trails.
This is one of those days where the overall base and conditions are very nice, with very little in the way of thin coverage, but there ARE some. We’re a little surprised to see that the ski areas are not reporting them…so we’ll do it for them.
Appalachian still looks great with 100% open terrain, terrain parks and ice skating for your Sunday. It’s foggy out this morning but the best skiing will be early. No thin coverage or bare spots here.
We’re getting reports of thin coverage at Cataloochee and therefore we have downgraded their base to "Decent to Good". They will be open for day and night skiing on this particular Sunday due to it being a holiday weekend. They have 11 trails open and their snow tubing park. To be clear, there is VERY GOOD snow at Cataloochee, plenty of side-to-side coverage, and only some rare thin coverage areas and a bare spot or two.
Ditto that report for Hawksnest and they have 9 trails open with their popular tubing hill open as well. Additionally they have placed some terrain features around the mountain.
Ski Beech saw a low of 33° (just out of snowmaking range) and it is very foggy this AM, but they have 12 trails open, some terrain features and their ice rink open for Sunday. They have some thin coverage areas as well.
Sugar Mountain reports a low of 32° but they were not able to make snow either. They have 19 trails open, the terrain park, tubing and ice skating for Sunday! We have downgraded their base conditions to "Good" (from good to great) as they are beginning to show some wear…that will likely show through with the rain this evening. Again, they have good coverage.
We have downgraded Wolf Ridge’s base conditions to "decent to good" meaning that some thin coverage a bare areas are beginning to show. They are reporting 16 trails open, but really have not updated their report since Saturday so we’d suggest calling ahead.
WEBCAMS NO HELP THIS MORNING!
It is so foggy out this morning that a tour of the cams will give you nothing but a bunch of grey screens! There’s a hint of views around…but tough to really see the slopes! Wolf Ridge seems to be having some camera issues as both of theirs are off. They have been on plenty of times when conditions are not pristine so I am doubtful they are turned off.
JOIN US MARCH 7,8, and 9th for the 1st Annual SkiSoutheast.com Summit!
We’ll be there with a bunch of our office crew; we’re hoping to ski and ride with the President of Snowshoe for some first tracks; Snowshoe is providing some great discounts for lodging, a free wings and munchies party, and even free lift tickets for Sunday skiing.
We’ll be giving away some hoodies as well and it would be great to make some turns with our readers and message board bloggers.
Be sure to check out the information and make reservations today to join us for all of the fun at the inaugural SkiSoutheast.com Summit.
Click here for more information!
This is a great way to meet some fellow SkiSoutheast-ers and our crew…and have a great time making some turns. Snowshoe has organized some great discounts, a party at Moonshine to do some Saturday night celebrating (with free wings and drink specials) and conditions should be great!
We hope to see you there!
Click here for more information!
THINK SNOW FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY!
Enjoy your day…
Until Next time…
Be sure to visit www.SkiSoutheast.com for more news from the rest of the Southeast and Mid Atlantic ski areas!
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