Our BSA troop hit the Canaan Valley this weekend. 6.5 hrs driving is about my limit for a ski weekend- the last two hours on US33 west is about as beautiful and slow as you can imagine in Appalachia.
I snuck out to Canaan Valley State Park on Friday night to have a look around and found first spot parking at 6pm, paid 20 bucks, and got two hours of skiing with 20 complete strangers. no pics. It looks like davidski was there at the exact same time and we never knew it. CV at night is one big wide slope with several options and side trails. The snow was cold, fast, and plenty of untracked on the fringes and half lit slopes, and some small ledges to jump for bonus. It was about as good as night skiing gets.
Timberline the next day was alternating dark and windy or bright sun as the next cold front was starting to blow in. Finally by 7pm it was snowing. Still only 3 real trails open off the top, one green and two black, and a few more greens and blues off the midstation. I swear there was more terrain ‘open’ in the foot of fresh in the trees than on the slopes and I got the knee welt to prove it (nothing like racing in the trees). You can’t really explain the slope opening strategy, you just have to go with it and have a good time where you can find it. At least the drop was open which is a serious slope with Volkswagen-size snow mounds and quite some pitch at the top. At night, the bar was rockin to a live country and western band – this is a seriously good atmosphere.
As footnote, the heelpiece on one of my Markers skis out its wormgear and my ski popped off on my last run of the day time session on the drop – not a good place for that to happen. I had to hike back up 100 yards to the top of the lift and borrow a leatherman tool to screw it back on before proceeding down very, very carefully. I hope that never happens again!
To view all of the photos from David’s trip on January 28th CLICK HERE.
Editor’s Note: A lot more of Canaan is open now 🙂