Today is MLK Day Monday. It is cold and cloudy although no real precip is expected according to forecasters. There was some talk a couple of days ago that we might experience some sleet, freezing rain and yuck later today, but it looks like we’ll put a near record skier visit MLK weekend in the books for all of the ski areas of the Southeast and Mid Atlantic. Conditions could not have been much better for the huge weekend of skiing and riding. Short of champagne powder, this was a great conditions weekend.
All of the resorts have so much snow that only three made any snow over the last 24 hours. No need to…there are some impressive base depths on the mountains of the region. I couldn’t help but chuckle over a comment that Joe Stevens mentioned in his latest "Joe Knows Snow" column this morning. He wrote, "The only bare spots at any of the resorts right now in the southeast region are on the roads around the resorts."
View the full story at: Joe Knows Snow
He’s correct in his assessment, and the truth is there are many roadways around the resorts that are plenty snow-covered with NO BARE spots even on them!
Stevens also mentioned something else within his story today that is all too common this day and time. We’re all so busy with running our businesses, working our 9-5 (plus) jobs, keeping up with the family obligations, etc, etc – that sometimes we fail to reward ourselves with some R & R. Joe mentioned that he has YET to make it out on the slopes this season! Here’s a guy who works FOR the ski industry, lives and breathes all things skiing and snowboarding. (Joe is a snowboarder.) He’s probably the ONE GUY that if I had to choose only ONE PERSON to talk about my ski resort, ski shop, ski-whatever – he’d be my first call. Yet he’s not been able to get out and enjoy the great conditions that we’ve experienced thus far this season.
I’ve only been on the slopes on ten days so far this season. Not horrible, but not as much as one would think since I sit here and cover the industry every day of the 150+/- season in the Southeast. I know that a bunch of you reading this have been on the snow a bunch more than that. In fact, if you’re reading this, drop me an email and tell me how many days you’ve skied or snowboarded this season and where. That should be interesting. My ten days works out to about once every 7.5 days or so since we’re about one-half way through the season.
Email me at [email protected]
"BE WELL…" – Only writing nice things.
My mom used to say (still does occasionally), "If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything."
It would seem that some of our readers feel that I/we should operate in the same manner on these posts.
One guy wrote an admittedly funny email twenty minutes after Sunday’s FirsTrax story was posted. He wrote, "Dude..sounds like you have cabin fever. Why don’t you head over to Wal-Mart for a while…"
That was succinctly put and classically written. Coincidentally I was headed to Watauga Lake to check on my boats. Also coincidentally his email address was ***@gottagorv.com. Very cool Steve. ..and yes, I DO feel better today.
Since I really don’t have a lot to chat about today and as we’re preparing for our big SKINC Summit Promotional Push that hits later today, here’s my "be well" commentary as I close today’s Firstrax news.
Only one or two trails in the entire region are not available for skiing or riding today. Most resorts are 100% open and most all are open for day and night sessions today. Only Cataloochee, Wolf Ridge, Canaan Valley, Timberline, and Wisp are open ONLY FOR DAY SESSIONS ON MONDAY. Again the rest are open for day and night skiing and snowboarding, ice skating, snow tubing, snowmobiling. You name, we got it in the Southeast and Mid Atlantic.
Reporting on the conditions at our resorts right now is akin to doing the weather forecast on one of the stretches of blue sky, summer days that we get around the South every summer. You know what I mean: The skies are blue, the highs and lows are average. Nothing really different from one day to the next.
We’re in that kind of great run of weather and snow conditions right now. Highs are in the 30s, lows in the 20s. There’s either not much in the way of bad weather for today and resorts have a mountain of snow on every slope. Snow conditions are groomed, packed everywhere.
As Laura Parquette of Snowshoe wrote, "The snow has been terrific all season and we’ve been lucky enough to avoid the freeze-thaw cycles that are so typical in the South. What that means is that if you haven’t already visited us this season, or you don’t already have your next trip planned, you need to get busy!"
Snowshoe is offering a great deal with as low as $61 per person, per night! You can’t get much better than that kind of lodging deal at Snowshoe.
Canaan Valley is promoting a January 21-23, 2011 SPECIAL! Only $138 per night Includes one night lodging, breakfast, and next day lift tickets for two people. Two night minimum.
THE FORECAST LOOKS GREAT FOR THE WEEKEND OF JANUARY 21-23rd!
We’ll see some mixed precip days going from Tuesday through Thursday in the region. According to most forecasters there’s not much to write home about as only light precip will fall, whether it is snow, freezing rain, sleet, whatever. After that it looks like a GREAT weekend ahead with sunny skies and near average highs and lows. That promises a GREAT weekend ahead wherever YOU want to head for some skiing and snowboarding enjoyment.
IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANY PLANS…how about COME JOIN US!
We’re hosting the annual SKINC SUMMIT on Saturday, January 22nd and you can ski or ride at Beech Mountain Resort all day or twilight for just $30. That is ONE HALF PRICE for SkiNCers. If you’d like to ski at half price, be sure to check back here later today as we make the official invitation.
As far as anything else we can report on…
Everything is as "they" say it is. There are snow storms hovering only over the top of ski resorts and all roads are clear. Every slope at every resort is covered with twenty feet of snow. Global Warming exists or doesn’t – whichever is best for you.
Be well, my friends. Be well.
Enjoy your day!
If you ARE reading this…let me know. Just for the fun of it. Feel free to ask questions, make comments and share your thoughts. We won’t bite, and we’ll never share your email addresses with ANY 3rd party. Email me at: [email protected]