Winterplace input..

[BeerAndBoards]

So with the season finally looking within our grasp, I'm getting the itch! I'm in Asheville, NC so I'm a frequent at Wolf and Cat, but I want to venture out.. but with a newborn at home, I don't think my wife would be down for a 6 hour trip up to Snowshoe or Timberline.
BUT I might be able to get a 3 hour trip to Winterplace. Never been, but the trail map looks good! Any input from folks who have been? Places to stay near the slopes?
Thanks!

[skipink]

Very good for beginners. Couple of nice advanced slopes but they are pretty short. Because of the proximity to the highway they are generally pretty crowded on weekends. During the week it is good.

[johnmelton]

Winterplace occasionally has a mogul run if that's your thing. Other than that it's a short, wide resort with easy access but nothing notable. I would recommend Beech or Sugar, being a little closer, or Wintergreen/Massenutten if you want different scenery. Massenutten also has an indoor water park with a Flowrider.

[davidski]

Winterplace's layout is strange, The advanced terrain is very short and requires a connection from the lower lift, and sometimes an added pole slog to get there.

The thing about WP though is they really do have some kind of miraculous placement, Ghent actually gathers snow and cold temperatures in an immediate contrast to it's surroundings a quarter mile around, and if it is open, Turkey Chute (if i have the name right) is the steepest run in the SE and at least twice as long as Whoop at Sugar.

Still it is a weekend tour bus magnet on weekends-- but on a powderday? wow

[jt3]

Great description davidski. I've had a lot of fun doing laps on good snow with little crowd on the rare occasion there. It can be a blast.

However, it was also the only place I've been speared in the kidney by a little out of control church bus ski camp kid. my bad. It was a Sunday...

Some of those narrow connector trails get some mind boggling traffic on them. Just one group member wipes out and 12 of them stop to see if little Sally Sue is ok. You'll come cruising along at a nice clip, turn a corner and hit pandemonium road block....looks like a bomb went off with people everywhere. Try to do the wiggle worm and through em all.

Sugar is kinda working on creating that same scene on Northridge to Switchback but, I digress....

[2slikstix]

Try Massanutten, take the wife and kids. get her an evening spa treatment and ski the next day. Massanutten has a lot of the mountain lighted. Rebel Yell on a night lift...HellYeah!!! Slopeside or very close to slope condos available

[davidski]

Only been to Massanutten once, usually I'm heading on toward the Canaan Valley, but it was great, equal to anything in the SE

Also wintergreen, both are a lot better than Winterplace in my opinion but probably further from asheville

[pagamony]

WP has sort a raw carhartt appeal. Turkey, dive, bowl, buttermilk, and woods are good if short. They seed moguls on turkey, which by late season become massive ice ditches. The snow really is better than most. There are some really good regulars. There is no there there. You can get a semi deal by staying at their sister resort glade springs, where there is also no there there. You know, we have so few ski areas in our corner, you might as well try them all. Go for it.

[skipanther]

Winterplace's layout is strange, The advanced terrain is very short and requires a connection from the lower lift, and sometimes an added pole slog to get there.

The thing about WP though is they really do have some kind of miraculous placement, Ghent actually gathers snow and cold temperatures in an immediate contrast to it's surroundings a quarter mile around, and if it is open, Turkey Chute (if i have the name right) is the steepest run in the SE and at least twice as long as Whoop at Sugar.

Still it is a weekend tour bus magnet on weekends-- but on a powderday? wow

I wouldn't say Turkey Chute is the steepest,that might go to Whoop or Boulder Dash,but TC is the only mogul slope south of SnowShoe and can be a lot of fun(powder) and a challenge especially if I have to dodge ice patches!

[marzski]

So with the season finally looking within our grasp, I'm getting the itch! I'm in Asheville, NC so I'm a frequent at Wolf and Cat, but I want to venture out.. but with a newborn at home, I don't think my wife would be down for a 6 hour trip up to Snowshoe or Timberline.
BUT I might be able to get a 3 hour trip to Winterplace. Never been, but the trail map looks good! Any input from folks who have been? Places to stay near the slopes?
Thanks!

Been a long time since I went to Winterplace (driving from Raleigh). For lodging, I stayed in Princeton or at the WV state park. Was a good place to take kids during late season. Otherwise too busy in the weekend. Unlike Massanutten, there is no way for an advanced skier to get away from the beginners in terms of riding a lift.

For Massanutten lodging, can stay in town (right off I-81) in assorted motels, or splurge a bit and stay on resort. Never a lift line off Lift 6 (summit lift, 820 vert) even on holiday weekends. 100% lit so can ski after 3:30 without a lift line on any lift.

Wintergreen is fun mid-week. But not worth it on weekends for a mixed ability group. The Highlands are too far away from Acorn. Says something that people who don't own property at Wintergreen cannot buy a season pass that includes Saturdays and Sunday mornings.