The Question of the Day – We received a ton of email over this weekend and this morning I am going to combine the two most asked questions into THE QUESTION of the day. It would go something like this:
We’re wanting to ski this month and were wondering if you could tell us when the resorts are closing and where you would recommend skiing?
You can end the sentence by inserting "…in North Carolina.", "…in Virginia.", or "…in West Virginia."
With that in mind…we’ve put together some helpful data as to WHO is open now…and how long each anticipates being open. As to conditions…they are going to be pretty darn nice no matter where you wish to go right now. As the month progresses…certainly our top recommendations would be:
Snowshoe in West Virginia
Timberline in West Virginia
Wintergreen in Virginia
Ski Beech in North Carolina*
Sugar Mountain in North Carolina
Appalachian in North Carolina
* Past the 20th…Ski Beech may be closed.
"Gear Down Monday??!!
Resorts in the Southeast are making noise about closings and even though there’s still three weeks of skiing left for some resorts, others are making moves to close up for the season. We’re going to take you through the ski areas North to South…
Canaan Valley – They plan on skiing through March 27th, weather permitting. That’s the anticipated closing date however that could be plus or minus one weekend. If the weather and skier traffic hold they may extend the season.
Timberline Resort – They have no "official" date as yet. They will cease night skiing March 19th and then, according to administration, "Ski until the snow runs out." They usually ski through the end of March and into April. A safe bet would be that they will remain open through April 3rd with a shot at April 10th…weather permitting.
Snowshoe Resort – Snowshoe is hosting a "Last Hurrah Weekend: April 1 – 3" and as such, that pretty much tells you when they plan to cease skiing this winter. They have fun and games, live entertainment and their 3rd Annual Pond Skimming Extravaganza all planned for that weekend as well.
Bryce Resort – They are "playing it by ear" however it all depends on the weather. They will definately be open this weekend…and then wing it from there. If the weather is good…they will continue on until Easter. If the weather doesn’t hold…then they will close.
Massanutten Resort – The anticipate closing March 20th.
The Homestead – Plans to cease skiing operations this coming Sunday, March 13th.
WISP Resort – They plan to ski and ride through Sunday, March 27th.
Wintergreen Resort – Has previously announced March 27th as their last skiing day for the season.
Winterplace Resort – They will also be closing ski operations on March 27th.
Ski Beech – Traditionally Ski Beech closes up mid month, but as many of you know from our daily articles, there has been some talk that Ski Beech would extend their season a bit. It all comes down to economics, but the word up there is that, "Ski Beech is looking forward to skiing well into March." That’s the official word. Just what date that means is up in the air…but we’re thinking that they will stay open through at least March 20th…with a long shot chance of staying open until the 27th. Conditions are great up there and with more snow and cold in the forecast…they should remain phenomenal for this late into the season. If you want to affect their decision…get up there and ski or ride.
Sugar Mountain – There is no official date set as yet, but look to either March 27th or the following Sunday, April 3rd as the most likely dates. There’s plenty of snow and as long as the traffic holds out Sugar will stay open.
Hawksnest – There’s no official date set for Hawksnest to close. As mentioned earlier, they are open weekends only right now. Don’t be surprised if they don’t call it quits for the season this Sunday as well…or they might try going one more weekend to the 20th.
Appalachian – Anticipates closing March 28th. That IS a Monday for you calendar buffs. They have their annual Meltdown Games going on the weekend prior to that and if all goes according to plan…they will close for the season the next day.
Wolf Laurel – As mentioned earlier…they are closed this week and their own website is stating "Reopening this weekend, weather permitting." That certainly hints that they may not reopen. We’re thinking they WILL reopen for this weekend and then close for the season. We’ll get a final word on that asap.
Cataloochee – Will reopen this weekend and be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They will then close for the season this Sunday, March 13th.
Ober Gatlingburg – Will reopen this Friday and close for the season on Sunday, March 13th.
The Weather – This week’s forecast is one for the record books. Take you pick as to when you want your snow. Check this out:
Today – Mild early…turning colder with 1-3" of snow tonight through Tuesday morning. Maybe more at the highest elevations.
Tuesday – Snow early…clearing late.
Wednesday – Variably cloudy early – Snow LATE.
If that isn’t good enough for you and you can’t decide what part of the day you want your snow to fall…the forecast for Thursday might suit you. Thursday’s forecast calls for Snow EARLY — Clearing a bit midday — and the clouding up late and SNOW.
Friday – Ah….Friday’s forecast is for real snow lovers. The forecast for Friday is – you guessed it – SNOW pretty much all day.
Saturday’s forecast? – That’s a little far out…but right now it’s saying SNOW EARLY.
As to how much snow and how dependable the forecast is…we’ll leave that for meteorologist Brad Panovich. As soon as we hear from him, we’ll post it up. He’s probably recouping from his Winterplace trip!
See you on the Slopes…
Email me at: [email protected]
Don’t forget to visit: https://www.skisoutheast.com
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