Charleston, WV –The mountains of West Virginia have received more natural snow this week, as two more resorts, Timberline and Canaan Valley in Tucker County open for the season this Saturday (tomorrow), December 12. Snowshoe Mountain in Pocahontas County has been open since December 5 and is opening additional terrain daily. Winterplace in Raleigh County is making snow and is now scheduled to open Friday, December 18, while Oglebay Resort in Ohio County is also making snow and will be opening as soon as possible.
The temperatures in the higher elevations have been perfect for snowmaking operations this week, allowing West Virginia areas to provide the most open terrain in the mid-Atlantic and southeast regions beginning this weekend. The snowmakers at all of the resorts began to work around the clock when temperatures dropped, allowing the industry’s unsung heroes to create the excellent early season conditions. When snowmaking conditions were at their best this week (in the low teens), over 10,000 tons of snow was being produced in West Virginia per hour, enough snow to cover 20 football fields with a foot of snow each hour. That’s a manmade blizzard for skiers, snowboarders and snow tubers to enjoy in the mountains of West Virginia.
The mountain state’s resorts annually attract over 800,000 skier visits and that number is again attainable since the start of the season is coming at a tradition time. “Skiers and snowboarders have come to rely on West Virginia ski resorts to provide excellent conditions when weather conditions permit,” says Terry Pfeiffer, President of the West Virginia Ski Areas Association. “We are off to a very good start, we just need Mother Nature to keep the winter conditions coming.” The top states providing skiers and snowboarders visiting West Virginia slopes are Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio and Florida.
The ski and snowboard season traditionally, weather permitting, continues through early April. The five-month long ski season in West Virginia has an estimated economic impact of over $250 million and 5,000 jobs at the resorts and other related companies. For more information on skiing and snowboarding in West Virginia go on-line at www.goskiwv.com.
Joe Stevens
Director, Communications & Development
The Media Center
Phone: 304.720.5466
Cell: 304.382.1133
Email: [email protected]