Holiday Ski Week is in Full Swing and the Resorts are Hopping!

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I want to invite you guys and gals to check out the SNOW REPORT for the latest slope openings at all of the resorts. Also, I hope that you guys will check back a time or two each day this week as we try to share some of the best photos and videos from around the region. Kenny and I are at Snowshoe Mountain this week, so we’ll no doubt have some awesome imagery to share. I brought my HD camera and also plan on using my new 4K GoPro 6 and can’t wait to see how those turn out.

We’re now right smack in the midst of “Holiday Getaway Week” and you don’t have to be Nostradamus to predict that every ski area in the region is doing well with packed houses. I have to say “kudos” to Snowshoe Mountain as the check-in process went quicker and easier than ever and we’ve been coming here for about a two decades. The day after Christmas is THE BUSIEST check-in day of the year – every year (when there is snow and good weather) and it is always a challenge to handle the mass of humanity that invades the mountain during this week on the calendar.

We were able to hit Top of the World at 2:45pm or so and we were in and out of there in minutes. Our rooms in Highland House were ready (all but one) and even that one was available to us in about an hour. We hit up The Depot and the line there was a bit longer, but I was lucky enough to get “Sharon” who has been a familiar face at The Depot for a few years. We got our passes in about ten minutes and then got our gear in our rooms and had time to head to the Junction for a great meal.

The Village shops were noticeably packed – traditional at Christmas – and a lot better to see than the sparce crowds of the last two Holiday weeks when the weather wasn’t awesome. I happen to know that Snowshoe is 100% booked …and I mean 100% booked and during weeks like this, it’s good to know the habits of MOST Holiday travelers. The best rule of thumb is to get to everything early. Thirty minutes can mean the difference in no line and one that is 1.5 hours long. We hit The Junction at 5:30pm on a busy check-in day and walked right in with NO wait. By the time we were finished dining, the wait was over an hour.

If we were to try going to dinner at 5:30pm tomorrow…all bets are off. So for tomorrow, it’s probs chili cooked in our room…or a pizza. One quick mention for lovers of all things Snowshoe. Cheat Mountain Pizza which used to be located at the base of Highland House in the Village has moved over to where the old Sunset Cantina was. That’s great for pizza fans as they were always packed and needed the room. However, the Cantina had some of the best jalapeno margaritas and they are now gone. We’ll share more about the dining and shop options here at Snowshoe later in the week.

My slopeside unit has an amazing view at the top of the mountain and the conditions were awesome. To be honest, I should have hit up Silvercreek, but I’ve been fighting something and a horrible sore throat, so I decided to wait and hit the mountain at 9am sharp.

With that said, here is the only quick news to share this morning. I’ll have more to post later. So check back a couple times a day for more.

Notables…(and managing or responding to reader questions and comments)

The Skier’s Forecast…
I know that Brad Panovich will provide another update in the next day or so, but as of his latest VLOG, he mentioned that the frigid temperatures are in place, but that he was “searching for moisture” that would provide for some more natural snow. At this time, it is looking like some light snow chances as we get closer to Saturday, but nothing significant. Of course, all of our ski resorts can create a manmade blizzard with the kind of temperatures that we have in place. Right now, the long range forecast is showing ideal snowmaking temps all the way to nearly the middle of the month. In a word…awesome.

AM Edits:
Canaan Valley – reporting 3″ of new snow over the last 24 hours and light snow this morning.

Cataloochee Ski Area and Appalachian are making snow NOW, but will not be during open sessions today. (Awesome.)

Snowshoe Posted: Expect Upper Shay’s Revenge and several other trails to open by this Saturday. Temperatures are expected to remain low this week so be sure to stop by one of our awesome shops in the Village to grab another layer if needed. Robertson’s Run and Slaymaker/Spur will have delayed openings today. Timberjack is now open as a ski trail without park features. Looking for a little break from skiing and riding? The Coca-Cola Tubing Park is open daily! Head over to Silver Creek and get totally tubular today.

Massanutten has a new Pipeline…
One reader wrote that he read somewhere that Massanutten Resort had installed a “HUGE PIPELINE”. That is kind of true, but not the way our reader had envisioned. The “pipeline” that Massanutten installed over the off-season was a two-mile long water, pipeline that took about a year to complete and install. The construction of that pipeline improves and expands their water storage by about 50% to the 6,000 acre resort. Huge add to their snowmaking plant as well as delivery of water in general.

We’ve received a ton of queries about Beech Mountain Resort celebrating their 50th Anniversary. Beech is indeed celebrating its Golden Anniversary. The highest resort in the Eastern United States also boasts the highest ski bar (5506′ is the name) and they do have a ton of season-long promos going on. Ladies ski for $9 every Tuesday all season long and Men get the same deal on Wednesdays. (Non-Holiday.) If you’re a couple…visit Beech on Thursdays for $24 total.

Best Deal for the Kids…

Just might be Cataloochee’s $59 beginner deal in January. Monday-Friday, that price will get you a lesson, lift ticket and rental equipment. If you’re a parent with young children, the deals are even better. Check out Cataloochee.com for more information.

A Lot of Snow Lately, but…

A couple of people brought it to our attention that Snowshoe may have inadvertently counted their 5″ of snowfall twice in back-to-back days this week. We think they are correct when checking the official NWS Station at the top of the mountain.

Man you guys are good!

Check back later for more photos and videos from around the area.

That will do it for me today. I want to say “thank you” for making this website a daily stop in your day. Pass the word or email a friend to pay us a visit. Also if you haven’t done so already, check out the messageboard. We have lots of industry insiders, ski patrol and instructors and lots of fellow skiers and snowboarders who are on there every day. Click over, join in on the conversation. It’s fun and it’s free.

Also check out all the Ski Resort Live Webcams and our Skier’s Weather

Email me anything, anytime at [email protected]

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