Welp. This is awkward.
A week ago, there were predictions of a monster storm touching down in Virginia’s mountains, with Massanutten prepared to bare the brunt of it. As the day got closer, expectations were tempered down. The National Weather Service predicted an excess of five inches of snow, sleet, and ice. On the morning of, that prediction was 1-3 inches of a wintry mix featuring snow.
And I am here to tell you today that the snow never came to Massanutten.
It was raindrops only at the Shenandoah Valley ski area on Saturday. What had been advertised as a powder day by Mother Nature herself fell short. And y’all know me: I am a giant advocate for skiing and boarding in the rain, but when you’re hyped up for some natural snowfall all week, adverse weather feels a little bit more like a personal attack.
Long story short, it was an easy day to stop inside for a beer in the middle of the day.
To the resort’s credit, all the staff members still had giant smiles on their faces throughout the entire day, and the snow was actually nice and playful. We’ll get more into that in a little bit.
Bryce was also hit with a mixture of snow, sleet, ice, rain, and freezing rain, with an emphasis on everything other than snow. The resort was busy with youth ski races that featured over 160 competitors. Snowmaking will resume tonight to work toward being fully open again, according to ski patroller Bill Nabers.
Wintergreen also was not the lucky recipient of snow, like originally predicted.
But there were pockets of the southeast that got lucky. Snowshoe received six inches of snowfall overnight. A huge shoutout to Maryland, as Wisp got four inches of fresh stuff! And Timberline’s mixture of ice and snow falling left about 4 inches to play around with today.
Massanutten
It was a soggy day at Massanutten yesterday. I was thanking the Gore-Tex creators Bill Gore, Robert Gore, and Rowena Taylor all day long, because if I had packed another jacket, I would have been miserable.
The slopes closed early last night, presumably to preserve the snow that was left after the rain storm.
Like I mentioned earlier, the snow was actually really soft and playful in the middle, probably thanks, in part, to some of the rain loosening the granular up. It unfortunately was crusty and icy off to the sides, so if you see a side hit calling your name, just keep that in mind today.
The terrain park on Lower Nutten-To-It is fantastic. I mean this in the best possible way, but the features are incredible manageable. There are two flat boxes of varying sizes, a kicker jump and a snow pyramid at the end. On the other side, there’s a kink rail, if you’re feeling a bit more adventurous. But everything felt mellow enough to hit, even in a downpour.
The HeArt and Soul Fest ends today. Make sure to check it out before you head out for the weekend.
Reminder, if a festival at Massanutten sounds great, but you missed out on this weekend, clear the schedule from February 9-11, That’s when Massanutten and SkiSoutheast will host our summit. It’s a great way to meet like-minded, snow-loving people, and possibly make some lifelong friends in the process.
Luckily, there’s not a raindrop in the forecast for today. The sun is already out in Harrisonburg, and I’m excited for some redemption turns.
There are 11 trails open and seven lifts spinning today. Yesterday, I said that Massanutten had three trails open…but just to clarify, I meant three new trails. Thanks to MeiMei Ma for pointing that out.
Snowshoe
Discord user Bonzski reported some epic runs and crazy weather yesterday. Some rain did fall as well, but things were looking fresh before that.
Here’s more from the marketing team on the storm that delivered the goods to Snowshoe:
Fresh snow alert!!! Yesterday’s storm was a true wintry mix of precipitation but thankfully mostly snow here at 4,848′! We picked up a good 6″+ in the last 24 hours and some strong upsloping is expected throughout the day today, with another 3-5″ of snow expected. We’ll be dropping the rope on Upper Shay’s Revenge today as soon as Patrol gives us the green light. For your safety and the safety of others, please ski/ride under control at all times. If you’re not familiar with the Responsibility Code, please brush up on it before heading out.”
Sugar
There are 17 trails open, and five lifts spinning at Sugar today. Snowmaking is in progress.
Omni Homestead
The Omni Homestead has been battling rain all season, and unfortunately, yesterday was no different. Luckily though, all three trails are still open for skiing and riding today. Here’s what Lynn Swann had to say this morning:
Unfortunately, the anticipated snowfall came in the form of rain (or underdeveloped snow for those of us trying to remain optimistic). We will resume snow making as soon as conditions permit. We will remain open to the top with a base of 7 inches on 3 trails (2 beginner and 1 intermediate). One lane of tubing is also open. All snow sports are open to the public and rentals are available.”
Appalachian Ski Mountain
App Ski is 100% open! App kicks off its Signature Shred for the Cup Series tomorrow with its rail jam. It is the first event in a series of three disciplines – rail jam, big air, and slopestyle.
The App Sunday night special continues tonight, with tickets for just $12 if you reserve them online by noon today.
Thanks to everyone that has already joined us on Discord.
Think snow!
Think cold!
Click here to join us on our new SkiSoutheast Discord channel. It is a great way to meet new snow loving friends and shares experiences, ask questions, and more!
And as always, email me at [email protected] with your thoughts and photos.