It’s late in the morning for this report. I’ve had a lot going on this morning, it’s raining and we’ve posted the Slope Conditions so check that page for specifics. Today I am compiling both SkiNC and SkiSoutheast.com reports into one…so here we go.
News From Around the Region…
Lenny Cottom (owner of Hawksnest) stopped in for a bit of a visit this morning. They have really had a great season and despite the nominal weather this season, have kept pretty good conditions all season long. After all of the snows of last week, they were in pristine condition on Saturday and Sunday. Hawksnest is CLOSED today due to the weather and particularly due to the winds that are forecasted for later today. Moderate rain has fallen thus far today and that is supposed to pick up in intensity and combine with 25 mph winds, gusting to 60 mph today and 45 mph tonight.
Cottom said they would reopen on Wednesday and ski through this weekend and wrap up their season the weekend of March 16th. He mentioned that they’d probably close Monday-Wednesday next week. He also offered that they would stay open longer if we get some snowfall…so we’ll see.
He also dropped by some Spring Break Rates for the rest of the season that will be live at www.SkiHawk.com later this morning.
Appalachian Ski Mountain – Ski Free for the rest of March! App is selling their 2008-2009 season passes and if you purchase one at a discounted rate right now…you can ski the rest of their ski season FREE! Personally I think that this is one great deal, made even more valuable by the fact that Appalachian does such a great job of letting their fans (and pass holders) know that they can always count on when Appalachian is opening and closing each season. To our knowledge Appalachian is the only ski area that posts a closing date at the beginning of the season.
Check out their discounted season pass rates at Appalachian Ski Mountain Season Passes
Sugar Mountain – They are reporting wet granular conditions and 19 trails open today. They have closed the Ice Rink…not sure if that’s just for today or for the season. We’ll try to get word.
Wolf Ridge is closed for this week and we’re thinking that they might call it quits for the season.
Wintergreen Resort – I like the way that Anne Marie Jones keeps their fan base informed. They have 19 slopes open today and she writes, "Today we expect overcast conditions during the day, with the threat of Thunderstorms late in the afternoon and evening. Day and half day sessions should not be affected by this severe weather however the safety of our guests and staff is paramount and the slopes may have to close until favorable conditions return. Please check ahead if planning night skiing today. Cooler air and mostly sunny skies are forecast to return tomorrow for the remainder of the week. Our current snow base depth is 24-48”. We have lots of skiing and riding left for the season and we are scheduled to operate through March."
Ditto the information praise for Snowshoe Mountain. They have 59 trails open today and Laura Parquette writes, "We remain in this mild weather pattern today, with heavy rain expected during the day. We may see a thunderstorm or two this afternoon, so please be aware of changing weather and pay attention to Snowshoe personnel and on-snow signage for changes in lift schedule. Heavy rains may also cause some thin, bare, or icy patches to develop on the slopes. Please be aware of variable terrain."
Another cool bit of praise about Snowshoe’s personell. We have had a huge response in a short amount of time from our 1st Annual SkiSoutheast.com Summit promotion and as of late yesterday I wrote their staff to let them know that I would be fine with cancelling the Sunday morning first tracks idea as I thought that it was putting a lot of pressure on them and their ski patrol staff to make it happen without issues with the regular guests at the resort that morning.
They wrote back that they wanted to do it regardless and that they thought it would be special for our group to get in some first tracks before anyone else hits the mountain. Laura wrote, "While we might have a guest or two gripe about it, we’ll just let them know that this was a special group, and they should start reading skisoutheast.com so they can be a part of it next year!"
You just HAVE to like that kind of thinking!
Timberline Resort – They have 27 trails open for day skiing and are celevrating Rhythm & Blues Weekend this weekend, March 7-9. Entertainment this weekend will feature rhythm and blues music from 4pm to 2am both Friday and Saturday evening. Join them this weekend and welcome guests from PAX River, Quantico and Pentagon military installations. This weekend promises to be one of the biggest celebrations of the season.
Ober Gatlinburg – They have 5 trails open today and are open from noon until 10pm this week and will be closing for the season this Sunday at 7pm.
ONLY 3 DAYS TO GO BEFORE WE EXPERIENCE THE 1st ANNUAL SKISOUTHEAST.COM SUMMIT!!
MAKE PLANS TO JOIN US AT SNOWSHOE MOUNTAIN THIS WEEKEND!
THE FORECAST LOOKS GREAT!
Thursday Night: A slight chance of snow showers after 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22.
Friday: A chance of snow showers between noon and 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32. Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 32.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 18.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38.
There should 58-59 trails open and the forecast is for a LOT OF FUN!
As of 8am Tuesday we have 94 confirmed attendees and if you have not made plans
to join us skiing and riding at Snowshoe for next weekend, YOU ARE INVITED!
You can get $100 off any on-mountain lodging, and join us for a group photo on
Saturday morning and make some turns with fellow readers and messageboard
bloggers. All summit attendees are invited to a FREE Wings Après-ski Party at
Moonshine in the Shavers Center from 4-7pm. We’ll be giving away a bunch of the
brand new SkiSoutheast.com Hoodies, what’s left of the SkiNC hoodies and some
stickers as well (as long as the supplies last).
Plus ALL ATTENDEES will be given a FREE lift ticket to ski Sunday!
We’ll also be doing some first tracks on Sunday morning compliments of Snowshoe’s
President and COO, Bill Rock and crew.
MANY of the most frequent messageboard bloggers will be there including the top dog, the benelvolent dicatator, the instigator of instigators, the numero uno – TeleDave! GaTom, Mellow Yellow and others will also be there as well as some of the newer, most active members such as TheGnar.
Click here to Join Us for All of the Fun of Spring Break and/or the SkiSoutheast.com Summit Weekend!
Until Next time…
Be sure to visit www.SkiSoutheast.com for more news from the rest of the Southeast and Mid Atlantic ski areas!
Send your snow photos, videos, comments or emails to: [email protected]