I know Thanksgiving was a few weeks ago, but you better be ready for some mashed potatoes if you’re headed to the slopes today.
The warmup that we’re experiencing across the region is melting some of the snow that either just accumulated after the recent snow showers or was made by the ski areas during the colder part of the week.
In some parts of the southeast, today might be the best day to get on the slopes. In some scenarios, it might be the only day. Timberline and Massanutten will be closed on Sunday, due to the massive amounts of rain that is headed their way.
“We pride ourselves on providing a quality skiing and snowboarding experience. Torrential rains, lightning, and high winds will hit the mountain as early as 10 a.m. on Sunday,” the team at Timberline said online. This will make conditions miserable at best, and hazardous at worst.”
Discord user JBare13 was at Timberline yesterday. Here’s their report:
“Had a great day at Timberline! Great conditions early, around 2 the sunny spots got a little slushy, but back to good around 3. Really choppy after lunch but light crowds and good runs!”
But worry not. As meteorologist Brad Panovich points out, snow is on the other side of this major weather event.
Guidance is spitting out some serious mountain snow on the back side of the storm Sunday and Monday. #snOMG #wncwx pic.twitter.com/SjWgW8fM4R
— Brad Panovich (@wxbrad) December 9, 2023
In some parts of West Virginia, that snow could start as early as Sunday afternoon.
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you probably know by now that the Kelce brothers have become the golden children of the NFL. Travis, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, is in a relationship with music superstar Taylor Swift, while Jason, the older brother and center for the Philadelphia Eagles, recently released a documentary on Amazon Prime video. and a Christmas music album. They co-host a podcast together called New Heights, and recently, it crossed over into the skiing world.
Jason left Kylie out to dry AGAIN 😭 pic.twitter.com/v77yoQsYnr
— New Heights (@newheightshow) December 7, 2023
This video cracks me up (even as a New England Patriots fan). I’ve definitely been guilty of saying “don’t worry, you’ve got this” to a friend who was very out of his or her element, on terrain that they may not have belonged on at the start of the day. Good to know that future NFL Hall of Famers make the same mistakes.
Plus, if this mishap results in Kylie Kelce getting a ski lesson from Mikaela Shiffrin, the greatest ski racer of all time, everybody wins.
I might know someone who could teach Kylie 😏 https://t.co/h9Wlc2hlL2
— Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) December 8, 2023
Speaking of Shiffrin, the GSROAT just earned her record-extending 91st World Cup victory today with a downhill victory in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Let’s get into what’s happening around the southeast.
Appalachian Ski Mountain
App Ski is now open until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights.
A Midnight Blast session – which gives you a lift ticket from 5 p.m. to midnight – is just $44 for adults, $34 for children and seniors. A half-night session runs from 8:30 p.m. to midnight, and costs just $34.
Beech Mountain
It’s Southern Rails Day.
The Lees-McRae Ski & Snowboard team hosts the Southern Rails Ski and Snowboard Rail Jam today. The contest will run from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a premier of Teton Gravity Research’s newest film “Flying High Again” starting at 7 p.m.
Find out if you know any of the rail jam participants at this link.
Here’s the schedule for today.
10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Competitor Check-in at Group Sales
11 a.m. – noon: Open Practice at Meadows
12 p.m.-12:30 p.m.: Course Prep
12:30 p.m.: Rider Meeting
1 p.m.-4:30 p.m.: Competition
5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.: Awards/Announcements/Dinner Break in the Beech Mountain Brewing Taproom
7 p.m.-8:30 p.m.: TGR Film Flying High Again premiere in the Beech Mountain Brewing Taproom
8:30 p.m.-9 p.m.: Final Raffle Prizes
Stop by and check it out if you’re in the neighborhood. It’s a great day to watch some freestyle skiing and snowboarding.
There will be four chairs running at Beech today: two quad chairs, a double chair and a carpet conveyor.
Discord user Maadiissun was there last night for an evening session. Here’s what she had to say:
Conditions were a little mashed potatoes after the warmer temps today but overall stoked for the season!”
Snowshoe
It’s already raining over at Snowshoe today, but some good news is that Lower Ballhooter is now open. There are also now four lifts running: Ballhooter, Skidder, Grabhammer, and Powderidge.
Here’s what the snow reporters a Snowshoe had to say about today:
Good morning from Almost Heaven! Lower Ballhooter is now open giving us another classic blue run to play with. Mild temperatures will continue today with a chance of some precipitation this morning. Progression Park is open with a really fun setup for all you jibbers and jumpers to enjoy. Upper Flume is now open for skier access from Top of the World. Tomorrow is West Virginia Ski Free Day! Stop by the Depot with proof of WV residency for a free lift ticket.”
Just a heads up for those of you planning to make a long drive to Snowshoe: There is a chance of scattered thunderstorms tomorrow, as well as a blizzard. Be safe on those roads!
Less than one week until the projected opening of Silver Creek. I know that I’m personally stoked to break out my splitboard for uphill access.
Bryce
If you’re looking for a mountain to ski and ride at today, where you’re almost certainly going to stay dry throughout the entire day, Bryce might be the move. The precipitation isn’t supposed to start there until the early morning tomorrow, and the resort is now operating three lifts for three open trails. It’s a sunny day today, and temperatures will reach the high 50s. Here’s what the team has to say this morning:
“Our snowmakers were able to lay down some more snow Wednesday night and what we have open is still looking good. Right now we have Bootlegger, Bunny Slope, Little Nip, and Tubing open. The long-range forecast is showing colder temperatures after this weekend so we should be able to seize more snowmaking opportunities soon. We are now open daily 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. until December 26 when night skiing starts.”
Don’t forget, Bryce is offering discounted early season rates on lift tickets from today through December 22. An adult weekday pass is just $40, and the price bumps up to $55 on the weekend.
Sugar
Today is the second day of SugarFest.
Olympian Krista Schmidinger is leading a preseason clinic all weekend. An After Ski party Saturday features music from Glen Harlow and North Fork band from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Fireworks go off at 5:45 p.m. There are also ski and snowboard equipment demos all weekend.
Be sure to check out the chatter about resort openings happening over on our new SkiSoutheast Discord channel.
Think snow!
Think cold!
Also 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.
Keep skiing the southeast.