There’s a storm coming.
Meteorologist Brad Panovich told us the other day that colder, snowmaking temperatures and possibly some natural snowfall are inbound just in time for President’s Day Weekend. And while there wasn’t any snowfall overnight, an Alberta clipper is bringing some substantial snow to West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina.
Don’t expect too much snow if you’re in North Carolina. Brad doesn’t expect the High Country to get dumped on. But it will at least provide the area an opportunity to build that base up. That’s especially welcome, particularly after the last two weeks, which felt like nothing short of spring skiing and riding.
There’s been a lot of hate aimed in the direction of the East Coast slopes lately. And sure, it’s been 60 degrees for quite a few days in the southeast. Sure, the northeast hasn’t been exactly thriving as far as snowfall totals are concerned. But the northeast was just pummeled by a storm, and snow is still coming down. And Beech has a message for those Negative Nancys out there.
https://www.tiktok.com/@beechmountainresort/video/7334019037267119403
Here’s what else you need to know about the southeast today:
Snowshoe
100% open yet again.
From the snow report:
We hope you came prepared for the stoke this weekend! The NWS just dropped a Winter Storm Warning, promising a sweet 5 to 8 inches of fresh pow. If you’re not already here, drop everything and make a beeline for the mountain. Let’s shred! Don’t get left out in the cold!
The Omni Homestead
The number of open trails at the Omni have doubled today! Sure, it’s to a total of two, but with the winter weather sweeping in, that number is bound to improve. Here’s Lynn Swann with more:
Presidents Weekend is here and the forecast for snow making looks promising! Today we are open to the top with 2 trails and an average base of 10. On Saturday and Sunday, we’ll have live music at the Mountain Lodge. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday the slopes will be open until 5:30 and tubing will be available until 7 p.m. As a reminder, our snow sports area will also be open on Monday for Presidents Day.”
Cataloochee
Reader and Discord user Steven Cooley was at Cataloochee yesterday.
Here’s his trip report:
Nothing beats weekday skiing! Snow was nice and firm the morning, then turned to corn snow around 11. It was a bit slushy after lunch. Overall it was ski down and go right back up. Doesn’t get much better than that. It was a wonderful day to ski!
Timberline
A stretch of snowmaking ended yesterday morning, and that – coupled with four inches of natural snow in the past week – is setting up for one heck of a weekend. Upper Almost Heaven will be open later today, as the groomers are pushing out new snowmaking piles this morning.
Massanutten
If you’re headed to the ‘Nutt, get ready for some of the good stuff. There’s 3 to 5 inches of snow forecasted with a winter storm warning in effect.
Snow and snowmaking temperatures are in the forecast for the weekend. We will be making snow as temperatures allow. Ungroomed terrain may have a delayed opening this morning and there are some thin and narrow spots out there so please ski with caution. We are likely to reach capacity limits this weekend so buy in advance to reserve your spot!
Appalachian Ski Mountain
App Ski is hosting a progression session in the AppalTop Terrain Park from 3 to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The park will be completely revised and revamped, and have some fresh features for fast progression. The event is open to riders of any age level, and is free to enter. Registration is on-site at the Alpine Ski Shop from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The Monday of President’s Day Weekend will feature a 2-for-1 ticket special: buy one ticket now, and get a free one in March. There will also be free ice skating for juniors from 9:30 to 11:30.
Park Rat Classic
Recess is hosting the Park Rat Classic on March 2.
The event is a snowboard competition, in which tricks will be set for certain features and worth certain points, kind of like a game of H.O.R.S.E. in basketball. If a rider lands a trick, they will receive the points. The rider with the most points at the end of the day will be crowned the winner. The event is free to enter and a group lift ticket rate will be offered to those who preregister for the event here. https://www.skireg.com/park-rat-classic
Practice will start at 10:30 a.m. and the event kicks off at 11 a.m. The event is sponsored by Public, Vans, Dang, Volcom, Howl, and Beech Mountain Resort.
Video Of The Day
Bryan Fox. Smooth jazz. Powder turns and a little bit of surfing mixed in. I present to you: Quicksilver’s Yesterday.
The short film was filmed in Japan, Portland, Oregon, and New Zealand. Snowboarders Austen Sweetin, Griffin Siebert, and Alex Yoder are also riding in this one.
“I wanted to keep it as simple as possible,” Fox said. “I picked three locations, got some friends together and went on these road trips looking for good snow. In the end, I hope it just makes people want to have some fun and go riding with their homies.”
The Rest
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.