My plan was to be at Winterplace sometime between yesterday and Tuesday, to enjoy the ski area’s 28 open trails and inch of fresh snow before its meltdown weekend takes place. My car had other plans. I didn’t even get out of Raleigh (albeit, thankfully) before I had to make plans with a mechanic.
So get out there this afternoon, and make some turns for those who cannot on this Monday morning.
It’s me. I am those who cannot.
It looks like temperatures have doubled since yesterday, meaning if you’re lucky enough to ski or ride on a Monday, you’ll have some slushy, spring-like conditions mostly to yourself!
I am headed up north later this week for a trip that is centered around skiing and riding at Mont-Tremblant in Quebec. The boys and I are going to eat SO many Timbits.
There will be some Massachusetts and New Hampshire (and perhaps even Vermont) snowboarding mixed in on this trip too. Stay tuned for updates. I’m really hoping to knock off at least two bucket list ski areas on this excursion.
Here’s what you need to know to ski and snowboard in the southeast today:
Massanutten
It was a cold one yesterday at the ‘Nutt, and today it will be sunny with temperatures in the upper 50s.
“Shed a layer and grab some sunscreen,” the snow report says.
Tonight will be the last Monday Night Madness of the season. It’s just $35 for a lift ticket from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. There are 23 trails open and six lifts spinning.
And it looked like camouflage day went great yesterday.
Timberline
No more fresh stuff, but this is still 100% open.
From the snow report:
Snowmaking began Saturday evening on key areas of the mountain, and ran overnight until Sunday morning to refresh conditions and expand coverage. The mountain is looking fantastic after this round of snowmaking and a dusting of natural snow Monday morning. The forecast shows some warmer temps and some light rain Tuesday and Wednesday, but we’ll be keeping conditions in the best possible shape through this warm-up. You’ll find excellent machine groomed surface conditions on the mountain today.”
Snowshoe
Another great day to ski and ride at The ‘Shoe.
There are 59 open trails and 11 lifts spinning. From the snow report:
We’re all set up for another excellent day of spring skiing here on the island in the sky. Beautiful blue skies, sweet sweet corduroy, sunshine…the only thing missing is you! These trails won’t shred themselves. Throw on the shades, grab the gear and hop to it! Spruce will be closed with work in progress throughout the day as we prepare for this weekend’s Darn Tough Banked Slalom. Looking to save?! Check out the Deals and Packages page on our website for all our current promotions.”
Reader and Discord user Philip Wicker was there over the weekend with his kids, and had a heck of a weekend.
Saturday was amazing. Snowed consistently all day and into the evening which made for some really good conditions. Crowd factor wasn’t bad in the morning, but by mid-day it was about like a holiday weekend.”
Cataloochee
There’s a new terrain park setup at the ‘Cat! Here’s what they have going on:
- 10’ Double Bar Flat Rail
- 15’ TFT (Straight Round Rail)
- 24’ Flat Box
- 8’ Jam Rail
- Propane Tank
- Mini Tube
There are 17 open trails today and five lifts spinning.
Appalachian
App Ski will honor military veterans on March 1 and 2 with the eighth annual Heroes on the Mountain event. 80 VA Disabled U.S. Military combat veterans will be trated to a day of skiing and snowboarding for free., and there will be a military style disable combat veterans welcome and dedication ceremony with a military flyover and flag raising ceremony.
And the final First Sunday half-night special will go down on March 3. Ski or ride for just $12.
As for today, App Ski is 100% open, with all but one lift spinning.
Ski the ‘Dacks
I am a native New Englander, so I have never skied or snowboarded in New York State, with the exception of Catamount, in which half of it sits in Massachusetts. But Spectrum News’ Brian Dwyer is skiing the hidden gems of the Adirondacks, and hit Mount Pisgah recently.
“That’s what’s so great about a place like the Adirondacks. It’s so big, there’s a place for everyone,” he said.
The Daily Beast
“Vail bought the mountains, and nothing was the same,” folk music artist Noah Kahan sings in his song Paul Revere. And while that may be true about his hometown on the New Hampshire-Vermont border, it’s rang true throughout much of the United States too.
“It’s a bad time to go skiing on a whim,” The Daily Beast’s Noah Kirsh writes. “Together with its closest rival, the privately held Alterra Mountain Company, Vail has steadily raised prices on same-day lift tickets in the hopes of pushing skiers to buy season passes.”
The story is a pretty damning assessment of the two resort behemoths. One skier in New Mexico calls them “the Darth Vaders of the ski world.” Neither Vail nor Alterra responded to requests for comment. But the story lays out – likely for the nonskier – just how the steep prices of daily lift tickets is heightening the barrier to entry.
The story is worth a read, if you’re unfamiliar with what’s going on at the mega-pass resorts. I’ll let you reserve your own judgement.
Video Of The Day
Stale Sandbech. Kendrick Lamar. What else do you need to know?
The Rest
Thanks to everyone that has already joined us on Discord.
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And as always, email me at [email protected] with your thoughts and photos.