West Virginian adaptive athlete Kinzie Dickman was back at the Cupp Runn Challenge at Snowshoe Mountain Resort yesterday and absolutely crushed her run.
Kinzie went home last night with a gold medal.
The Cupp Run Challenege consists of 1,500 vertical feet of technical gates and corners down the legendary Cupp Run. When Snowshoe was first opened in 1972, Jean-Claude Killy (dubbed the Michael Jordan of ski racing) was hired as the resort’s special advisor. He helped design Cupp Run, and often came back to set the pace for the annual Killy Challenge, which as now been dubbed the Cupp Run Challenge. The giant slalom race would try to beat Killy’s time each year.
Sugar Mountain Resort
A SkiSoutheast Discord user pointed out a subtle but somewhat important change at Sugar Mountain Resort.
The blue square run that sits in between Upper Flying Mile and Gunther’s Way has undergone a name change. What used to be titled “terrain park” (rather falsely, if you ask most of the regulars) has now been dubbed Laurel Lane.
My Sunday at Sugar was a beauty of a day, with short lift lines, bright sunshine, and plenty of soft snow. Here’s a quick edit recapping that for you.
Many Ways To Carry A Ski
The hobo. The Captain Ahab. The bazooka.
There are many ways to carry your skis. And recently, a Teton Gravity Research video from skier Colter Hinchliffe resurfaced to explain just all of those different ways.
Weather
There’s going to be a little bit of snowmaking going on over the next few nights, but starting on Thursday, there will be a bit of a warm and wet pattern for the weekend. Cold air is coming in for Valentine’s Day, but meteorologist Brad Panovich pointed out in his weather report, the promise of how cold that cold air is could be a little overhyped.
Here’s what else you need to know to get out there in the southeast today:
Ober Mountain
Discord user Kony2024 was at Ober, and said that there’s not much snow left up toward the top of the mountain. The all-season snow guns are firing though.
Wintergreen
Just in case you needed a third opinion outside of Punxsutawney Phil and Skisoutheast Si on the whole six-more-weeks-of-winter thing, Wintergreen Will has got you covered.
“Wintergreen Will is at the helm of SNOWPOWER, ensuring a prolonged winter wonderland,” Wintergreen said on Instagram. “Get ready for more snow, chilly vibes, and frosty fun.”
Winterplace
Meet Me In The Holler. The rail jam will be held Sunday February 11 in the Heaven Holler Terrain Park. It will start at 2 p.m., and participants can sign up on the day of the competition at the resort.
Just a reminder that lift tickets are just $60 for Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Get over there for today for some affordable fun.
The family race and mini big air contest will return on February 24 and 25 at the Bluebird Festival for those who enjoyed it the first time around during the family weekend. Winterplace is also running a Valentine’s Day special next Wednesday, where walk up lift tickets are buy one-get one free.
There are 28 of 29 trails open today, and five lifts spinning.
“Mountain Operations is ready to take full advantage of cold temps to continue to build up the base,” the snow report says. “We still have great coverage but were looking to make sure this is a season to remember.”
Wisp
Need plans for Valentine’s Day? Wisp might be the spot for you.
Head to the Maryland resort for an all-inclusive learn-to-ski or snowboard package that includes a lift ticket, rental, group lesson and one night’s stay in slopeside lodging, and a Valentine’s Day dinner at DC’s Bar + Restaurant for $249 per person.
If Valentine’s Day isn’t in the cards, you can book two nights at The Lodge at Wisp and get a third night free.
Beech Mountain Resort
I’m just going to be 100% real with y’all: I can’t believe Wyatt Flores played a show at Beech Mountain Brewing.
Tickets had been sold out for months, so there was no chance at all of me getting into the show. But the energy in the place looked amazing.
Tonight is student night. Tickets are just $15 per person for students of all ages. Tomorrow is men’s night, and Thursday is ladies night for lift tickets for the same price.
Video Of The Day
Yesterday, my dad turned 61 years old. He’s back at work up in New England right now, but this time next week, we’ll be snowboarding in Utah together.
He is still on a snowboard, which, I think to most of you reading this, is just a normal sentence. But to many people who aren’t as familiar with the winter sports world, they’re a bit shocked to see someone older than 25 years old with two feet strapped into the same wooden plank.
Pro snowboarder Mikey Leblanc is not quite in his 60s, as he celebrated his 50th birthday last March. But he came out of retirement to return to the Ride Snowboard steam, and he’s still filming video parts in the streets. And so why not poke a little fun at that? The man is hitting rails with a toboggan strapped to his feet.
The Rest
Don’t forget: Clear your calendar from February 9-11. That’s when Massanutten and SkiSoutheast will host team up to host our summit. It’s a great way to meet like-minded, snow-loving people, and possibly make some lifelong friends in the process.
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.