I am working remotely and not able to use my trusty "mobile snow reporting station" (laptop) due to my Sunday morning location and therefore I’m operating semi-handicapped. It’s kind of like trying to ski on one ski instead of two. It can be done, but it’s not exactly comfortable for a long period of time. I’ll be back home this afternoon and I’ll post all of the photos and reports sent in by our devoted On-Snow Reporters. Keep them coming guys and gals.
Speaking of On-Snow Reporters – this is the time of year that those reports are more VALUABLE than entertaining. With milder temps forecasted for the coming week it is a great service to be able to read what there people witness first-hand and report back to all of us. There is still anywhere from one to four weeks left in the 2005-2006 ski season and we’ll keep you informed as trails narrow and the ropes go around for the final time.
Top News – The Rest of the "What’s Happening Notes for Today" are later in today’s updates.
Wintergreen Resort gets top billing for today. Check out all the events they have planned for today. They have been making snow around the clock allowing them to add to thier average base of 44-60". With this much snow, they plan on skiing and riding through March and right into their Wicked Huge Park Party, April 1st and 2nd. Today, they have 24 freshly groomed trails open and all lifts will be running. The bumps on Upper Wild Turkey are in great shape. Olympian Jonny Moseley was ripping through them yesterday like a hot knife goes through butter. Jonny and the Freestlye crew will be at Wintergreen today to pull off another great skiing and riding event. The final race in the Blue Ridge Boardercross series will be held today with a band and prizes following the event. The Plunge and the Slide are open today with 2 hour sessions starting at 10 am for some thrilling tubing.
Some Ski Areas Are Now Moving to their Late Season Schedule –
It is at this point the some of the resorts adjust their schedules to the ever diminishing skier traffic. It is important to remind many of you that it is not the amount of snow that typically closes ski areas; it is the amount of people AT THE RESORTS that accomplishes that feat. As the crowds drop off, some of the smaller ski areas adjust their opening schedules.
Cataloochee is CLOSED on Mondays now. The will close their tubing operations both in Maggie Valley and Asheville for the season – TODAY.
Hawksnest Resort will be open for a 1/2 day session today and then will close Monday through Thursday. They will reopen for weekends ONLY until they close for the season. So they will be open Friday, March 10th for the weekend. The weekend schedule will be Friday 12:30pm to midnight, Saturday 9am – midnight, Sunday 9am – 4:30pm.
Another good thing about March skiing, other than the vacated slopes and soft surface…is the fact that pricing is discounted. You can ski for a lot less and sometimes enjoy it more!
A Couple of Notes:
Don’t forget that Cataloochee is offering their ONE DAY SEASON PASS SALE TODAY!
In conjunction with Oldies 96.5, Cataloochee brings back the ever-popular, best deal of the year $96.50 Midweek Season Pass Sale on Sunday, March 5 for one day only from 8:30am-4:30pm.
Don’t forget to take SUNSCREEN with you out to the slopes today! This is ALSO the time of year when visitors tend to forget that the sun is getting closer and even though YOU may not be thinking about a sunburn…you can REALLY get toasted on the slopes. Actually the sun reflects off the snow and it can work a mean burn! Several people emailed us about getting burns yesterday. So take the sunscreen and even through your face may get cold…it is possible to get a strong sunburn!
Several ski areas made snow last night! So slope conditions should be very nice no matter where you ski today. In North Carolina ALL BUT Hawksnest and Wolf Laurel did so. Hawksnest isn’t planning on being open until next weekend and there IS some mild weather ahead so they figured they’s "wait and see" how things are and make decisions on the fly. Wolf LAurel didn’t make snow either and even though conditions are pretty good up there, they may be sticking with what they have until closing. We’ll find out more asap and keep you posted.
ALL of the Virginia Resorts made snow and that’s cool. Conditions will be great for the week ahead.
Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia has been continuing to make snow at night and with temperatures like last night (10°) they put down what they wanted! They will have Sunny skies today and they will give way to clouds and snow tonight through Tuesday afternoon. Several inches of snow are expected. The snow in the forecast combined with overnight snowmaking will ensure that Snowshoe continues to offer great skiing and riding throughout March. Be sure to join them for NASTAR today on Skipjack. Also, be advised that the Mountaineer Terrain Park will be closed to the public today for a competition. Today starts their Almost Heaven Value Season – now through the end of the season, save up to 50% on your lift and lodging packages. Call 877-441-4FUN for reservations and complete details.
So get out and enjoy some very nice, late season conditions and enjoy discounted skiing at your favorite ski area. Check back later this evening for updates.