Given the warm weather in Mid A, should I even bother to go anywhere within driving distance for a long wknd trip next week?

I booked lodging in Clarks Summit, PA, was planning to ski Elk originally.  I am open to other options:  Blue Knob, SnowShoe or Wisp. 

Never been to Wisp.  I have Ikon pass and can get tickets on Liftopia for BK as I have >$400 gift card credits there.  

Alternatively, I can just stay home coz it's not worth the time and effort given the current snow conditions.  

Any thoughts? 

YMMV but here are my thoughts:

Conditions in the mid-A are often better than you would expect, especially at the well-run resorts.

As a mid-A skier if you are waiting for perfect conditions you are not going to be able to ski much locally.

I would be checking road conditions and snow reports for Timberline if I lived in the DC/NoVA area and wanted to make a drive and stay overnight during the Pres. Day long weekend.

Massanutten will have plenty of terrain open, but will be more crowded than Timberline or CV.  Having multiple ways down off the Peak lift and then mid-Mountain Grill open for lunch means it's possible to stay on the upper mountain until ready to quit for the day.  The base lift lines don't start growing until after 10:30.

 Those are good points. I have a season pass to TLM, so that makes it easier to go and hope for good conditions. If have to pay for a lift ticker that does make a difference in the calculation.

fosphenytoin wrote:

Right. I forgot about adjusting my expectations.  Usually if I anticipated bad conditions here, often I ended up being pleasantly surprised.  But i find it hard to justify the drive to Elk if not 100% open.  Wisp ticket price is $109 next week on Liftopia.  

fosphenytoin wrote:

Right. I forgot about adjusting my expectations.  Usually if I anticipated bad conditions here, often I ended up being pleasantly surprised.  But i find it hard to justify the drive to Elk if not 100% open.  Wisp ticket price is $109 next week on Liftopia.  

Elk was maybe 50% open two weeks ago when I was there. I just checked current status. They got more open, though Lehigh still isn't. I think they'll be okay.

I don't foresee an opportunity for another overnight trip, so I'm holding out for something in Smarch when the polar vortex shows up again.

All Snow is Good Snow.

Article.  the-gift-of-skiing-isnt-just-about-skiing

This is not the year to try BK short of a miracle blizzard dumping 3-4 feet of snow.

Not much is open and they have a very shallow base. It's rock ski conditions there.

If you're wanting to stay in the area, Wisp, Timberline and Snowshoe are your best bets.

Hard to recommend 7S as they get busy and they seem to have lifts constantly going down on the back side which can make already long lines even uglier.

That's the spirit!  I want to see more of that from everyone! This way, I can get all my runs in within a few years vs waiting in lift lines :). 

In all seriousness, dont let the crap weather get you down - unless of course it is raining.  Being in the rain sucks. 

I didnt get to ride last weekend BUT I did manage to blow the cobwebs off the motorcycle and took a ride up to 7S.  I was amazed to see so many empty chairs.  More empty than full that's for sure.  

 Ive written off this winter.

The last time I did that, it snowed memorial day weekend at my cabin.  

wfyurasko wrote:

fosphenytoin wrote:

Right. I forgot about adjusting my expectations.  Usually if I anticipated bad conditions here, often I ended up being pleasantly surprised.  But i find it hard to justify the drive to Elk if not 100% open.  Wisp ticket price is $109 next week on Liftopia.  

Elk was maybe 50% open two weeks ago when I was there. I just checked current status. They got more open, though Lehigh still isn't. I think they'll be okay.

I don't foresee an opportunity for another overnight trip, so I'm holding out for something in Smarch when the polar vortex shows up again.

What kinda bike do you have? Just curious what people ride around there. 

Grumpy dad wrote:

That's the spirit!  I want to see more of that from everyone! This way, I can get all my runs in within a few years vs waiting in lift lines :). 

In all seriousness, dont let the crap weather get you down - unless of course it is raining.  Being in the rain sucks. 

I didnt get to ride last weekend BUT I did manage to blow the cobwebs off the motorcycle and took a ride up to 7S.  I was amazed to see so many empty chairs.  More empty than full that's for sure.  

Since you have Ikon, Snowshoe makes sense until you look at this lift line on a Tuesday around 11:30

It will be so crowded this weekend.  As noted by the poster above, Silver Creek will be manageable.  I think the other downside to the Shoe is lodging. You'll be lucky to find a place with short notice and if you do, you will pay a king's ransom. 

I'm parking the truck this weekend and praying for some snow before my trip to Snowshoe on 2/24.

SeniorSki wrote:

Be mentally prepared for skiing Presidents’ Day weekend. If you can’t handle the lines don’t go. The only place I would ski that weekend would be out west. The local scene will be nuts! With limited terrain and full price unless you bought a pass will be tough. Ear buds and a very gabby ski partner will help. If you go be first in line get as many runs as possible in the first hour then all bets are off. Tickets will not be limited, they need all the money they can get and I don’t blame them. Buddy of mine just came back from Snowshoe over the weekend, 2 runs then 50 min lift line, I didn’t ask what lift. He went over to Silver Creek, no lines. That might be a hidden gem for Presidents’ Day. I’m parking the skis with an outside chance that we get some surprises in late February into March. There are some signals of a change. The next 2 weeks is going to be rough for those below 3K base E. Really hoping the resorts can hang on. 

 Agree that there will be long lift lines over the holiday weekend.  That said, I always had a good time when taking my daughter and friends to ski over Pres. Day weekend when they were in elementary school.  Of course, takes a bit more planning to avoid the worst times.

Best be careful making blanket statements.  Massanutten has capacity limits in place and isn't afraid of having to say SOLD OUT for slope access tickets.

Laurel will probably be fine on Presidents Day. HV would be less busy than 7S.

I expexct 7S and Wisp will be madhouses this weekend.

“Buddy of mine just came back from Snowshoe over the weekend, 2 runs then 50 min lift line, I didn’t ask what lift. He went over to Silver Creek, no lines. That might be a hidden gem for Presidents’ Day.”

If one wants to come to Snowshoe on President’s weekend a lodging strategy could be drive to Elkins stay 1 night at a hotel leave 7:00-7:30 am for Snowshoe. This assumes you have all of your equipment. If you need equipment you need to be in line before 8:30 am so you can hit rope drop in the basin. Check into lodging on Saturday-Sunday in Cass if you need to save some $ or if mountain top lodging is full.

Ski strategy rope drop all days ski in basin till lines get long 10:00-11:00 then over to Silver Creek for a few hours then back to the basin 2:30-3:00. Either eat an early lunch make reservation’s for early dinner or late lunch bring food to cook after a long day of skiing. 

If night skiing then mountain top lodging or Silver Creek condo is a must! Enjoy wherever you go but the Saturday #skiers will be one of the most crowded days this year.

 Snowshoe next Monday - first time there in 4 years. Will be on WT a fair amount, and generally try to avoid Ballhooter lift. But based on the dynamic pricing for an adult ticket ($175 saturday, $170 sunday, $104 monday) I am hoping the crowds will be manageable.

Blue Don 1982 wrote:

Since you have Ikon, Snowshoe makes sense until you look at this lift line on a Tuesday around 11:30

It will be so crowded this weekend.  As noted by the poster above, Silver Creek will be manageable.  I think the other downside to the Shoe is lodging. You'll be lucky to find a place with short notice and if you do, you will pay a king's ransom. 

I'm parking the truck this weekend and praying for some snow before my trip to Snowshoe on 2/24.

wgo wrote:

Speaking of Snowshoe - you can still pick up lift tickets from online purchases at Top of the World, right? I'll be parking in the daytripper lot there and I would hate to have to make my way to the Depot first.

 Yes

wgo wrote:

 Snowshoe next Monday - first time there in 4 years. Will be on WT a fair amount, and generally try to avoid Ballhooter lift. But based on the dynamic pricing for an adult ticket ($175 saturday, $170 sunday, $104 monday) I am hoping the crowds will be manageable.

Blue Don 1982 wrote:

Since you have Ikon, Snowshoe makes sense until you look at this lift line on a Tuesday around 11:30

It will be so crowded this weekend.  As noted by the poster above, Silver Creek will be manageable.  I think the other downside to the Shoe is lodging. You'll be lucky to find a place with short notice and if you do, you will pay a king's ransom. 

I'm parking the truck this weekend and praying for some snow before my trip to Snowshoe on 2/24.

 Monday is the perfect setup for morning laps on WT. People will clear out around noon. Take the bus to ToW, lunch at Hoots (or your car), then hit some runs off Soaring Eagle and make way to runs off BallHooter etc.

That's the game plan! 

Bonzski wrote:

 Monday is the perfect setup for morning laps on WT. People will clear out around noon. Take the bus to ToW, lunch at Hoots (or your car), then hit some runs off Soaring Eagle and make way to runs off BallHooter etc.