I am not a skiier, but I am looking for a ski weekend getaway for my son and his girlfriend. They are in Northern VA, she has skiied for years, he is still relatively new and likes to mix it up with snowboarding, too. Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced resort where I can get them room and lift tickets? They would probably be willing to go to Maryland or Pennsylvania, too. Thanks for any help you can provide!

Galvino

Since ur in nova I suggest bryce. I belive bryce has a  hotel but there are plenty nearby. They will be open this weekend. They have a small vertical but tht means you can get plenty of laps in I also recomend liberty because they have a hotel and its pretty close by as well as being right next to gettysburg. Hope this helps but at its all where the snow is so pick any resort that has snow.

Thanks, it's going to be a Christmas present for them both, I wanted to make sure it was not only good skiing, but a nice place for down time. Anyone with advice on hotels as well?

Liberty has  hotel I am sertain about that but Its a litoe pricy probably stay somewhere near gettysburgh so you can drop them off and enjoy gettysburg and then come back. Gettysburg also has a discount mall with major designer brands.

Also there is a place called seven springs thats an hour south of pittsburg wich will have almost sertanly better snow They have a hotel with a spa, bolling, arcade a mall on the inside and maybe a pool. Its not the cheapest place sever but its good. Just make sure you are not an absolute beginer because they have only a couple "bunny slopes" that are SHORT! but if you are a mid beginner then they have one of the best trail in the area and a funn trail named corskrew that winds down the mountain getts steep at the turs but not to steep. There is another trai ( I cant remeber the name) Wich is supper long. Hope that help some more. I dont know much about the hotel at liberty because we just maki it a day trip. I dont think either of us can make seven springs on a day trip without an air plane though:)

Are they going to ski at Christmas time or get the "present" for Christmas and ski later in the winter?  Some places are better for early season (Christmas), some places are very good later in the season (Feb and Mar).  Is this a lower or higher budget present:-)  There is a pretty big range in overall costs depending on which place you pick.  There are a dozen ski areas within three hours of NoVA.  Several more within 4.5 hours.  Typically, places with some non-ski alternative attractions cost a bit more to visit.

Massanutten ski area near Harrisburg, VA has an indoor water park that might combine well with your intentions.  Antoine's first suggestion of Bryce has a lot of merit if you want to avoid crowds which can be heavy at most places during Christmas week.

JimK wrote:

Are they going to ski at Christmas time or get the "present" for Christmas and ski later in the winter?  Some places are better for early season (Christmas), some places are very good later in the season (Feb and Mar).  Is this a lower or higher budget present:-)  There is a pretty big range in overall costs depending on which place you pick.  There are a dozen ski areas within three hours of NoVA.  Several more within 4.5 hours.  Typically, places with some non-ski alternative attractions cost a bit more to visit.

Massanutten ski area near Harrisburg, VA has an indoor water park that might combine well with your intentions.  Antoine's first suggestion of Bryce has a lot of merit if you want to avoid crowds which can be heavy at most places during Christmas week.

 Massanutten is near Harrisonburg, VA

If they can do midweek I would reccommend looking at this http://www.7springs.com/package/rails-to-rails-package/  (They might actually run a better price on the same deal cyber monday/black friday) We did a simular deal last year and I thought it was well worth it seeing that a 2 day lift ticket there is $100+ alone. 

I appreciate all of your feedback! It is going to be presented to them at Christmas, so I was thinking later in January or February. I will probably have to coordinate with them so they don't have a conflict. I would imagine it would be a weekend, maybe two nights.

Best to avoid MLK and Presidents weekends.  Feb 21 and 22 at Massanutten or almost anywhere might be nice.  Crowds die down and snow still good.  If they want to go earlier in Jan then RT's suggestion of Seven Springs might be good.  Lots of off-slope activities there, stay in large slopeside hotel.  If they want a more rustic experience a place like Timberline/Canaan Valley, WV can be nice in Feb and Canaan Valley lodge has some good deals.  Liberty and Bryce are closer.  Liberty is close but often busy on weekends.  Bryce good all season for crowd avoidance, but smaller hill.  Snowshoe, WV is 4.5 hrs from DC and offers a distinctive ski experience at a large summit condo village at nearly 5000' above sea level, more expensive.

Galvino wrote:

I am not a skiier, but I am looking for a ski weekend getaway for my son and his girlfriend. They are in Northern VA, she has skiied for years, he is still relatively new and likes to mix it up with snowboarding, too. Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced resort where I can get them room and lift tickets? They would probably be willing to go to Maryland or Pennsylvania, too. Thanks for any help you can provide!

Galvino

 

Where has the GF skied?  Big difference between someone who grew up skiing in the Rockies and someone who has only skied in the Mid-Atlantic.

My home mountain is Massanutten.  It's a very good place for a mixed ability group.  Plenty of non-skiing fun but most cost extra, such as snow tubing, ice skating, the Mega Zip, and of course the indoor water park.  Mnut has a midweek Ski&Stay package on resort that would certainly make for a very nice gift.  When staying on resort, then have free access to the two rec centers, which include indoor pools, a gym, and so on.  Alternatively, could find a mid-range motel in Harrisonburg, which is 15 miles away.

If your son is willing to spend a little time learning, Mnut has advanced beginner lesson packages for skiing and boarding that include rental gear.  Midweek, usually few people take advantage of the lessons so can end up with a private.  That would let his GF ski on the black trails at the top while he ups his game so he could keep up with her better.

Snowshoe is a full blown ski resort.  However, getting there involves mountain driving in WV.  If it's snowing, that can be work.

I haven't been there yet, but I wonder how Canaan Valley would be for a weekend trip for two?

Thanks for all the info. It looks more and more like I'll have to talk go my son's GF. 

Galvino wrote:

Thanks for all the info. It looks more and more like I'll have to talk go my son's GF. 

Probably a good idea.

The best resource I've found for seeing where ski areas are in a given state is Skitown.com .  There is basic info for pretty much all the ski resorts, including the small ones.  For instance, looking at Mountain Info for Bryce, can quickly see that there are 25 skiable acres with 500' vertical.  In comparison, Snowshoe has 230 acres with a maximum vertical drop of 1500'.  The other places mentioned are in between.  Every area has terrain of all levels.  Imagine taking a few boys to a small neighborhood playground vs a large park with separate play areas when the boys have different capabilities and interests.  For a relaxed ski weekend in the Mid-Atlantic for a young couple of different abilities, there may be advantages to a smaller place.

I would reccomend Bryce as Bryce is an easy drive from NoVA. Lift tickets, lodging and food is affordable. It does not have a big vertical or many trails but it is one of the best ski areas in the area for beginners. They also offer public NASTAR races on weekends.

I think the best overall experience is snowshoe in WV. A little farther away, but is only one around that has the big mountain ski village feel.with resturants and bars all located in walking distance from condos. None are bad, it just depends on what they want.

Thanks! I'm running your ideas past them today.

Seven Springs is a great choice with lots of extra stuff for couples to do.  They have one of the best ski bars around and sleigh rides.

Snowshow is also a good choice, but it is much pricier.

I would call 7Springs and Snowshoe about equal in price for similar things.  Better slopes, especially green and black at SS. 

Thanks so much for all this wonderful feedback. I've asked my son and his GF to decide based on what you all said.