Arrived in Cass WV for a weekend at Snowshoe yesterday (Friday, February 20).  Not much of a driving hassle in my 4WD Subaru Forester ... except that other cars were schlippping and schlidding on the schteeep schtretches, getting schtuckk or trying to turn around.  Eventually, we had to turn around, too because of the troubles encountered by the vehicles ahead of us.  We drove to the SS Mtn Inn and went up that way.  That was Friday.  Staying overnight near Green Bank.

Snow started around 7am this morning (Saturday).  Quite a parade of vehicles going up, but we decided to stay in the valley and enjoy the winter scene here with the non-skiing members of our group.  About a foot of snow fell by 11:00 a.m.  People with stuck vehicles are paying $100 per vehicle this morning to get yanked out.

Has anyone made it up the mountain Saturday?  Or down?  What were the roads like?

Any prospects of us getting up there on Sunday from Green Bank with our Subaru?  'Would appreciate any advice.

Woody

EMERGENCY!!!...Too Mich Snow !

Snowshoe sent out a Facebook posting asking folks with reservations today to postpone due to severe Snowstorm and call reservations to make changes to reservation.  Also strongly suggested that those now at resort and planning to leave today to shelter in place and not venture out on the roads!!!! Call 877-441-4386

must really be bad for a resort to tell incoming customers to delay coming!!!

The Colonel wrote:

EMERGENCY!!!...Too Mich Snow !

Snowshoe sent out a Facebook posting asking folks with reservations today to postpone due to severe Snowstorm and call reservations to make changes to reservation.  Also strongly suggested that those now at resort and planning to leave today to shelter in place and not venture out on the roads!!!! Call 877-441-4386

must really be bad for a resort to tell incoming customers to delay coming!!!

Thanks for the information, Colonel.  Makes sense not to risk the climb up today.  We'll stay put in the Greenbrier Valley today and hope to make it out tomorrow.

Woody

I was planning to leave tomorrow morning for SS.  I was going to watch the webcams on 66 and decide  - but that is hardly a good indication of what the roads would be like in the mountains.  My alternative is to leave really early Monday morning and drive to get in a day of skiing and spend one night instead of two.

Facebook says they got 18 inches today.

Am I crazy for even thinking I can make it tomorrow?  I was planning on leaving balto/wash area around 7-8 so I would get there before dark.   I do have a 4-WD vehicle.

itdoesntmatter wrote:

I was planning to leave tomorrow morning for SS.  I was going to watch the webcams on 66 and decide  - but that is hardly a good indication of what the roads would be like in the mountains.  My alternative is to leave really early Monday morning and drive to get in a day of skiing and spend one night instead of two.

Facebook says they got 18 inches today.

Am I crazy for even thinking I can make it tomorrow?  I was planning on leaving balto/wash area around 7-8 so I would get there before dark.   I do have a 4-WD vehicle.

That's not a drive I'd want to attempt in current conditions and I wouldn't think things would be significantly better Sunday morning.  So if you're secretly hoping that someone will say that's crazy, I'll take the bait and say that sounds crazy.  :)

Thanks Scott.  I'll check the wv highway site in the morning.  Right now there is a lot of purple (hazardous conditions) on a big chunk of 55/28...  Unless it looks substantially better I'll wait until Monday morning.  Loosing out on a couple of hundred $$ sucks because you can't cancel the reservation, but it's better than wrecking the car.

I would call and try to cancel, especially if booked through Snowshoe (see my earlier note about Snow Emrrgency)!!

the Colonel

IDM, what are the websites you're checking?  They'll help us get out the the area tomorrow.

Thanks, Woody

itdoesntmatter wrote:

I was planning to leave tomorrow morning for SS.  I was going to watch the webcams on 66 and decide  - but that is hardly a good indication of what the roads would be like in the mountains.  My alternative is to leave really early Monday morning and drive to get in a day of skiing and spend one night instead of two.

Facebook says they got 18 inches today.

Am I crazy for even thinking I can make it tomorrow?  I was planning on leaving balto/wash area around 7-8 so I would get there before dark.   I do have a 4-WD vehicle.

Looking at this site:

www.wv511.org/

If you click on the "road conditions" tab on the left, it gives your road conditions for some of the roads.  You have to play around with zooming in to get the details.

I'll call reservations in the morning.  They are closed for the evening.. maybe they will be understanding.

Thanks, itdoesntmatter.  I thinking I'm getting the hang of zooming on this website.  

Travel safely, if you decide to go.

Woody

Plan B is in effect.  Bagged driving today.  Leaving at 3:00 am tomorrow monring, will ski Monday and Tuesday. 

SS posted this today:

Storm Update: 26" of snow in the last 24 hours. Full, normal lift schedule is planned today, with all black trails ungroomed and full of powder. Snowshoe drive, 219 S/N and 66 are plowed and treated, but still contain packed snow in areas. Please be very careful and allow for extra time coming and going. Visit www.wv511.org for the latest updates on road conditions and closures.

Has anybody come home through cass, green bank, seneca rocks up to petersburg?  The www.wv511.org is stiff showing difficult.

Today must have been the best day SS has seen in a long time.  Would have been sweet to have been there already before this hit with enough vacation and money to ride it out to ski today and tomorrow.

itdoesntmatter wrote:

Has anybody come home through cass, green bank, seneca rocks up to petersburg?  The www.wv511.org is stiff showing difficult.

Left Cass at 11:00 a.m. this morning (Sunday) and headed north through Green Bank to Morefield.  A bit of snow on the road going over the ridge b/w Green Bank and Circleville but no driving problems.  A bit gloppy on the edges, that's all.

Woody

We went up there Thursday night (2/19). The last 15 miles were... challenging. It was snowing and very windy. In my 4WD we got as far as the last turn before the top of the mountain, and then we couldn't get enough traction to continue. Fortunately a guy with a pickup and chains towed us the last couple of hundred yards. Lots of other cars were stuck on the same turn.

Friday was incredibly cold -- 20 below in the morning. We got out there anyway but took frequent breaks. Snowed hard on Saturday, and the result was that on Sunday and Monday, they had the best snow I've ever seen at SS. Beautiful, "out west" type snow on every run.

The lesson learned: if there is any kind of weather in the offing, you have to bring chains. A super-easy drive for 190 miles can turn into a complete nightmare on the last 15.