Took the family up to Blue Knob this weekend. We left Charlottesville around 3:30 Friday afternoon and made it to Bedford (with a dinner stop in Berkely Springs, WV) by 8:30. Stayed in the Travelodge Friday night - the rooms are pretty basic and a bit on the old side, but clean. The hotel is attached to a restaurant, so the free breakfast buffet the next morning was great. Finished the drive up to Blue Knob on Saturday morning and checked into our condo - they let us check in early, so we were able to unload our bags before continuing up to the summit.
Saturday never got above 15 degrees, but there was no wind and plenty of sunshine, so with an extra layer or two it felt fairly pleasant all day. I was a little worried about how the kids would do (they are used to skiing 40 degree days at Wintergreen or Massanutten) but they were great. We spent the first half of the day on the upper mountain, skiing together as a family. After lunch my wife and I took turns on the lower mountain with our 9 year old, while the other one stayed on the upper mountain with our 6 year old.While on the lower mountain with our 9 year old we stuck to Stembogen and High Hopes, and took a run down Ditch Glades as well. For the last hour of the day my wife stayed with the kids on the upper mountain while I skied some of the other lower mountain trails. Extrovert was...firm. Definitely a challenge. Lower Rt 66 was fun but was definitely thin coverage-wise - having to avoid exposed rocks added a degree of difficulty.
Sunday we woke up to a few inches of fresh snow, and it kept snowing all day. Crowds were non-existent. With the fresh snow we were able to take our 6 year old on Stembogen. With the fresh snow it really is a perfect run for a mixed ability group. Extrovert skied really well. On the upper mountain, the sides of the blues (Jack Rabbit, Expressway, Deer Run) had powder turns all day. I am not sure how much snow we actually got but with the drifts it was plenty deep in places. Hard to say what our favorite runs were. I think my wife's favorites were Deer Run and lower High Hopes. My 9 year old really liked Laurel Run glades and Ditch glades. My 6 year old liked Jack Rabbit. I enjoyed the steepness of Extrovert but I think I most enjoyed the powder turns on the sides of Expressway the most.
Drive home was not too bad. It was snowing and foggy when we left and the drive down the mountain was slow, but once we reached Bedford the roads were clear.
A really great trip in every way. My 9 year old made sure to bring a trail map to school so he can show all of his friends where he went.
wgo wrote:
...My 9 year old made sure to bring a trail map to school so he can show all of his friends where he went.
Winner!
My kid did something similar today too
Yes we always get trail maps for the kids, and stop by the base lodge on the way out of town for stickers and perhaps a hat.
Sorry I missed you this weekend. I didn't make it back for Saturday but Friday was a nice day too, cold but sunny and no wind. I'm glad you liked Blue Knob. You caught it on a good day.
Laurel Hill Crazie wrote:
Sorry I missed you this weekend. I didn't make it back for Saturday but Friday was a nice day too, cold but sunny and no wind. I'm glad you liked Blue Knob. You caught it on a good day.
You're getting out there a lot these days. When are you finally going to give up hope and change your user name to Blue Knob Crazie?
crgildart wrote:
Yes we always get trail maps for the kids, and stop by the base lodge on the way out of town for stickers and perhaps a hat.
Hey - stickers are not just for the kids! I love the stickers - I have one for each ski resort I've ever visited on my helmet.
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
crgildart wrote:
Yes we always get trail maps for the kids, and stop by the base lodge on the way out of town for stickers and perhaps a hat.
Hey - stickers are not just for the kids! I love the stickers - I have one for each ski resort I've ever visited on my helmet.
Mine go on the ski box
crgildart wrote:
Laurel Hill Crazie wrote:
Sorry I missed you this weekend. I didn't make it back for Saturday but Friday was a nice day too, cold but sunny and no wind. I'm glad you liked Blue Knob. You caught it on a good day.
You're getting out there a lot these days. When are you finally going to give up hope and change your user name to Blue Knob Crazie?
I'll get to Blue Knob often when Laurel is open too. Have you joined our Save Laurel Mountain Facebook group?
Joined today. Never been there and probably never will unless we can have a full gathering there someday. Good luck.
