The natural snow conditions in the mountains of West Virginia are clearly superior to what is usually found at the Pennsylvania and Virginia ski areas closer to D.C. However, good snowmaking is almost universal now and I personally don't find the terrain offered by even the larger West Virginia ski areas such as Timberline, Canaan Valley and Snowshoe interesting enough to justify making the long trip to them very often. The travel time is just about double, 5 to 6 hours. For a few hours more the hardcore skier can get to upstate New York or Southern Vermont.

Having said that, the Timberline area is pretty neat and the mountains of West Virginia are a fun option for D.C. skiers to experience. Timberline is perhaps a little larger than Whitetail as far as the number of trails offered and vertical drop, but it is in a much more wintry environment. For complete proof of the usual natural snowfall, you'll find that there is a real, honest-to-god cross country ski center (White Grass) and an alternative style lodge about a mile away with trails all up and around the Canaan Valley. Perhaps that is why there are so many good Telemark skiers on the slopes of Timberline? Some of them ride the Timberline chairlift to ski into the adjacent Dolly Sods wilderness area. I have been to Timberline several times. Once I stayed slopeside in a ski chalet and had a very nice multi-day, ski in/ski out experience. There are no real killer steeps at Timberline. It has the normal Mid-Atlantic complement of 'shortish' intermediate to advanced runs, but it also has a distinctive two mile long beginner run called Salamander that I really enjoyed with my young children. Canaan Valley downhill ski area is within three miles and Snowshoe is about an hour away, so this can be an interesting destination for more than a day trip. The bottoms of these ski areas are at a higher elevation than the tops of many closer to D.C., so you can get a feeling of being in some real ski country. Sometimes 'atmosphere,' rather than just vertical feet and trail counts, can be a good reason to visit a ski area.
 

Another reader lumps Timberline with Snowshoe as being a 5-6 hour drive from D.C. I live in the District and it routinely takes me only 3 to 3.5 hours to drive to Timberline, with a gas stop and without tempting VA or WV's finest. In short, it's not that much farther than the better western PA areas (Laurel, Blue Knob), and Timberline provides much better and more reliable snow cover, the potential for real powder conditions now and then, and equal to better terrain variety. You just have to be willing to get off the Interstate.
 

Timberline is your best bet for good skiing under 4 hours from DC. Why? Snow, steep terrain, and an unspoiled atmosphere.

The Canaan Valley gets an average of 160 inches of snow a year--more snow than even Snowshoe or 7 Springs. At over 3,000 feet at its base and 4,000 feet on the peaks, the valley is also cold enough to hold that snow through April.

With a 1,000 foot vertical, Timberline is also higher than any other nearby mountain except Blue Mountain and Snowshoe. Blue Mountain, while it has some excellent terrain as well as a high-speed quad, has no lodging near the slopes and overlooks a small strip mine. Snowshoe has two awesome trails that boast a 1,500 foot vertical on the Western Territory side but that is it; the rest of the mountain consists of short, Seven Springs-style trails. Nearly every one of Timberline's trails, by comparison, go from top to bottom and take advantage of the 1,000 foot vertical. The expert trails on the mountain are nice, steep cruisers (intermediate by Western standards, but easy enough to ski all day long if you love steeps). Additionally, the resort has lovely slope-side condos and houses available for rental. There is also an inexpensive hotel just down the road. I paid $45 a night at the hotel in March of 2001. The valley has no fast food, only one gas station, and only a couple of restaurants (Deerfield's is the best one). In short, it is no snow park but a natural treasure where one is more likely to see a deer or even a bear than the road-side sprawl typical of many other areas.

To be honest, there are a couple of drawbacks to Timberline and its sister, Canaan Valley. Neither area has Quadzillas. On a cold day in the valley, those speedy monsters are missed by all, but lines do not seem to be a problem thus far. Neither area has any warming facilities on top either. There is also not much in the way of a bar scene at either resort, although unlike Whitetail (which is in a dry county), both have nice pubs for getting a beer after a tough day on the slope or you can always enjoy your own in a condo. In short, this place is not a big single's resort like Snowshoe. Rather, it is more of a skier's mountain -- a West Virginia version of Smuggler's Notch. You'll love the beautiful scenery, the snow, and the steep runs. Kids will love Salamander, and Mom will like the convenience of a condo on the slopes at a price about half of what you can expect to pay at Snowshoe or Seven Springs.
 

Some readers say that Timberline has no real steeps. Have you ever skied The Drop? No, it's not Corbett's, but y'know, its pretty steep. They had a sign there that told inexperienced skiers that they could lose their lift tickets on this trail if they skied it. Consequently, it did not have the sheet of ice that is ubiquitous on other steeps in the east. As far as hard trails go, try Silver Streak (so named probably for the coat of ice that is almost always on its face), and White Lightning, a fun, semisteep cruiser.
 

In high school my friends and I decided we were going to use our skip day for goodtimes rather than the average stay home and party 'til 3 deal. We rented two top quality cabins in Timberline, WV. We took about 20 people so it was only $175 per person for 3 nights in extremely beautiful cabins. Both cabins had a fireplace, hot tub, very large kitchens, a pool table, and 5 elegant bedrooms per house. The houses were right next to each other and we were located only 100 yards from the base of the mountain. The town is small, so it is a nice getaway from the crowded feel of other mountains. The snow is usually a very good powder with a deep base. The lift tickets are inexpensive. In my opinion Timberline Resort is a very wonderful winter time wonderland for a vacation, whether it be a family, a group party, or even a reunion for a small group. Timberline's beauty has made our ski trip a yearly tradition for old high school pals to get together and have a great time.
 

We have a small family and found most of the houses at Timberline too large. Deerfield Village provides nice 2/3 BR townhomes for a good price. There is a great restaurant right at the resort and the slopes are only 5 minutes away.
 

My family of four stayed at one of the slopeside condos at Timberline and loved it. The convenience of being SO close to the lifts made it so worthwhile! If we wanted, we could cook in our unit, light a fire, soak in a small hot tub indoors, or watch VHS tapes and relax in comfort. An alternative that we have used on years when money was tighter, was to stay at the nearby Villiage Inn or Windwood Fly Inn, both within 5 miles. Both are next to decent resturants and have family entertainment (video games, etc)available. During periods of heavy snow, these two would be better than driving back up from Elkins, where several hotels there have indoor pools and cheaper rates... but another 45 minutes on the road, each way. So, no matter what your budget, there's an accomodation for your family and plenty of challenge, variety and friendliness to go around.
(This may sound like a commercial, but it's written by a loyal family who have attended Timberline each ski season for five years. We prefer it over any other WV resort, and that's no lie!)
 

Lodging/Dining:

For the past four years, a group of about 12 of us (ages 25-30) have been renting a slopeside home. In my opinion this is the way to go. Whether it is the handful of houses on Salamander or the growing number on Winterset, you will not be disappointed. Other than the obvious luxuries of ski in/out and a hot tub, the house enables you to bring and store your own provisions. This is something that we learned quickly after our first year. Davis is a quaint little town, and has little in the way of groceries or dining. There are some restaurants in town, but I have given up on trying to find anything special. Other readers may know of some great little places I don't (If so, please share). Plan on long waits if it is a Friday or Saturday night in season. There is supposedly a great restaurant that is popular with the telemarkers, but I have not been. The food at the lodge is "okay" and nothing about it is upscale. If you are in to nice food cook all meals in your house and then go to the lodge after dinner for drinks. I have seen the lodge get rowdy on Fri/Sat after 9-10 PM, and have watched families get rightfully irritated if they are not done with dinner by then. They have made an effort to separate the bar from the dining area, but there is often spill over. The fact that the lodge is not upscale also makes it incredibly fun. The laid back, inexpensive bar has colorful and often talented local musicians on the weekend. They have a great steel guitar player that I have seen for the past two years. Catch the bar on a good night and it can be a blast. Don't expect pampering, class, or anything resembling the village at Snowshoe. Unlike their Intrawest neighbor to the south, Timberline does not try to gouge you or try to be something they are not. It's a down home, down to earth atmosphere. Let's be honest, with the exception of Ember, the food at Snowshoe is nothing special either.

The Mountain:

We skied the main part of Snowshoe early this December (before Cupp opened) and were averaging about six runs an hour. This is not going to happen at Timberline. Go there knowing and expecting that. The lifts are slow and obsolete. Ten to fifteen minute lift ride depending on the day, crowds, etc... Obviously, such a lack of uphill capacity can become a problem on busy weekends. I would argue however that the number of people on the mountain on a Saturday is not that high, the lifts just simply cannot handle the volume. Despite waiting in line, the more difficult trails never seem to be overly crowded. Maybe I have just been lucky? We always arrive late Wednesday night and enjoy the mountain to ourselves on Thursday and Friday. Deal with it on Saturday and leave Sunday morning. We have found this to be perfect. I would not let the slow lifts deter you, it's a great hill. I think you can stand in line on the main section of Snowshoe for just as long on a busy day. With the exception of Cupp and Shay's, I would much rather ski Timberline. Unlike the main section of Snowshoe, Timberline has not tried to over pack their terrain with slopes in order to boost their trail count. I feel like T-Line has made a conscious effort to make their trails continuous for as long as possible without greenies converging from everywhere once you make it halfway down. This is not to say that this is totally not the case, but not nearly as bad as what you will find at Snowshoe. Like another reader said, Timberline has made a great effort to take advantage of their vertical. The right side of the mountain has three nice blue cruisers that are fine for a weak intermediate, but can keep a stronger skier entertained as well. "Almost Heaven" and "Dew Drop" will keep you occupied, and each have a few enjoyable steeps. The newest slope "Twister" is fun at the top, but turns into a painfully slow green at the bottom. "White Lightning," the widest trail on the mountain, is a nice steep single black cruiser.
Bottom Line:

This is not to put down Snowshoe. Who doesn't enjoy skiing Snowshoe? Who doesn't think Cupp Run is the best trail, in the area? Of course the Village is cool. These are simply two different worlds. I am confident however that a good trip to T-Line will keep you going back year after year like we do.
 

& then all this Snow that Canaan Valley is known for began to Dump...& all was forgiven & forgotten...Been there Done that..got the pissed off T-Shirt!...& will keep coming back!
 

Great Food, and Great mountains for skiers
 

Timberline is one of my favorite local (DC Region) ski resorts. The snow fall per year never dissappoints! Also look at Davis for even more affordable lodging. The Myer House, B&B on Main Street Davis, www.onthesnow.us to name a few.

Overall great resort for the value