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NOVEMBER 10, 2026

Irv Naylor, Founder of Snow Time and a Pioneer of Mid-Atlantic Skiing, Dies at 91

Irv Naylor, one of the most influential figures in the history of Mid-Atlantic skiing, died October 20, 2026, at age 91. As founder of Snow Time, he spent more than five decades developing and expanding ski resorts, including Roundtop Mountain Resort, Liberty Mountain Resort, and Whitetail Resort. His continuous investments in snowmaking, infrastructure, and resort operations helped build a thriving regional ski industry despite the challenges of unpredictable Mid-Atlantic winters. DCSki looks back at the life and accomplishments of this pioneering entrepreneur.

1 comment

NOVEMBER 5, 2026

The Long Run: How a Baltimore Engineer Helped Reinvent the Ski

DCSki's new Long Run series traces how Baltimore-area aircraft engineer Howard Head's experiments helped usher skiing from wooden skis into the era of composite design.

2 comments

NOVEMBER 4, 2026

Tussey Mountain Clears Major Hurdle for Lodge Expansion

Tussey Mountain has cleared a major regulatory hurdle for its planned lodge expansion, bringing the Pennsylvania ski area closer to significant upgrades.

NOVEMBER 3, 2026

Snow Guns Roar to Life as Ski Areas Across the U.S. Prepare for Winter

Snowmaking is underway across the country, and several resorts have opened, while the Mid-Atlantic awaits colder temperatures.

NOVEMBER 2, 2026

Snowmass Replaces Chairlift Diesel Generator with Battery Backup

Snowmass is using a 900-kilowatt battery to back up its Elk Camp chairlift, replacing a diesel generator and supporting the local power grid.

NOVEMBER 1, 2026

DCSki Resort Profiles Updated for the 2026–2027 Winter Season

DCSki has completed its 2026–2027 Resort Profile updates, refreshing information on 30 Mid-Atlantic ski areas. Explore detailed mountain statistics, interactive maps, weather forecasts, driving directions, and tools for comparing resorts and planning ski trips.

OCTOBER 31, 2026

Whatever Happened to the Halfpipe?

Once a familiar sight at Mid-Atlantic ski resorts, halfpipes have largely disappeared. DCSki looks back at their heyday, the challenges of maintaining them, and a recent revival at Seven Springs.

1 comment

OCTOBER 30, 2026

The Economics of Making Winter: Does Snowmaking Pay Off?

A Canadian ski area's $2.5 million snowmaking investment raises a familiar question for Mid-Atlantic resorts: Does making more snow make financial sense?

OCTOBER 29, 2026

Priority Lift Lines: Winter Park Tries a New Approach

Winter Park is rewarding early-season passholders with priority lift access, adding a new angle to the debate over bypassing regular lift lines.

3 comments

OCTOBER 28, 2026

From Controversy to Commonplace: How Ski Helmets Became the Norm

DCSki looks back at how helmets went from a source of heated debate to standard equipment for more than nine in ten skiers and snowboarders.

2 comments

OCTOBER 27, 2026

Three Big Changes That Reshaped Mid-Atlantic Skiing

DCSki examines how megapasses, improved snowmaking, faster lifts, and year-round investments have changed Mid-Atlantic skiing since the turn of the century.

1 comment

OCTOBER 26, 2026

A History of High-Speed Chairlifts in the Mid-Atlantic

From Whitetail’s pioneering high-speed quad to today’s six-passenger lifts, explore the history of detachable chairlifts at Mid-Atlantic ski resorts.

OCTOBER 25, 2026

Road Trips “R” Us

Jim Kenney recounts the beautiful, crazy, scary, lucky, and tasty moments gathered during decades of ski road trips across North America.

Community Pulse

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Updated 11 hours ago by TheCrush

Moment Meridian 107 comments from big brains plz

TheCrush shares his enthusiastic purchase of Moment Meridian 107s, factory mounting experience, and plans to put the full-rocker skis to work at Mt. Rose.

10 posts 3 participants 802 views

Updated Yesterday by TheCrush

Indy Pass 2026-27

marzNC outlines Indy Pass’s expanded 2026-27 lineup and new Destination Upgrade option, while members debate its sales model, resort partnerships, and value for regional and destination skiers.

15 posts 5 participants 1,943 views

Popular

Updated Yesterday by TheCrush

A question for readers

Scott asks readers to weigh names for a potential broader ski news site, with SlopeWire emerging as a favorite and replies expanding into debates over competition, journalism, business models, and experimentation.

17 posts 10 participants 597 views

Popular

Updated 2 days ago by Scott

Irv Naylor, RIP

Members remember Irv Naylor as a local ski-industry pioneer and generous steward of Liberty, Roundtop, and Whitetail, while Scott shares a letter and publishes a tribute to his lasting legacy.

5 posts 4 participants 417 views

Updated 2 days ago by Scott

Emergency server upgrade - please report any glitches

Scott describes DCSki’s emergency security patch and server upgrade, asks users to report glitches, and later discovers a PHP compatibility issue that halted site emails for 19 days.

12 posts 5 participants 995 views

Updated 6 days ago by needawax

Unhappy shareholders with Vail resorts

itdoesntmatter reports that Vail Resorts may face a December proxy battle, while needawax connects the shareholder unrest to stagnant guest experiences and broader management problems.

2 posts 2 participants 451 views

Visit the Forum for all discussions →

Mountain Weather

Mid-Atlantic Skiers' Forecast

Updated 1 hour ago

A wet, unsettled pattern arrives Thursday, with rain and temperatures in the 50s across lower elevations. The colder higher terrain has a better chance for a meaningful changeover: Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain could see rain and snow, while Snowshoe trends to snow Thursday night through Saturday. Farther north, the Poconos and Laurel Mountain also have rain/snow chances, but lower-elevation areas near Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia are more likely to stay wet.

Colder air settles in Friday and Saturday, with highs mostly in the 30s at the favored mountain locations and overnight lows in the 20s. Canaan Valley Resort, Timberline, Wisp, and Seven Springs retain recurring snow-showers chances, though no substantial accumulation is specified. The colder nights offer potential snowmaking temperatures at many resorts, especially Friday night onward, but milder weekend afternoons and Thursday’s rain will work against conditions at lower elevations. Expect blustery periods on the highest ridges, particularly around Beech Mountain and Snowshoe.

Weather Fact of the Day

At very high elevations, snow can fall from a cloudless-looking sky as **diamond dust** -- tiny ice crystals that form directly from water vapor in extremely cold, nearly saturated air. In Antarctica and the Arctic, these crystals can create halos and shimmering light pillars around the sun or lamps, even though no conventional snow cloud is overhead.

DCSki regional outlook based on National Weather Service forecasts for Mid-Atlantic ski areas.

From the Archives of Skiing

Ski History Fact of the Day

When Suicide Six opened in Vermont on Christmas Day 1937, skiers could buy a lift ticket for $1 or a season pass for $8. That pass was not merely a bargain; it helped make regular local skiing practical at a time when many hills were small operations run by clubs, towns, or nearby inns.

The pricing also reveals how ski areas once built their customer base. A season pass encouraged residents to return throughout the winter, while the relatively expensive daily ticket helped support the lift and its operators.

Modern passes can cover dozens of mountains and cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, but the basic idea has changed little. Ski areas have long used season passes to turn occasional visitors into a dependable community of repeat skiers.

Around the Ski World

Elsewhere on the Web

Fresh ski and snowboard stories from around the web, selected daily for DCSki readers.

Updated an hour ago

CBS Colorado Nov 11

Breckenridge Ski Resort opens for 2026-2027 season after delay

Breckenridge opened Tuesday after postponing its planned November 6 start because warm overnight temperatures limited snowmaking. The delayed opening highlights how early-season operations are being shaped by marginal temperatures even at major Colorado resorts.

Read at CBS Colorado

The Basin News Nov 11

Western ski lodging outlook weakens before Park City

Advance lodging reservations across Western mountain destinations were reportedly below last year’s pace heading into winter. The early demand signal matters for resorts and ski towns as the 2026-27 season approaches.

Read at The Basin News

Deer Valley Resort Nov 11

Deer Valley Resort Hosts 2027 Stifel Freestyle International

Deer Valley announced details for hosting the 2027 Stifel Freestyle International. The event will bring elite aerials and moguls competition back to one of North America’s signature freestyle venues.

Read at Deer Valley Resort

Ski Racing Media Nov 10

Alex Astridge: From Ski Dubai to the Winter Olympics

Ski Racing Media profiles UAE skier Alex Astridge, who learned at Ski Dubai before reaching the Olympic stage. His path illustrates how indoor snow centers are expanding access to international ski racing.

Read at Ski Racing Media

Ski Racing Media Nov 10

Lindsey Vonn Shares Plans for Ninth Surgery and ACL Reconstruction

Lindsey Vonn outlined plans for another operation involving hardware removal and ACL reconstruction. The update provides new context on the champion’s continued effort to return to skiing after her serious leg injury.

Read at Ski Racing Media

Links open external websites. Story summaries are generated from publicly available reporting and are refreshed once daily.

OCTOBER 24, 2026

You Had to Do What? Skiing’s Little Annoyances That Technology Left Behind

DCSki looks back at the snow phones, paper tickets, film cameras, fixed-grip lifts, and other ski-day inconveniences that technology has largely left behind.

3 comments

OCTOBER 23, 2026

Mountain Matchup: Liberty vs. Whitetail

DCSki compares Liberty and Whitetail, weighing longer runs and faster laps against varied terrain, short steeps, and a different mountain personality.

4 comments

OCTOBER 22, 2026

Colorado Drought Raises Questions About Snowmaking’s Water Demands

Colorado’s severe drought is raising questions about snowmaking’s water demands, an issue that also affects Mid-Atlantic ski resorts.

1 comment

OCTOBER 21, 2026

Doppelmayr Expands U.S. Ski Lift Manufacturing with New Utah Headquarters

Doppelmayr’s new Utah headquarters doubles its U.S. manufacturing capacity and adds domestic production of lift towers and other components.

OCTOBER 20, 2026

New Study Examines the Future of Mid-Atlantic Snowmaking

A new study finds that Mid-Atlantic ski areas could face fewer reliable snowmaking windows as winter conditions change.

1 comment

OCTOBER 19, 2026

Snow Farming: Could Preserving Winter Snow Work in the Mid-Atlantic?

Snow farming allows ski resorts to preserve snow through the summer for use the following season. A successful experiment at Colorado’s Snowmass raises an interesting question: Could the technology work at Mid-Atlantic ski areas?

OCTOBER 18, 2026

Killington Fires Up 165 Snowguns as Eastern Ski Season Draws Closer

Killington has begun large-scale snowmaking ahead of the Stifel Killington Cup, but an opening date remains weather-dependent.

OCTOBER 18, 2026

The Curious Case of Laurel Mountain’s Hybrid Ski Lift

Laurel Mountain's 1955 hybrid lift combined T-bars and single-passenger chairs to carry skiers, including injured guests, back to its summit.

2 comments

OCTOBER 17, 2026

Mountain Matchup: Timberline vs. Canaan Valley

DCSki's Mountain Matchup series heads to West Virginia, comparing neighboring Timberline Mountain and Canaan Valley Resort to see what each offers skiers and snowboarders.

5 comments

DCSki Spotlight

Going Further Afield

Exploring off-the-beaten-path, unusual, independent, and mom-and-pop ski areas beyond the Mid-Atlantic.

Going Further Afield: Skiing Chile — August Turns in the Andes

A three-day August ski trip through Chile's Tres Valles combines expansive Andes terrain, surface lifts, reasonable prices, and memorable side trips from Santiago to the wine country.

1 comment

FEBRUARY 3, 2026

Going Further Afield: Bear Valley, California

DCSki Columnist Robbie Allen continues his Going Further Afield series with a look at Bear Valley Mountain Resort, arguing that its strong snow, varied terrain, and lack of crowds make it one of the Cali Pass’s most overlooked values.

1 comment

JANUARY 24, 2026

Going Further Afield: Dodge Ridge, California

DCSki Columnist Robbie Allen makes the case for regional passes like the Cali Pass by exploring Dodge Ridge, a mid-sized California ski area that offers varied terrain, manageable crowds, and strong value away from the mega-pass ecosystem.

NOVEMBER 3, 2025

Going Further Afield: Utah’s Eagle Point Resort - A Hidden Gem in the Middle of Nowhere.

Robbie Allen spotlights Eagle Point Resort, a remote and revitalized Utah ski area that delivers solitude, affordability, and authentic mountain charm far from the state's crowded mega-resorts.

2 comments

Catch Up

Latest Stories

Mid-Atlantic Skiers' Forecast

Elsewhere on the Web

Going Further Afield

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