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OCTOBER 19, 2026

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

What if ski resorts could save some of their winter snow for the following fall? Using specialized insulating blankets, a growing number of ski areas are experimenting with snow farming. Colorado’s Snowmass recently preserved 85% of an experimental snow pile through a record-hot summer, then used some of it for an October terrain park. Research in Vermont suggests the technique can also work at lower elevations and in humid climates, raising intriguing possibilities for Mid-Atlantic resorts.

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.

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

OCTOBER 16, 2026

Snowboarding Participation Climbs as Alpine Skiing Holds Steady, New Study Finds

New SIA research finds snowboarding participation climbing among Americans, while alpine skiing remains steady and slope days decline.

OCTOBER 15, 2026

NOAA’s Winter Outlook Favors Warmer, Wetter Conditions for Mid-Atlantic

NOAA's updated winter outlook calls for a warmer, wetter Mid-Atlantic, with El Niño creating both added precipitation and fewer reliable snowmaking windows.

1 comment

OCTOBER 15, 2026

Pennsylvania’s Tussey Mountain Pursues Expansion of Lodge and Year-Round Facilities

Tussey Mountain is seeking approvals for a larger lodge, upgraded ski facilities, and expanded year-round offerings, with no construction timeline or project cost yet announced.

OCTOBER 14, 2026

Can a Giant Battery Change the Economics of Snowmaking?

A proposed long-duration battery at Massachusetts' Berkshire East could help ski resorts manage the steep electricity costs of peak snowmaking.

OCTOBER 13, 2026

Skiers, Snowboarders, Snowsliders: What’s in a Name?

DCSki's Editor explores the long search for a word covering everyone on the slopes, and why “skiers and snowboarders” still works best.

2 comments

OCTOBER 12, 2026

New North Carolina Ski Safety Law Takes Effect, Expanding Skier Responsibilities and Resort Liability Protections

A new North Carolina law expands skier responsibilities and resort liability protections while adding misdemeanor penalties for collisions, pass misuse, and unauthorized access.

Community Pulse

The Forum

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Updated 23 hours ago by Denis

humpty dumpty? when to retire from skiing ?

ZARDOG reflects on whether to retire from high-risk skiing after extensive injuries and surgeries, prompting members to share how they are adapting their skiing as they age.

26 posts 16 participants 4,112 views

Popular

Updated Yesterday by Scott

New DCSki Launching Soon - Could be briefly glitchy

Scott launches DCSki’s biggest technical overhaul in its 30-plus-year history, adding improved archives, resort tools, and discovery features while members explore the redesigned site and report feedback.

25 posts 10 participants 1,461 views

Popular

Updated Yesterday by crgildart

The 2026 Untopic

Scott revives DCSki’s Untopic as a place for informal conversation, prompting members to share BBQ recommendations, biking memories, ski-area drinks, travel photos, music, and winter plans.

19 posts 6 participants 1,505 views

Updated 8 days ago by needawax

Epic pass trying to be more affordable

itdoesntmatter’s post sparks a discussion about Epic’s pricing, affordability for new and younger skiers, regional pass values, dynamic pricing, and the customer experience at Vail-owned resorts.

17 posts 8 participants 2,790 views

Updated 9 days ago by needawax

Did anyone buy a Blitzen chair from 7S?

DCSki members compare notes on buying retired Seven Springs lift chairs, including plans to restore and display them at home.

3 posts 2 participants 559 views

Updated 14 days ago by needawax

Status of Hotel At Hidden Valley

trickshotscott asks about Hidden Valley’s shuttered hotel, prompting discussion of a stalled Vail reopening effort, long-term neglect, and the resort’s broader ownership and investment problems.

14 posts 7 participants 1,750 views

Visit the Forum for all discussions →

Mountain Weather

Mid-Atlantic Skiers' Forecast

Updated an hour ago

A quiet, sunny stretch dominates the Mid-Atlantic through Saturday, with no natural snow or mixed precipitation in the forecast. Temperatures will be unusually mild for late October, especially near Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and other lower-elevation areas, where highs reach the mid-60s to around 70 Tuesday and Thursday. Friday turns somewhat cooler, but remains dry.

The higher mountains will be cooler, particularly overnight. Timberline, Canaan Valley Resort, Wisp, and Snowshoe dip into the low-to-mid 30s several nights, with patchy frost possible, while Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain also see lows in the upper 30s. Those readings may offer brief borderline snowmaking temperatures in the coldest locations, but the daytime warmth and lack of precipitation make this an unfavorable period for meaningful base-building. Expect generally clear travel and mountain conditions, with patchy fog possible around some western Pennsylvania and West Virginia valleys.

Weather Fact of the Day

On October 15, 1954, Hurricane Hazel raced from the North Carolina coast through Virginia and Washington, D.C., so quickly that it retained hurricane-force winds far inland. Reagan National recorded sustained winds of 78 mph and gusts to 98 mph -- records that still stand -- while a cold front behind the storm dropped Washington’s temperature 20 degrees in just one hour.

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

In 1934, Swiss engineer Ernst Constam introduced a new way to move skiers uphill at Bolgen, near Davos. Instead of making riders grip a moving rope, his lift suspended J-shaped bars from an overhead cable; skiers could place the bar behind them and be towed while standing on their skis.

The Bolgen lift was only about 270 meters long and carried one person at a time, but it solved a major problem with rope tows: riders no longer needed to hang on with their arms alone. The design quickly evolved into the two-person T-bar, which became one of the defining lifts of mid-century ski areas.

Constam’s invention also helped make longer, steeper beginner slopes practical. Long after detachable chairs and gondolas became dominant, T-bars remained especially useful on glaciers, race hills, and terrain where an aerial lift would be expensive or difficult to build.

Around the Ski World

Elsewhere on the Web

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

Updated 10 hours ago

Albuquerque Journal Oct 18

Pajarito Mountain upgrades snowmaking ability ahead of 2026-27 season

Pajarito Mountain is undertaking a multimillion-dollar snowmaking overhaul that will provide dramatically more water and expand covered terrain by about 50 percent. The New Mexico area also plans to operate seven days a week for the first time, a notable shift for a resort rebuilding reliability after difficult seasons.

Read at Albuquerque Journal

The New York Times Oct 17

Toggenburg Mountain Sale Clears Path for Ski Area’s Return

Toggenburg Mountain has been sold to a local owner under a New York antitrust settlement, clearing the way for planned reopening in the 2027-28 season. The case highlights the competitive and community consequences when a regional ski area closes after being acquired by a larger operator.

Read at The New York Times

Salt Lake Business Journal Oct 17

David P. Hirasawa appointed general manager of Alta Ski Area

Alta has named David P. Hirasawa as its next general manager, succeeding longtime leader Michael Maughan. Hirasawa brings experience from Boyne Resorts and several major destination operations to one of Utah’s most prominent independent ski areas.

Read at Salt Lake Business Journal

El País Oct 17

Mueren tres excursionistas chilenos tras una avalancha en los Andes

Three mountaineers died and four others were injured in an avalanche near Portillo, Chile, while a group was ascending Cerro Los Tres Hermanos. The accident occurred outside the resort’s designated ski terrain and underscores the heightened hazards following heavy late-season snowfall.

Read at El País

Dein Skigebiet Oct 15

Where to ski this weekend: eleven resorts compared, and Zermatt gets 30 centimetres

The article surveys 11 Alpine resorts offering October skiing, including Zermatt’s reopening and Diavolezza’s start to the season. It provides a useful snapshot of where glacier skiing is currently available and how limited early-season terrain compares across destinations.

Read at Dein Skigebiet

Freeskier Oct 15

A Look Back at 60 Years of Snowmaking at Loveland

Loveland marked its 60th snowmaking anniversary by starting operations for the 2026-27 season and targeting a late-October or early-November opening. Crews are working toward an 18-inch top-to-bottom base before expanding coverage across the mountain.

Read at Freeskier

Freeskier Oct 13

North American Ski Resorts Rack Up October Snowfall

An early cold front delivered substantial October snowfall to resorts across Alberta, Montana, Wyoming and Utah, with some smaller areas reporting more than 18 inches. The storm offered the first meaningful taste of winter for parts of the Northern Rockies and Canadian Rockies.

Read at Freeskier

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

OCTOBER 11, 2026

West Virginia Proposes $1 Million for Canaan Valley Snowmaking Improvements

West Virginia has proposed $1 million for more snowmaking improvements at Canaan Valley, following a major upgrade program for the 2025-2026 season.

1 comment

OCTOBER 8, 2026

Liberty Mountain Resort to Host Fall Festival and Ski Swap October 17

Liberty Mountain's October 17 Fall Festival and Ski Swap will combine used gear sales and $25 tunes with food, music, children's activities, and a look at the equipment that readies the mountain for winter.

OCTOBER 7, 2026

Small Mountain, Long History: The Enduring Appeal of Bryce Resort

DCSki looks at how Bryce Resort's compact slopes, racing tradition, and year-round community have sustained its appeal across generations, including a major expansion in 2025.

2 comments

OCTOBER 6, 2026

The Race to Winter Begins: Ski Areas Test Snow Guns and Eye Opening Day

Snowmaking tests are underway as resorts across North America, including several high-elevation ski areas in North Carolina, prepare to compete for an early opening.

OCTOBER 5, 2026

Mountain Matchup: Seven Springs vs. Snowshoe

DCSki launches its new Mountain Matchup series by putting two Mid-Atlantic heavyweights head-to-head: Seven Springs and Snowshoe.

2 comments

OCTOBER 4, 2026

The Characters Who Helped Define Mid-Atlantic Skiing

DCSki looks back at the people whose voices, innovations, businesses, and personal connections helped define Mid-Atlantic skiing.

3 comments

SEPTEMBER 30, 2026

Vail Resorts Reports Lower Pass Sales After Difficult 2025-2026 Winter

Vail Resorts faces weaker Epic pass sales after a difficult western winter, even as it forecasts a rebound and continues investing in Mid-Atlantic ski areas.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2026

What Happened to Night Skiing?

Night skiing has long been a Mid-Atlantic tradition, but DCSki looks at why the hours available for skiing under the lights have gradually decreased in recent years.

5 comments

SEPTEMBER 29, 2026

U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2026

Ted Ligety, Hilaree Nelson, Stephani Victor, and six other contributors comprise the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026.

2 comments

DCSki Spotlight

Explore DCSki's Lost Ski Areas

Discover ski areas that once operated across the Mid-Atlantic through DCSki's growing historical archive.

Explore Lost Ski Areas →

Pine Forge, Pennsylvania

Pine Forge Ski Area

Near Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Pine Forge was a small 1960s-era ski hill remembered for steep, icy terrain, primitive rope tows and a later J-bar or poma lift. Former skiers recall soaked gloves, nutcracker tow clamps, YMCA outings and a humble lodge that may not have been the building later identified as Gracie’s restaurant.

10 reader comments

Analomink, Pennsylvania

Penn Hills Resort

Penn Hills Resort in Analomink, Pennsylvania, briefly offered two natural-snow rope tows for guests on about 100 feet of vertical. Today, the former slopes remain in use for sledding, with tow towers, sheaves, shacks, and a base lodge still marking the unusual little ski operation.

3 reader comments

Coudersport, Pennsylvania

Ski Denton

Ski Denton, in Denton Hill State Park near Coudersport, Pennsylvania, combined dependable snowfall with uncrowded skiing and 650 feet of vertical. Its 22 trails included the famously steep Avalanche and gladed Extreme, while ongoing state efforts have explored bringing downhill skiing back since the area closed in 2014.

3 reader comments

Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania

Willowbrook Ski Area

Willowbrook Ski Area in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, operated from 1960 to 2006 beside the Willowbrook Golf Course. Its inexpensive, community-oriented slopes became a gateway for local skiers and snowboarders, with terrain-park-style jumps, trick competitions, and weekday nights popular with area students.

4 reader comments

Explore DCSki

DCSki by the Numbers

1,796 published stories Browse more than two decades of DCSki reporting, features, interviews, and firsthand reports. Explore the Newsroom → 105,060 Forum posts Tap into years of Mid-Atlantic ski conversation, trip reports, advice, debates, and local knowledge. Join the discussion → 30 resort profiles Compare ski areas with maps, mountain statistics, practical details, and DCSki's candid perspective. Explore resorts → 127 Lost Ski Areas Discover the vanished ski hills and resorts preserved in DCSki's growing historical archive. Explore Lost Areas →

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