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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.

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.

1 comment

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.

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Updated An hour ago 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 400 views

Popular

Updated 7 hours 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 314 views

Updated 17 hours 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 946 views

Updated 22 hours ago by TheCrush

Moment Meridian 107 comments from big brains plz

TheCrush buys Moment Meridian 107s in Reno, briefly debates returning them, then decides to keep the full-rocker skis after others praise their powder performance and distinctive design.

9 posts 3 participants 656 views

Updated 4 days ago by marzNC

Indy Pass 2026-27

marzNC previews Indy Pass’s expanded 2026-27 lineup and Destination Upgrade option, while members debate its sales model, resort changes, and value for destination trips.

14 posts 4 participants 1,769 views

Popular

Updated 5 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 401 views

Visit the Forum for all discussions →

Mountain Weather

Mid-Atlantic Skiers' Forecast

Updated 35 minutes ago

A sharp weather change arrives late week. After mild, mostly sunny conditions through Veterans Day, rain spreads across much of the region Wednesday night and Thursday. Lower-elevation areas near Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia stay mainly wet, with temperatures reaching the 50s and limited cold afterward. The Poconos and northern Pennsylvania have better mixed-precipitation potential Thursday night into Friday, but rain remains part of the forecast at Big Boulder, Camelback and Jack Frost.

The best natural-snow signal is in the higher mountains, especially Canaan Valley Resort, Timberline, Snowshoe and Wisp. Those areas turn windy and sharply colder Thursday night, followed by periods of snow into Saturday, with overnight lows in the 20s. Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain also become blustery with rain changing to snow, while Blue Ridge and lower Mid-Atlantic resorts see mostly rain and only modest cooling. The cold Friday-through-weekend pattern could provide potential snowmaking temperatures in the higher terrain, though the wet warm-up comes first.

Weather Fact of the Day

Snow can lose depth even on a dry, bitterly cold day through **sublimation**, but it can also gain strength without melting. Inside a shaded snowpack, vapor moves from warmer grains toward colder ones, where it redeposits as larger, better-bonded crystals -- gradually turning loose powder into a firmer layer while exposed ridges quietly shrink.

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 1958, inventor Alden Hanson patented a snowmaking system that replaced the large external air compressor with a rotating propeller. Water was atomized mechanically and blown into the cold air, while a smaller nucleating system helped create the ice crystals needed for freezing.

The design became known as the “airless” or fan snowmaker. Early versions produced modest quantities, but they pointed toward a major operational shift: snowmaking could cover broad trails with mobile, electrically powered machines rather than relying entirely on fixed networks of compressed-air guns.

Modern fan guns are far more powerful and efficient, but their basic idea remains Hanson's legacy. By separating snow production from a central compressor plant, the invention helped make large-scale, flexible snowmaking practical.

Around the Ski World

Elsewhere on the Web

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

Updated 7 hours ago

POWDER Nov 10

New Freeride World Tour Documentary Series Goes Behind the Lines and Cliffs

The new No Second Run web series offers a behind-the-scenes look at the 2026 Freeride World Tour through the experiences of several leading skiers and snowboarders. Its arrival gives newcomers more context on freeride competition while offering longtime fans a closer look at the season’s major moments.

Read at POWDER

Vail Resorts Nov 9

Breckenridge Ski Resort Kicks Off Winter in The Kingdom

Breckenridge will open its 2026–27 season on Wednesday, November 11, five days after its original target, with Peak 8 and limited intermediate terrain available. The resort plans to continue snowmaking as conditions permit and will work toward expanding access to learning terrain and Peak 9.

Read at Vail Resorts

POWDER Nov 9

Camelback Resort, Pennsylvania, Reveals New Trail Map

Camelback’s new winter trail map adds Pokawachne Pass, a double-black trail, and Rabbit Hole, a blue route, marking the first new trails at the Pennsylvania resort in decades. The changes provide new route options ahead of a season whose opening date has not yet been announced.

Read at POWDER

POWDER Nov 9

Video Captures Massive Avalanche Releasing on New Zealand’s Tallest Peak, Forecasters Issue Warning

A natural wet-slab avalanche on Aoraki/Mount Cook ran roughly 1,500 meters after a rockfall trigger. New Zealand’s avalanche service is warning that warm, wet conditions and continued rain are keeping spring snow and ice hazards elevated in the high mountains.

Read at POWDER

POWDER Nov 9

There Are Now 6 Open Ski Areas Across The United States

Six U.S. ski areas are now operating, including four in Colorado plus Mammoth Mountain and Mount Rose. The roundup highlights how early-season skiing is spreading geographically despite limited terrain and uneven opening conditions.

Read at POWDER

POWDER Nov 9

A Major Pattern Shift Could Bring Snow Back To The Rockies In The Coming Weeks

A developing weather-pattern change could bring several storm systems to the Sierra, Wasatch, Rockies and Tetons from November 13 through 18. Forecast projections call for the possibility of meaningful early-season snow, though timing and totals remain uncertain.

Read at POWDER

POWDER Nov 9

Ikon Base Pass Adds Three Days At Deer Valley For The 2026-27 Season

Ikon Base Pass holders will receive three days at Deer Valley for the first time, with reservations required and blackout dates applying. The access expansion arrives as Deer Valley prepares to add 200 acres and seven runs for the 2026–27 season, while Ikon also expands coverage in Austria and Wisconsin.

Read at POWDER

My NBC5 Nov 9

Killington Resort resumes snowmaking ahead of Killington World Cup event

Killington resumed snowmaking as Vermont temperatures cooled, focusing preparations on Superstar ahead of the Killington Cup on November 27–29. The resort has not yet announced its public opening date, after warm weather interrupted earlier snowmaking efforts.

Read at My NBC5

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

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Mid-Atlantic Skiers' Forecast

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