The weather today feels more like January. That’s a huge relief for area ski resorts, who are now busily pumping artificial snow onto their slopes in preparation for the upcoming holiday weekend.
Nighttime temperatures will dip into the 20’s at all area resorts every night this week, and will stay low during the day. Mixed precipitation is in the forecast for Thursday and Friday.
Over in West Virginia, Snowshoe has already forgotten about last week and has been making snow steadily.
“When Snowshoe and Silver Creek’s snowmaking system is operating at full capacity, it can produce over 1,800 tons of snow an hour. That’s the same as covering three football fields with a foot of snow,” says Snowshoe’s Joe Stevens.
Snowshoe currently has a 20-60 inch groomed frozen granular base, with 45 trails open. Only a few trails were closed due to the warm temperatures.
Western Maryland’s Wisp has also survived the tropical weather in tact.
“Wisp is holding its ground,” says Wisp’s Derek Versteegen. “Our base depth is still more than four feet in many areas and 92% of our open terrain has more than 14 inches of base,” he explains. With snowmaking back in operation, Wisp hopes to quickly fortify its terrain.
18 slopes and trails remain open at Seven Springs, with a groomed granular surface. Seven Springs is busy patching thin spots with snow and increasing base depth.
Whitetail, Ski Roundtop, and Ski Liberty all succumbed to the warm weather and had to temporarily close, but they aim to fix that in a hurry.
Ski Roundtop expects to re-open Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m. The Van’s Ultimate Rider Series Half Pipe originally scheduled for January 9 has been rescheduled for January 30; the Boardercross planned for January 14 will now be held on January 21.
Ski Liberty’s goal is to re-open starting this weekend. Likewise, Whitetail is hoping to re-open in a few days, but both resorts suggest you call ahead to confirm reopening information.
M. Scott Smith is the founder and Editor of DCSki. Scott loves outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, kayaking, skiing, and mountain biking. He is an avid photographer and writer.
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