Mid-Atlantic skiers wondering whether November’s mild temperatures would mean a slow start to the season were rewarded this past weekend, as a double-barreled storm swept across the region, leaving over a foot of snow on the slopes of many ski resorts. As a happy coincidence, this past weekend was the time many Mid-Atlantic resorts chose to open for the season. A week of solid snowmaking combined with the fresh snow resulted in some of the best opening day conditions on record.

This week will see a gradual warming of daytime temperatures above freezing, but nighttime temperatures should still stay in snowmaking range.

A cross country skier makes his way through Kalorama Park Saturday in Northwest Washington D.C. Photo provided by John Sherwood.

In typical winters, local resorts rely entirely on snowmaking to open a handful of beginner trails by mid-December. With a boost from Mother Nature, opening day trail counts trended higher this year. And conditions were decidedly packed powder, not loose granular.

Visitors to Whitetail’s first weekend of operation were delighted to find packed powder conditions and 13-15 inches of snowfall. Photo provided by Whitetail Resort.

In less than one week, Pennsylvania’s Whitetail Resort went from bare ground to offering skiing and boarding on seven slopes, including the top-to-bottom Angel Drop run, which opened on Sunday. Eight-hour lift tickets over the weekend were just $15, leading to many delighted visitors. (Regular midweek pricing returns on December 8.) Whitetail was running three lifts, including its high-speed quad.

Snowmaking has begun on intermediates Limelight and Homerun, as well as expert trail Expedition. Over the summer, Whitetail installed new fan-style snowguns along Expedition, which should allow the expert trail to open earlier this season.

Sister resorts Ski Roundtop and Liberty Mountain Resort also opened for the season this past weekend. At Liberty, beginner trails First Class Area, Nova, Sneaky Pete, Dipsy Doodle, and Lower Blue Streak were open, along with intermediates Freedom Trail and Adventure Alley, and expert trail Upper Blue Streak. Several trails were left ungroomed for the powder hounds. Ski Roundtop opened with three trails.

Snowshoe Mountain Resort opened for the season with 13 trails. The West Virginia resort received a foot and a half of snow over the weekend. Photo provided by Snowshoe Mountain Resort.

West Virginia’s Snowshoe Mountain Resort captured the attention of skiers and boarders by opening 13 trails at the main Snowshoe area. Over the next week, many more trails will open. In total, snowmaking is underway on 30 trails. The Silver Creek area is set to come on-line this weekend, adding a number of trails to the open trail count. The snowguns are also roaring on Cupp Run, Snowshoe’s most popular expert trail with a 1,500-foot vertical. With continued cold temperatures this week, Snowshoe thinks there’s a good chance Cupp Run will open next weekend. Demo Days are scheduled for next weekend at Snowshoe.

Fresh snow meant opening day conditions worth remembering at Seven Springs Resort. The shot, above, shows the slopes on Sunday. Photo provided by John Sherwood.

On Sunday, Pennsylvania’s Seven Springs Resort had 15 slopes open for its third day of the season, with five chairlifts in operation.

Some of the first guests to Cannan Valley Resort. From left, Sherri Harold, an 18-year veteran of the resort welcomes John Gullet, center, and Tim Winkler. “I love the slopes, the view of the valley and the hospitality at Canaan Valley,” said Gullet. Photo provided by Canaan Valley Resort.

West Virginia’s Canaan Valley Resort opened for the season with three beginner trails. Chuck Trader, Managing Director for the resort, notes that additional trails should come on-line soon. Canaan Valley Resort is offering $25 lift tickets until December 25 for adults age 13 and up, and $19 for kids age 6-12. Trader hints that additional discounts can be found on Canaan Valley Resort’s web site. “Guests visiting the web site can print off a coupon offering a $10 lift ticket,” he said.

Nine trails are open at Maryland’s Wisp Resort, including Devil’s Drop, Squirrel Cage, The Face, Boulder Run, Deer Run, Grouse Way, Muskrat, Randal’s Run, and Belly Flop. Wisp received 8 inches of snow from the recent storm.

Although this past weekend saw a flurry of resort openings, not all Mid-Atlantic resorts are open yet. The number of open resorts should increase over the next week. In Pennsylvania, Alpine Mountain plans to open on December 13, while Blue Knob plans to open on December 12. Blue Mountain is planning to open on December 10, and Camelback plans to open December 11.

Three resorts are already open in Virginia, including The Homestead, Massanutten, and Wintergreen, all offering packed powder conditions. Bryce Resort plans to open on December 13.

North Carolina’s Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain Resorts are also both open.

DCSki Early Season Tips