What’s New for 2004: Timberline Resort
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Timberline Four Seasons Resort and Conference Center has cut a new trail for the 2004-2005 season. Glade Runner, a black diamond trail cut into the trees between Upper Thunder Draft and Upper White Lightning, will provide some gladed skiing at the West Virginia resort. Timberline also has tentative plans to cut an even longer trail to the right of Dew Drop for the 2005-2006 winter season.
With pump and pipe improvements, Timberline expects a 15% boost in snowmaking capacity this season. The resort also added four new polecats.
Timberline will also be beaming near-real-time images of the slopes direct to the Internet this season with two state-of-the-art webcams.
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The new Glade Runner trail is rated a black diamond. Image provided by Timberline Four Seasons Resort.
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Timberline's Webcams are live. The second cam is pending until they find a good location and are able to get a good signal from it.
I see on the Timberline trail map that there is a new trail for 05-06 that will be on the western side of the mountain (adjacement to Dew Drop and Almost Heaven). Does anyone know if this will be a beginner or intermediate? It would be nice to be a low level intermediate for those ready to take the next step from Salamander and the lower half of some of the blue runs from the mid station. Will this trail have snowmaking coverage? If they have the money for a big trail like that can't they upgrade their lift to a high speed lift (esp. a six pack)?
It would probably be a blue or possible a green depending on the terrain. Since they are opening up that side of the mountain to new mountain lots I think they'd want to make it Green. It would be great to open up some more moderate terrain to take some of the pressure off Salamander.
I spoke with a few members of the Timberline Ski Patrol this weekend, they indicated it would be a blue.
This trail will be a real estate run if it ever happens. And if does happen it will be a serious set back to openineg trails on the mountain. The proposed trail faces southwest like upper dew drop-so like upper dew drop it will be severely wind blown and and get lots of melting sushine. In other words it will need lots of snowblowing dedication from a snowblowing system that is to say the best archaic. The result-taking guns away from other trails in order to keep their real estate trail open will be the priority. Sorry for the negativity, but I'm a local and I've skied at timberline for the last fifteen years over sixty days a year. The mountian has great potential and excellent terrain, but this trail is just one more example of the poor planning and lack of general foresight by an owner and general manager who have no background in the ski industry and no interest in learning or listening to anybody who does. Such ashame, and there will never be a new lift or a skier minded investment until there is a new owner.
