Given the reaction on social media today about the light snow, it's time for the annual Snowshoe thread.
Love it. hate it, fire away.
PS - Light Snow at Mtn Lodge - snowshoemtlodge.com
I'll start. :D
Never been. It's 5.5 hours from me - same as Hunter. Vermont is 7-7.5 and my pass works at all of those places. I'd rather drive the extra distance and have options rather than an only show in town. I'd consider going with a group or an organized club trip to try it out, but I'd sooner go to New England if driving. If I felt like flying, can get a nonstop to SLC out of BWI for the same amount of time and be skiing those resorts.
If I had an Ikon pass, I'd probably still go to New England over Snowshoe. Not a knock on the hill itself as it always looked like a great place, but it's just so darn isolated.
I'm at 9 hours to Killington vs 4 hours to Snowshoe. Worth it to me to do some long weekends to Snowshoe that aren't holiday weekends when the crowds are horrendous. Not worth it to drive 9 hours each way to spend two days in VT.
superguy wrote:
I'll start. :D
Never been. It's 5.5 hours from me - same as Hunter. Vermont is 7-7.5 and my pass works at all of those places. I'd rather drive the extra distance and have options rather than an only show in town. I'd consider going with a group or an organized club trip to try it out, but I'd sooner go to New England if driving. If I felt like flying, can get a nonstop to SLC out of BWI for the same amount of time and be skiing those resorts.
If I had an Ikon pass, I'd probably still go to New England over Snowshoe. Not a knock on the hill itself as it always looked like a great place, but it's just so darn isolated.
Mongo wrote:
I'm at 9 hours to Killington vs 4 hours to Snowshoe. Worth it to me to do some long weekends to Snowshoe that aren't holiday weekends when the crowds are horrendous. Not worth it to drive 9 hours each way to spend two days in VT.
superguy wrote:
I'll start. :D
Never been. It's 5.5 hours from me - same as Hunter. Vermont is 7-7.5 and my pass works at all of those places. I'd rather drive the extra distance and have options rather than an only show in town. I'd consider going with a group or an organized club trip to try it out, but I'd sooner go to New England if driving. If I felt like flying, can get a nonstop to SLC out of BWI for the same amount of time and be skiing those resorts.
If I had an Ikon pass, I'd probably still go to New England over Snowshoe. Not a knock on the hill itself as it always looked like a great place, but it's just so darn isolated.
Yeah, where you live and the travel time determines whether or not a place is worth it. Were I in your situation, I'd agree, but my location changes that.
RodneyBD wrote:
What is happening with potential trail/expansion of terrain south of Soaring Eagle lift?
I haven't heard anything close to official about that, but would love to see it.
I'm excited to see how the changes around Skidder slope will change the dynamic at the top of the mountain. I know it will make me more likely to take Grabhammer lift. It was already a favorite of our family, even if it is super slow the shorter wait times usually made it worth it on a busy day, but then you were limited to one of the blues below it. That will be nice to have Grabhammer trail as an option off the top of Grabhammer lift and even the Hootenanny trails if you are willing to skate/pole over there. I wonder how this will change the experience for the 1st-timer lessons. There isn't as much room where the magic carpet seems to be for those who would not yet be comfortable getting on a chairlift.
This page has some drone footage of the demolition of the Shavers Center yesterday.
I think it is a public link
Snowshoe had their guns on for a short time this morning near Ballhooter. My buddy has my old nest cam in one of his condos at Mtn Lodge.
nickhaas212 wrote:
Why does Snowshoe keep canceling chairlift projects? Does Alterra not believe in funding this resort? It dissapeared from Lift Blog's upcoming lifts for 2023 and 2024. This is the second time in two years.
At least before shavers center collapsed the new powder monkey was still on the table. I wouldn’t be surprised if alterra is re-evaluating the lifts as part of needing to replace shavers center. There was a decent investment in snowmaking and grading this summer as well so saying alterra isn’t funding the resort would be false, it’s just not as glamorous or obvious as some of the huge projects at other resorts.
It’s probably worth evaluating the new shavers center and lifts together for both $$$ and flow reasons. I’d expect an update sometime in the next few months. I’m hoping them needing to rebuild that building actually results in a different plan than they originally had.
Spoke too soon.. on Facebook now
“ANNOUNCEMENT TIME!!! We are extremely stoked to inform you that next spring we will be replacing our Powder Monkey chairlift with a brand-new fixed-grip, quad (4-seater) ahead of the 2023/2024 Winter Season. The new lift will increase uphill capacity, ease congestion in the Basin area, and improve access to our legendary Western Territory area.
The current Powder Monkey lift is a triple (3-seater), that was installed in 1977. This will be the first new chairlift on the mountain since the Soaring Eagle Express lift was installed in 2006.“
Yeah they turned the guns on Saturday evening and they were stilling running when I left Sunday morning, We had a light dusting of natural snow, too. I'm hoping they will be able to open as planned.
What about the new planned blue run over on Western? Is that still in play?
Snowshoe posted opening
11/22 pass holders only
11/23 general public
Approx 12 trails including Gandy Dancer and Progression Park
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
Snowshoe posted opening
11/22 pass holders only11/23 general public
Approx 12 trails including Gandy Dancer and Progression Park
Several Alterra resorts are opening a day early for pass holders only. As are a few Boyne resorts. Killington has done that for a while. Ikon holders qualify.
This is just incredible
I saw on Facebook that the first whale is Mount Ballhooter, elevation 4849. Haha!
Bonzski wrote:
Nice whale pics BlueDon!
Who's going to be there tomorrow?
Who's going to be there Weds?
Powder monkey was the first time I rode in a triple chair lift. I thought it was amazing. I remember at the basin there was a rock formation, that kinda looked like an old mans face. They stuck a log into its 'mouth' and painted the tip red.
I tried to find a photo of that everywhere and couldnt. I remember having a camera with me once but who knows what happened to those pictures. Kinda makes me sad because that was one of the fond memories I had with my father who recently passed away.
Time flies. Enjoy it while you last on this earth. It will be nice to see the change of lift to increase capacity, however one would argue that should have been a fast lift. But oh well.
BTW while it's on my mind. I have to say that Snowshoe's drive in feels like big mountain skiing. If you ever driven into park city from Ogden you know what I mean. You feel like you are driving to a point that is so close yet so far and everything changes dramatically as you go up. The least impressive drive to a resort for me was Holiday Valley NY.
I have a T Shirt and a hoodie with this on it
Grumpy dad wrote:
Powder monkey was the first time I rode in a triple chair lift. I thought it was amazing. I remember at the basin there was a rock formation, that kinda looked like an old mans face. They stuck a log into its 'mouth' and painted the tip red.
I tried to find a photo of that everywhere and couldnt. I remember having a camera with me once but who knows what happened to those pictures. Kinda makes me sad because that was one of the fond memories I had with my father who recently passed away.
YOU MADE MY DAY SIR!
I didnt know they swapped the cigar out for a cig. That's funny.
Do you think someone carved that out or was that natural? It couldnt be natural. Or was there two heads and one had a cigar and one a cig? I cant remember, I just remember the cigar guy with about 2' of snow on top of his head lol.
I skied those trees down to powder monkey like a fool with my dad. Dad was a tall guy and was constantly getting wapped with branches. Me as a kid, I was just ripping through there.
Edit: I just noticed that ski tip in the picture. Dynastar SKINNY SKIS! Yes sir!
Edit#2: I just ordered a canvas print. It's 1:1.5 ratio. I didnt want to go too big as Im sure it's already going to be super pixelated. So 18x12 for $31 plus an exorbitant shipping price.
I love when resorts list a tiny connecting trail as a trail.
7S should name the run out from the cortina chair to the Avalanche chair. Call it a trail so they can say they have more open.
Hit Snowshoe for opening passholders day and it was absolutely gorgeous. Bluebird day rising to upper 30's, low 40's from low 20's skied opening till about 2. Snow was crisp and held up all day, with amazing coverage. Guns had just turned off, no ice, no bare spots, no slush, just well groomed and some nice fresh chalky gun powder on Gandy. Terrain Park run was fun to ski with the rollers. They also had Hootenany to Flue open for another option. Worth opening day even though they saved Spruce for the next day.
The reworked skidder area is pretty neat. They have created lanes to improve traffic flow as you exit right from Ballhooter. You can also now take Crosscut and go left around Grabhammer and access Gandy or Heisler. The covered carpet repositioning is ready to take skiers up to the crest after offloading Grabhammer-we will see how this works.
Looked like the scoreboard was updated with electronic open/close signage for each trail and lift. Perhaps this is a precursor to RFID. I suspect the new Powder Monkey FG Quad going in next year will start the RFID rollover. Weird without Shaver Center.
In my triumphant return to the Mid Atlantic I was at Snowshoe Black Friday. I was greeted by rain, fog and wind! It was like I never left ;)
Also, the changes (in the last 20 years) totally confused me. Driving in on the "new" road" past Top of the World I got so confused. It didn't help that visibility was about 50 yards. Loved the village. Missed Shavers. The "face" mentioned above was gone but it was good to see those 1970's condos still standing proudly. The slopes where fun but I can see how the crowds will crush them. I can see how the new lift next year will greatly help the flow. Lifties where a little militant, but it is early they will get jaded soon. I had a lift ticket fall off for the first time ever....Luckly I had the stub!
I will be back but mid-week only for sure!
oldensign wrote:
I will be back but mid-week only for sure!
Smart move, for sure! Sounds like a fun trip, despite the rain. I'm bummed we didn't get out there, we had been able to ski there on Thanksgiving weekend when it was open for several years and really enjoyed it despite the very limited terrain.
Two mid-week passes for $129
Bone dry at Arbuckles. Not even a portable set up at the bottom yet. (Screenshot 12/13/22 at 7:15 AM)
swoop wrote:
Does anyone know if they started blowing Cupp???
Snowshoe is currently trying to open up the Soaring Eagle lift for this weekend, THEN
they will begin to tackle the Western Territory side of the mountain. Cupp Run and Upper Shay's
can open up pretty quickly as long as the weather cooperates. I'm leaving Th to ski Fri-Sun there.
Silver Creek is scheduled to open this weekend too.
From the shoe this morning Fri 12/16 ...
Good morning from the 'Shoe! We've got an inch of fresh snow, and the trail count is going up with both Silver Creek and Soaring Eagle now open. We're hoping to open Logslide and Widowmaker by early next week. Our snowmakers also got started "across the road" last night so the countdown to Cupp is officially on! Stay tuned for more updates on the Western Territory in the next few days. The forecast is looking fantastic for around-the-clock snowmaking and several shots at natural snow over the next week.
Looking into the crystal ball...Cupp could be open by Christmas!!!
Yesterday was a surprise mini pow day. Started the morning with a couple inches and kept falling well into the afternoon.
It's -8F and windy.....but there's lots of dedicated skiers/riders out there! Good to have the fix-grips!
Got 3rd tracks on Cupp opening today. Nobody around, did over dozen laps skiing up to chair each each time. Leg burn kept me warm while carving railroad tracks. Surface was spectacular, starting out frozen carpet then slowly changing to sluff layer on top. Second round of whale building on upper Shays, would expect it opening this week.
Basin side - Grab Hammer was choice with Spruce and Gandy close 2nds. All had great snow. No lines at Ballhooter another pleasant surprise. Guns blowing whales on Ballhooter and Knot Bumper.
Bonzski wrote:
No lines at Ballhooter another pleasant surprise. Guns blowing whales on Ballhooter and Knot Bumper.
Thanks for the report Bonzski! Sounds like some quality laps! Can't believe there were not crowds on basin? This IS Christmas week right? Expect tomorrow will be a different story.
swoop wrote:
Bonzski wrote:
No lines at Ballhooter another pleasant surprise. Guns blowing whales on Ballhooter and Knot Bumper.
Thanks for the report Bonzski! Sounds like some quality laps! Can't believe there were not crowds on basin? This IS Christmas week right? Expect tomorrow will be a different story.
Yeah I was very surprised. Maybe today was a big swap day with guests leaving & arriving 🤔
Looks like the crowds found Ballhooter today, based on the webcam. Maybe the daytrippers all targeted today as the day to go? Bluebird, mid 40s can draw a crowd.
Harder to see liftlines on the TLM webcam but based on how far back you can see the singles line extending looks to be busy there as well.
wgo wrote:
Harder to see liftlines on the TLM webcam but based on how far back you can see the singles line extending looks to be busy there as well.
Yeah, it was crowded Wed -- singles line seemed to move slower than the others. They seem to strategically stop panning the cam just uphill of the lift lines. Upcoming weather's not looking great, so figured I;d get a day in before it warmed up & got wet.
Shotmaker wrote:
It’s snowing on the mountain this Friday am. Predicting steady snow through Saturday afternoon. Totals look to be 4” with as much as 8”. Bluebird on Sunday temps will stay below 32 much of the day. Should be a great weekend at the Shoe!
To not jinx us, I'll leave my powder skis at home.
Thank you for your consideration!
Bonzski wrote:
Shotmaker wrote:
It’s snowing on the mountain this Friday am. Predicting steady snow through Saturday afternoon. Totals look to be 4” with as much as 8”. Bluebird on Sunday temps will stay below 32 much of the day. Should be a great weekend at the Shoe!To not jinx us, I'll leave my powder skis at home.
Bonzski wrote:
Shotmaker wrote:
It’s snowing on the mountain this Friday am. Predicting steady snow through Saturday afternoon. Totals look to be 4” with as much as 8”. Bluebird on Sunday temps will stay below 32 much of the day. Should be a great weekend at the Shoe!To not jinx us, I'll leave my powder skis at home.
Hahaha 😝
Some snow is in the forecast every day over the next 10 days!
Mongo wrote:
What happened today? I saw a FB post that Ballhooter was closed but comments were shut off and I couldn’t ask why. Something about ice?
Yes, per usual all the HSQs were shut down due to the sleet/ice. PowderMonkey, Grabhammer and PowderRidge continued running. The need to operate in these conditions is why the replacement lift for PowderMonkey will remain a fixed grip.
The long weekend was... not that great. Ballhooter was down for mechanical reasons on Friday and OH MY GOD the lines at Grabhammer and Powder Monkey were instantly horrendous. Crowded as heck on Saturday and Sunday. Miserable cold rain on Sunday, so we left early.
I did like the new magic carpet setup at the top of Grabhammer though. My teenage son didn't have the patience for it and went stomping up the hill anyway lol but good enough for daddy.
Mongo wrote:
“The long weekend was... not that great. Ballhooter was down for mechanical reasons on Friday and OH MY GOD the lines at Grabhammer and Powder Monkey were instantly horrendous. Crowded as heck on Saturday and Sunday. Miserable cold rain on Sunday, so we left early.”
It appears a few school systems had teacher workdays so there were many more families than typical on the mountain. Ballhooter was fixed by Saturday. This downtime can and does happen at every resort from time to time. Agree Sunday was a downer but the snow quality held up for much of the day and was exceptional on Friday & Saturday.
“I did like the new magic carpet setup at the top of Grabhammer though. My teenage son didn't have the patience for it and went stomping up the hill anyway lol but good enough for daddy.”
If and when Ballhooter is down (mechanical or freezing rain) it does keep the entire basin accessible. What I learned is most people side step facing the more difficult way. They have their tips pointed up the incline rather than rotating 180 where they can be perpendicular to the slope and traverse at a slight angle towards the entrance. I hope you have a better time should you return!
Snowshoe Mtn from this weekend! Includes a full-length run from Cupp! I hope you guys enjoy the video!
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
I can't remember the last time Snowshoe closed the lifts for lightning ........ IN THE WINTER.......
Been there when that happened. About a dozen years ago in early March during a SkiSoutheast Summit weekend. I was over in Silver Creek and spent an hour in the little cafe building with my daughter (tween then) and a few other folks. Enjoyed the hot chocolate.
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
I can't remember the last time Snowshoe closed the lifts for lightning ........ IN THE WINTER.......
We were there st Patrick’s day weekend a few years back. They roped off the top of the trails but never really said why. It was warm and cloudy so people were just kinda hanging out around skidder. Frank Deberry eventually walked out there trying to get people off the snow and at least in the village. About 30 mins later they reopened the lifts, they ended up running them until 5:30 that night.
They are still holding onto 57 trails...not bad considering the weather. The area is experiencing -75 inches of normal snowfall over the last 3 years. Thank god for the snow makers. The weather should turn around in the next week or two. Heading to Targhee and Lost Trail on Sunday...lots of snow in the forecast.
Found some good wiggles out there this AM in the basin from last nights snowfall before aborting the masses and spending time at the less busy lifts.
Any of y'all know anything about this proposed 6 person lift / gondola on this page and what potential 3 pack it would replace? Doesn't make much sense to me.
wrayc21 wrote:
skiresort.info
Any of y'all know anything about this proposed 6 person lift / gondola on this page and what potential 3 pack it would replace? Doesn't make much sense to me.
That’s been listed on that page for years. There was rumor about something connected silver creek to the basin, but as far as I know that lift on the website is a fantasy.
powder monkey replacement is real though
I really do not see a solution. Ballhooter serves the bulk of trails. No one says "meet me at the Powderigde lift at noon", they all meet at the Boathouse and have no choice but to ride Ballhooter. It's the only way to the Village most days. They run Grabhammer on weekends to help.
Would a 6 pack help? I have my doubts. Look at the Avalance 6 at 7S, it's a zoo on weekends.
It's 1130 on a Thu and it's crowded yet there are 3 people in line at Powder Monkey.
I'll get a taste of the torture tomorrow.
SeniorSki wrote:
The real discussion should be how to enhance, and reconfigure the ballhooter lift. Not 100% sure, that lift seems to be the busiest and most crowded on the mt. by far.
I guess the reconfigured skidder area has not helped? I think the hope was that more people would be willing to use the grabhammer lift and then take the short ride up but I am guessing this did not happen. Too bad, in years past I have been ok with using grabhammer and then hiking a bit when Ballhooter is crazy. This season I have only been to Snowshoe once - President's day, when crowds were light and there was no need to employ any of the usual crowd avoidance techniques. I still avoided Ballhooter from around 10 to 1, just in case.
Timberline looks good this weekend, but my Ikon pass will send me to Snowshoe.
Ski while you can, and remember that any snow is good snow!
Ski the Shoe, Ski WV.
wgo wrote:
I guess the reconfigured skidder area has not helped? I think the hope was that more people would be willing to use the grabhammer lift and then take the short ride up but I am guessing this did not happen. Too bad, in years past I have been ok with using grabhammer and then hiking a bit when Ballhooter is crazy. This season I have only been to Snowshoe once - President's day, when crowds were light and there was no need to employ any of the usual crowd avoidance techniques. I still avoided Ballhooter from around 10 to 1, just in case.
I’ve seen pictures of long lines at grabhammer on the worst weekends. More importantly though it’s provided better village access during ice or wind.
Long term increasing uphill capacity to the village could make the narrow greens going down the mountain even more crowded. It’ll be interesting to see how having the increased capacity on powder monkey impacts the trails over there. A six person ballhooter with increased chair distance would only minimally increase uphill capacity but would also be a bit more wind resistant. I could see this being the next lift update, especially if the expansion off soaring eagle remains paused for environmental reasons.
I had a season pass there for years and opted to not renew. The crowds were what killed it for me.
For a while I'd go down mid-week and it was never that bad, tolerable. When there was no guarantee anymore that I wouldn't spend the majority of the time on a Tuesday trying to dodge crowds I gave up.
I know Silver Creek is the answer, but I live by the Highlands places and can ski more vert there with a short drive. I really enjoyed Western and a few trails on the Basin side when there are no lines.
Another factor that you'll get anywhere in the MidA, but especially Snowshoe, a lot of out of control skiers. Widowmaker is named appropriately because you have to dodge people straight lining it and if you don't you'll be DOA...!
FWIW for the 2 seasons that we had Snowshoe season passes (2017-18 and 2018-19) we were able to do reasonably well on weekends by skiing Ballhooter before 10, getting over to WT for the middle of the day (either via Powder Monkey or being willing to skate/hike from the top of grabhammer to the little path behind Shavers) and then getting over to the Widowmaker pod for the last few hours of the day. Sometimes Ballhooter would be OK after 3, sometimes not, so we would change our plans based on that. And there have been times we have had to use Grabhammer and then hike to get to the slope that goes to the Widowmaker pod. Generally I could still hit around 20 runs even on a Saturday, but there was a lot of mental effort and at least some hiking.
Am I wrong on thinking the limiting factor on the number of people on the mountain is lodging? Hard to believe there are lots of people just coming out “for the day” and it’s not like there are a lot of nearby hotels. Has SS increased on-mountain lodging capacity in recent years? If not then why is it more crowded recently?
I do think the magic carpet at the top of Grabhammer helped.
I have been going to Snowshoe a while. I have noticed in the last 2 years that you have to book earlier and earlier to get something even remotely affordable on the mountain. So they are probably filling the on mountain lodging more than in the past. While Snowshoe has always seemed busy to me, it seems busier now. Would agree there are not many places to stay off mountain and probably not a ton of locals skiing. Whenever I ski there I meet people from all over the South, Midwest and Mid Atlantic as well. It seems the best reliable, good snow option for driving to a ski place south of Vermont. Good for Snowshoe. They are in a perfect place to reap the rewards of the pandemic surge in outdoor activities. As for me, maybe I will go to Vermont more. And Timberline is a good alternative for me, but of course they are busy too now and lodging is very limited as well. And so it goes.....
Mongo wrote:
Am I wrong on thinking the limiting factor on the number of people on the mountain is lodging? Hard to believe there are lots of people just coming out “for the day” and it’s not like there are a lot of nearby hotels. Has SS increased on-mountain lodging capacity in recent years? If not then why is it more crowded recently?
I do think the magic carpet at the top of Grabhammer helped.
I think the days of the "affordable on the mountain" are over. As a former homeowner, I'm shocked at the prices people are paying for condos. The costs to own a place up there have skyrocketed. Cleaning, linens, and condo fees are at all time highs. Rental taxes are 14% now that they added the 2% resort tax on rentals. Owners are passing all of these on to guests.
My buddy runs Mountaintop Condos in Snowshoe. They do not open their winter calendar until Oct. The demand is always there. I see it every day as I do some backend customer service work for them.
IMO, Ikon and reliable conditions are driving the masses there. Could you imagine if you booked lodging for 7 Springs or Timberline this week? Both are closed right now and will likely be closed until Sat.
MarkJ wrote:
I have been going to Snowshoe a while. I have noticed in the last 2 years that you have to book earlier and earlier to get something even remotely affordable on the mountain. So they are probably filling the on mountain lodging more than in the past. While Snowshoe has always seemed busy to me, it seems busier now. Would agree there are not many places to stay off mountain and probably not a ton of locals skiing. Whenever I ski there I meet people from all over the South, Midwest and Mid Atlantic as well. It seems the best reliable, good snow option for driving to a ski place south of Vermont. Good for Snowshoe. They are in a perfect place to reap the rewards of the pandemic surge in outdoor activities. As for me, maybe I will go to Vermont more. And Timberline is a good alternative for me, but of course they are busy too now and lodging is very limited as well. And so it goes.....
Mongo wrote:
Am I wrong on thinking the limiting factor on the number of people on the mountain is lodging? Hard to believe there are lots of people just coming out “for the day” and it’s not like there are a lot of nearby hotels. Has SS increased on-mountain lodging capacity in recent years? If not then why is it more crowded recently?
I do think the magic carpet at the top of Grabhammer helped.
On-mtn lodging is the largest limiting factor but I do run across a lot of day-trippers which is reflected by the ToW parking lot being full. Snowshoe hasn't increased on-mtn lodging since early 2000s but there's been an influx from others, the largest being the Corduroy Inn expansion. However counter to that is the COVID real estate frenzy brought in many new homeowners who don't rent their place, the net result being less supply. There's also been an increase in non-Snowshoe reservation options such as Mountain Top Condos. While there's no chain hotels off-mtn, there are privately owned such as Mingo Lodge (formerly Brazenhead Inn) or Marlinton Motor Inn. In Elkins (1 hr drive) you can find chains and be central to both Snowshoe & CV.
I like the magic carpet option also. I wouldn't say it makes a big impact to Ballhooter line, but some it better than none.
I'm one of the day trippers. 2 hours up, a few hours of skiing, 2 hours home, and I do it once a week, midweek & preferably during an upslope event. I never stay on or near the mountain. And it's because of Ikon and the fact that I make trips out to Utah a couple of times a year, too.
Without the pass, I would never go to Snowshoe and would ski closer to home (Wintergreen mostly).
Like you and Blue Don said, I could see the Ikon pass would bring in more day trippers. And more visitors as well. Snowshoe is a victim of their own success. Definitely busy. But they have the altitude and the infrastructure. Best place south of Vermont. It is painful to pay more for lodging at Snowshoe than I do in Colorado, Utah, or Europe. But I can't drive those places. Will head up there this weekend. But will stay off mountain to keep things affordable.
The19thHole wrote:
I'm one of the day trippers. 2 hours up, a few hours of skiing, 2 hours home, and I do it once a week, midweek & preferably during an upslope event. I never stay on or near the mountain. And it's because of Ikon and the fact that I make trips out to Utah a couple of times a year, too.
Without the pass, I would never go to Snowshoe and would ski closer to home (Wintergreen mostly).
Same here. Every sunday I roadtrip. There definitely seems to be a sizeable amount of us in the Top of The World lot.
I do stay near the mountain a few times a year- either marlinton motor inn or in one of the nearby state park cabins. But I can't (don't want to) afford to stay on the mountain.
Like you I now live within a hour of Wintergreen/Massanutten but with the Ikon there is no reason to go to them. Especially Wintegreen which charges 160$ for a day pass and a season pass is the same price as the Ikon. So I just drive slightly further to Snowshoe
The19thHole wrote:
I'm one of the day trippers. 2 hours up, a few hours of skiing, 2 hours home, and I do it once a week, midweek & preferably during an upslope event. I never stay on or near the mountain. And it's because of Ikon and the fact that I make trips out to Utah a couple of times a year, too.
Without the pass, I would never go to Snowshoe and would ski closer to home (Wintergreen mostly).
rusty wrote:
This year I got an uphill setup and most of my skiing is a few laps in Silver Creek. No crowds no lines. Little bit of exercise. Completely changed my Snowshoe experience for the better.
But Silver Creek is closed now. Should I just end my season or should do something like tour Western after the slopes close?
I skied western last weekend. After this week's weather I doubt it has enough coverage to tour unless they decide to turn the guns on.
Just heard that Western's closed for the season.
Focus on the Basin for as long as they can......
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
Snowshoe is extending the season until 4/2/23 per their trail report today.
I saw the snows report and did a double take . This was not on my bingo card considering how this winter has gone.
rbrtlav wrote:
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
Snowshoe is extending the season until 4/2/23 per their trail report today.I saw the snows report and did a double take . This was not on my bingo card considering how this winter has gone.
I agree, but then again most everything skied well last weekend (Camp99 had a couple thin spots). I swear I heard the compressor on Western running Sunday morning but saw no evidence of guns running. Just a dream I suppose.
New Powder Monkey, Shavers Center and other Alterra news....
Western Territory at Snowshoe is Upper and Lower Cupp Run (the original),
and Upper and Lower Shay's Revenge (to the S.). You can ski/board Upper
Shay's to Lower Cupp but not the other way around.
Snowshoe upgrades a lift and replaces the torn down Shavers Center. The comments on their FB Page would make one think Snowshoe sacrificed everyone's first born. Good grief, people just like to complain.
It's funny - when they discontinued the Ridiculous Pass all the comments were "I'm done with Snowshoe" or "That's it for me, I'm going to Timberline". Heck, Snowshoe is busier now than they were with that $200 season pass.
jimw wrote:
Nice to confirm...Skytrac sounds like it would be a new lift. I have not heard anything else about the new trail on Western that was surveyed back in 2019. Also nice to hear they will be replacing Shaver's center.
SeniorSki wrote:
There was a trail up near top of the world condos, lift, snowmaking etc…I believe back in the 80’s or 90’s. The trail ran down the western slope similar to cup run, before shays. Just curious what happened to it?
Growing saplings.
SeniorSki wrote:
Curious what happened to the trail on the West side, that was parallel to Cup, just a bit to the South. Wasn’t there a cross over connect to the trail and Cup. I seem to remember the trail being a lot more narrow than Cup.
Here's a video of someone riding the trails from about 9 years ago.
I have heard it was more difficult to keep snow on Hawthorne and I would guess just not needed - Shay's Revenge is not that busy most of the time.
I think the fixed quad is underwhelming given Alterra is handing out express lifts to multiple other resorts. But, much better than nothing. I admit have not been to Shoe in several years.
Edit: I thought the video was very cool and hope they keep it mowed just for days like that.
pagamony wrote:
I have heard it was more difficult to keep snow on Hawthorne and I would guess just not needed - Shay's Revenge is not that busy most of the time.
I think the fixed quad is underwhelming given Alterra is handing out express lifts to multiple other resorts. But, much better than nothing. I admit have not been to Shoe in several years.
Edit: I thought the video was very cool and hope they keep it mowed just for days like that.
I've heard the same re Hawthorne.
New PM lift needs to be fixed-grip to have an option running when ice/wind causes detach (BH & SE) lifts to close.
Never gets mowed, now overgrown.
SeniorSki wrote:
There is a road on the map at the bottom however an artist rendition.
Hawthorn Valley Road. This road runs to the NW of the golf course and close to the bottom of the trail.
Bird Dog wrote:
The original idea for the Hawthorne lift/run was to link up the top of Snowshoe at Top of the World with the clubhouse at the Raven golf course down at the bottom.
Maybe. It was the brain-child of Snowshoe's then owner's (Frank Burford) brother (Joe) who was known to be impulsive. His most famous, and still evident, idea is the ill-fated "airport" on the backside of Silvercreek.
What is the scoop on the airport? Someone told me they "wanted to mine coal but couldn't get environmental approval so just built the airport and were able to dig all the coal out under the auspice of building the runway."
This set my BS detector off for a million reasons. It isn't on this map but surprisingly there are some surface mines in Pocohontas county. wvgs.wvnet.edu
My friend is a hobby pilot too and said "with the wind at top of Snowshoe I don't know how they ever expected to land small planes there"
But anyways would love to learn more about Snowshoe lore.
Bonzski wrote:
Bird Dog wrote:
The original idea for the Hawthorne lift/run was to link up the top of Snowshoe at Top of the World with the clubhouse at the Raven golf course down at the bottom.Maybe. It was the brain-child of Snowshoe's then owner's (Frank Burford) brother (Joe) who was known to be impulsive. His most famous, and still evident, idea is the ill-fated "airport" on the backside of Silvercreek.
rusty wrote:
What is the scoop on the airport? Someone told me they "wanted to mine coal but couldn't get environmental approval so just built the airport and were able to dig all the coal out under the auspice of building the runway.
Kinda have it backwards. Burfords wanted the airport and cut a deal with somebody to do the excavation in exchange for the coal. Well they didn't find any coal so operations stopped. I doubt EPA or FAA was involved in any planning/approval process.
This set my BS detector off for a million reasons. It isn't on this map but surprisingly there are some surface mines in Pocohontas county. wvgs.wvnet.edu
My friend is a hobby pilot too and said "with the wind at top of Snowshoe I don't know how they ever expected to land small planes there"
Duh! I doubt they ever gave it any thought.
But anyways would love to learn more about Snowshoe lore.
I skied Snowshoe last Sunday and Monday.
The snow was heavy and slow, so stay on the Blues
and Blacks on the basin because you'll be poling the Greens.
Jets were out in full force. I counted 7 jets buzzing the village on Monday.
Group of 4, then a pair, then a solo pilot. A complete Air Show!
DJ for a day add-on ticket? Is this a joke?
I saw on Facebook that they started tearing down the Powder Monkey lift. They took the chairs off a couple of weeks ago. There seems to be some chatter about the chairs going up for sale.
A few capex highlights from the 2023 State of the Shoe address...
1. New PM 4x fix-grip lift will include a loading conveyor with gates. No mention of RFID. Also, top terminal will be raised 10ft higher and moved to "skier's left" which I assume is riders right. This will reduce off-loading congestion and reduce skate to Western Territory. Ready for winter 23/24.
2. New Shavers center will be located "across from Skidder". I think this means more uphill, closer to Expedition Station. Ready for winter 24/25.
3. Water and air line replacements on terrain park and Skip Jack. Plus a team devoted to identifying and fixing leaks throughout the system to improve efficiency.
I think the policies regarding backpack speakers would be great and could be more restrictive !! PLEASE !!!! SS go for it !!!!!!!
Not sure what RFID would really do for Snowshoe. Attendants having to scan your tag is not really causing the lift lines to be slow. It's the number of people and the speed and capacity of the lifts. Hopefully the new PM lift will improve that. But a trip to other resorts makes it clear that PM is not the only Snowshoe lift that needs updating.
Mongo wrote:
Not sure what RFID would really do for Snowshoe. Attendants having to scan your tag is not really causing the lift lines to be slow. It's the number of people and the speed and capacity of the lifts. Hopefully the new PM lift will improve that. But a trip to other resorts makes it clear that PM is not the only Snowshoe lift that needs updating.
I agree, RFID won't shorten lines/waits, but they are often a component of gated terminals. I'm curious which lift you think need updated next? Perhaps one at Silvercreek?
Shotmaker wrote:
Bonzski I believe Cascade at Silver Creek would be the logical choice. Attendants who work there try to hold the chair back somewhat so your rear gets good contact with the seat. If you’re not in the correct loading place or the chair isn’t held back slightly you will get the upper calf thump.I’m sure you have this down pat but if you load with someone who isn’t accustomed to the timing/positioning or quirky nature of uneven loading it will make your take off interesting 🤔🤣.
Shotmaker that's my choice also. And while they're at it, push the upper terminal to upper Knifeblade. A better lift there would also serve to attract more guests to Silvercreek.
I know the loading issue so very well, especially when loading with young kids which is often.
Even before Silver Creek, I'd have them make Ballhooter a six, and replace Grabhammer with a lift that goes all the way to the top.
Bonzski wrote:
Mongo wrote:
Not sure what RFID would really do for Snowshoe. Attendants having to scan your tag is not really causing the lift lines to be slow. It's the number of people and the speed and capacity of the lifts. Hopefully the new PM lift will improve that. But a trip to other resorts makes it clear that PM is not the only Snowshoe lift that needs updating.
I agree, RFID won't shorten lines/waits, but they are often a component of gated terminals. I'm curious which lift you think need updated next? Perhaps one at Silvercreek?
jimw wrote:
IMO Conveyor belts are going to make the lines longer at Powder Monkey...but maybe over time people were learn how to use them..
When conveyor loading was added to the long base lift at Massanutten years ago, the main advantage was that the lift stopped completely less often. That lift serves a long green trail and is a way to access the upper mountain. Still stops a bit on a busy weekend with lots of newbies, but not 4-5 times during a ride up.
The people who complained and took a while to learn how to load the old Supreme triple at Alta when conveyor loading was added were the advanced/expert skiers. Was helpful for the intermediates who made their way over to Supreme. Supreme terrain includes some of the best blue groomers at Alta, in addition to the great off-piste terrain.
I don't want to see them improving both both Balhooter and Grabhammer as those slopes are too crowded already. Tough choice but I would upgrade Balhooter and leave Grabhammer for the old crusty skiers that can live with a short slow lift and a really bad skate over to the (old) day lodge.
I also feel like Shoe management has decided that Silve Creeks is the red headed step child. No goodies for you !
Bonzski wrote:
3. Water and air line replacements on terrain park and Skip Jack. Plus a team devoted to identifying and fixing leaks throughout the system to improve efficiency.
I volunteer to be a part of that team. All you have to do is ride up Ballhooter lift and you're sure to see 2-3 water leaks bubbling up through the ground. We joke that they are just hot tubs for squirrels. I was up there this weekend, they have some pretty big holes dug very close to the deck of Appalaichian Kitchen, I'm guessing that is where the top tower will end up.
eggraid wrote:
Bonzski wrote:
3. Water and air line replacements on terrain park and Skip Jack. Plus a team devoted to identifying and fixing leaks throughout the system to improve efficiency.
I volunteer to be a part of that team. All you have to do is ride up Ballhooter lift and you're sure to see 2-3 water leaks bubbling up through the ground. We joke that they are just hot tubs for squirrels. I was up there this weekend, they have some pretty big holes dug very close to the deck of Appalaichian Kitchen, I'm guessing that is where the top tower will end up.
I noticed utility lines in those holes. Mostly electrical.
