Who will open first?
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swoop
November 8, 2022
Member since 11/30/2017 🔗
71 posts

Who will Open First?

North Carolina's Sugar Mountain?

West Virginia's Timberline Mountain or Snowshoe Mountain?

Pennsylvania's Blue Mountain or Seven Springs?

...or is there a wild card? If so name it and why you think they have a chance.

Source Snowpak (Timberline data not reliable so not shown)

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marzNC - DCSki Supporter 
November 8, 2022
Member since 12/10/2008 🔗
3,320 posts
Don't count out Cataloochee.  Sugar and Cataloochee typically are trying to outdo each other to be the "first to open" in NC.  Cat has opened in November the last five years, around Nov. 20 the last two winters.
superguy
November 8, 2022
Member since 03/8/2018 🔗
518 posts

Blue Knob. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

7S will be one of the first in the region. Snowshoe is a strong contender.

Keith_Moon
November 9, 2022
Member since 02/19/2019 🔗
207 posts
Sugar or Cataloochee 
swoop
November 10, 2022
Member since 11/30/2017 🔗
71 posts

Updated forecast

Sugar - looking good!

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Cat - not bad either...a little more mild1668122383_xughvrsrrhdy.jpg

Timberline - looking sweet!

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Snowshoe- ditto!

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Blue Mountain

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marzNC - DCSki Supporter 
November 10, 2022
Member since 12/10/2008 🔗
3,320 posts

Appalachian in Boone, NC is targeting Nov. 18 as opening day.

App has installed RFID for 2022-23.  It's the first NC ski area to implement RFID.

Moe Gull
November 11, 2022
Member since 09/5/2022 🔗
50 posts
Seven Springs if I had to gamble on one. They should start blowing snow on Saturday night and it looks like cold temps from there.
Thefirewarde
November 12, 2022
Member since 09/17/2015 🔗
112 posts

Sugar and Cat are traditionally really, really aggressive - Cat has beaten Killington by one hour just to say they did it. Both have the firepower to make something happen quick, too - especially with lows in the lower 20s.

Blue Mtn is in an awkward spot where they can't run Vista Lift easily - it unloads right next to an ongoing lift install project and blocks access. They don't have a lift for Main Street/Burma, their typical opening day route. And Paradise or Dreamweaver, their options on the other peak, just don't have the same firepower as Main Street (Paradise is slightly wider with 100' spaced double towers. Main Street has a mix of 70' spaced single and double towers on both sides - Paradise has more than 60% more trail per gun, though they can supplement this with a few portable guns too.) I don't expect Blue to be quite as aggressive this early season as they would be with all lifts fully functioning.

marzNC - DCSki Supporter 
November 12, 2022 (edited November 12, 2022)
Member since 12/10/2008 🔗
3,320 posts

Seems pretty clear App will be able to open on Nov. 18.  Everyone in western NC is watching Sugar and Cat to see what happens in the next week.

Here We Go! Expect The Roar Of Snowguns To Echo Through Several Mountaintops This Evening - Nov. 12

" . . .

As with every ski season, Cataloochee and Sugar always scrambles to be the first to open and this year won’t be any different. We will be watching for Chris Bates and his team to trigger the snowmaking system on later this evening as temperatures are expected to drop to 22° overnight at the Maggie Valley, North Carolina ski area. Highs on Sunday are forecasted to be around freezing (to maybe a notch warmer) and that could allow for some around-the-clock snowmaking there as well. Temperatures look favorable for overnight snowmaking Wednesday night through the weekend. Monday and Tuesday nights temps might be borderline.

. . ."


pboulay
November 12, 2022
Member since 11/21/2013 🔗
16 posts
Bryce might be able to get open fairly soon.  They announced their bike park is closing tomorrow, presumably in anticipation of snowmaking next week.
swoop
November 13, 2022
Member since 11/30/2017 🔗
71 posts
Its looking like Sugar or Cat may tie for first opening early this week-
marzNC - DCSki Supporter 
November 13, 2022
Member since 12/10/2008 🔗
3,320 posts
Apparently about a half-inch of natural snow at the NC ski areas today.  All are making snow after temperatures dipped into the 20s.
mounthoya - DCSki Supporter 
November 13, 2022
Member since 09/20/2021 🔗
25 posts
Timberline started snow guns this AM.  Light snow fell yesterday and forecast calls for more natural snow this week.   Think we may see a few open this weekend 
SKI-PSU
November 13, 2022
Member since 11/25/2019 🔗
20 posts

Who knows given their webcams are still offline. I honestly don't get Vail resorts policy shutting off the webcams in the offseason. Any news if they are blowing snow?

Looks like Wisp started snowmaking this afternoon

Moe Gull wrote:

Seven Springs if I had to gamble on one. They should start blowing snow on Saturday night and it looks like cold temps from there.
marzNC - DCSki Supporter 
November 14, 2022
Member since 12/10/2008 🔗
3,320 posts

Sugar Mountain in Banner Elk, NC decided Monday, Nov. 14 is opening day.  The high speed lift to the top and the Easy Street beginner lift at the base will be open 9:00am to 4:30pm, with the usual top-to-bottom route from the top (blue to green).  Screenshot below from 8:42am this morning.  Snowmaking started over the weekend and temps were in the low 20s across the NC mountains this morning.

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superguy
November 14, 2022
Member since 03/8/2018 🔗
518 posts
7S started blowing snow last night, but said they had to shut down due conditions changing.  They expect to start up again sometime this evening as soon as conditions permit.
superguy
November 14, 2022
Member since 03/8/2018 🔗
518 posts
Apparently Wisp started making snow yesterday too, with plans to open ASAP.
rbrtlav
November 14, 2022
Member since 12/2/2008 🔗
582 posts
I believe snowshoe has a passholder preview day scheduled for the 22nd. Should be both ikon and snowshoe passes. 

It’s listed as weather permitting, but something to keep in mind
superguy
November 15, 2022
Member since 03/8/2018 🔗
518 posts

I was joking about Blue Knob opening early, but apparently they're going for next Wednesday the 23rd.  They could beat 7S.

No idea how much they'll have open, but I'm surprised they're being aggressive this year.

swoop
November 15, 2022
Member since 11/30/2017 🔗
71 posts

superguy, I knew you were..., and this is great news.  Here's the post and it is encouraging to see BK going for it, even with their limited and generally aniquated arsenal.

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SKI-PSU
November 16, 2022
Member since 11/25/2019 🔗
20 posts

By far the best stretch of pre-thanksgiving snowmaking weather in recent memory starting this afternoon/evening! Even the more local areas (Bryce, Massanutten, Whitetail, Liberty, Roundtop) should be able to run the guns for extended stretches. 

It will be interesting to see if any of the Vail owned resorts make a push for an early opening or stick to their pre-planned opening dates. My guess is that they will struggle to open earlier given they are less nimble w/staffing (staffing is outsourced to Vail Corporate). 

jimw
November 16, 2022 (edited November 16, 2022)
Member since 02/2/2015 🔗
116 posts
Sugar is the first resort to open on the east coast.  They opened this morning.
Thefirewarde
November 16, 2022
Member since 09/17/2015 🔗
112 posts
Cataloochee opened Monday half an hour or so ahead of Sugar's Monday opening. The NC duo definitely got first in the east with a pair of top to bottom Day 1s and about 2000 vertical feet of skiing between them.
marzNC - DCSki Supporter 
November 16, 2022
Member since 12/10/2008 🔗
3,320 posts

Thefirewarde wrote:

Cataloochee opened Monday half an hour or so ahead of Sugar's Monday opening. The NC duo definitely got first in the east with a pair of top to bottom Day 1s and about 2000 vertical feet of skiing between them.

 Not that it really matters, but how do you know?  Sugar opened at 9:00 as planned.  I was watching the Cat webcams and I don't think they opened until a bit later.  Originally Cat was only expected to open to mid-station but they had enough snow made to groom out to the top.  I was watching the groomer work between 9:00 and 9:30.

Unofficial Networks only reported about Sugar.  Sugar is better about social media posts than Cataloochee.

The East Coast Ski Season Starts TODAY! (1st Resort Opening)



pagamony - DCSki Supporter 
November 17, 2022
Member since 02/23/2005 🔗
933 posts
Both Cat and Sugar webcams look a lot better today than on Tuesday.  Thansgiving skiing might be worthwhile this year !
marzNC - DCSki Supporter 
November 17, 2022
Member since 12/10/2008 🔗
3,320 posts
Massanutten and Wintergreen finally got cold enough temps overnight to start snowmaking.  No predictions about an opening day yet, which is normal.
marzNC - DCSki Supporter 
November 17, 2022
Member since 12/10/2008 🔗
3,320 posts
Cataloochee is blowing snow this afternoon on slopes that aren't open yet. :-)
mounthoya - DCSki Supporter 
November 18, 2022
Member since 09/20/2021 🔗
25 posts

Timberline just announced this Wednesday Nov 23 as opening/preview day.  1668809716_ecxpgezhzxnk.jpg

swoop
November 19, 2022
Member since 11/30/2017 🔗
71 posts
Got Day 1 in at Sugar yesterday - beautiful!  Good chalky snow, very good coverage ( no thin spots) and of course lots of guns shooting in the face, but I will take that and thank Sugar for being aggressive! They have the longest skiable vert in the east open.  Stayed consistent all day with colder temps.  All resorts will be piling it up next 48 hrs, go!  Happy White Thanksgiving skiers.
Scott - DCSki Editor
November 19, 2022
Member since 10/10/1999 🔗
1,263 posts
Thanks for the report swoop!
nickhaas212
November 23, 2022
Member since 11/13/2019 🔗
69 posts

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