visiting family in roanoke over the holidays and am considering a day trip over to winterplace. anyone know how long the drive to winterplace is from roanoke? also, they're showing 16 out of 27 slopes open right now - anyone know if they'll open more between now and the end of next week? thanks!

Anna, Winterplace is just under 2 hours from Roanoke. It's probably quicker taking 460 outside of Blacksburg, which intersects with I-77, rather than taking I-81 all the way until it intersects with 77. If you're looking for other possibilities, believe it or not, Wintergreen is about the same time (up 81 to 64 towards Charlottesville, then down on 58 I think, by Afton Mountain).

I would think with the favorable weather that Winterplace will open more terrain. They brag a lot about their snowmaking capabilities.

thanks! the 460 route was what mapquest recommended. and i've been to wintergreen - want to try something different.

I would expect them to open all but Turkey Chute (mogul run) and Woods Run by next weekend but RogerZ may be able to give a better guess. He was there Wednesday (sadly I was home, sick in bed). Looks like great snowmaking wether between now and then. But I'd avoid weekends at all costs.

With the amount of snowing they were blowing on Wednesday, I'm surprised they only have 16 of 27 runs open. It looked like they were ready to go with at least two more runs off the summit, but apparently not.

We got to Winterplace at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday and were- maybe- the second customers on the ski hill. It was like a private ski hill on Wednesday (of course, if it WAS a private ski hill, I would have ordered them to turn the snowguns away from the darn chairlifts, but oh well). The snow was fine but I find Winterplace to be a little boring without at least a couple runs open off the summit. The only thing they had going was Compromise to Drop Off. And no bars open, either.

We wound up doing a lap of runs (a lap dance?) of Cascade, then Rendezvous to one of the novice runs that skirts Cascade, to Drop Off, to the "beer run" (that's Compromise out to the run that goes by the condos with the bar). I think that'd be a great name for a ski trail- Beer Run. Maybe at Moonshine someday.

Anyway, with some slight variations, you could ski 4-5 distinct runs a pop. Given how slow the lifts run there, that amounts to about one complete set of runs every hour. It was a good time- haven't skied with my buddy before- and any day on the hills can't be complained about much.

I'm gonna go write-up something about my five stars now.