Snow report says they got another 5" yesterday, but also says the surface is loose granular, so it might have been mixed precip. No matter though....

Temps stayed plenty cold yesterday but there construction webcam showed freezing rain during the afternoon.

Hey, it's the last weekend - gotta go - it's tradition. Hoped to ski in shorts/T, but it looks like it'll be a bit too cold for that.
Going Thurs. afternoon til Sunday.

Just returned from a last minute trip to snowshoe -- could not have asked for a better ending to the season (short of going out west, that is)!
Went out on Tuesday morning after hearing they had received 18 inches over the weekend.. They were calling for rain on tuesday but figured 'what the heck'.. Hit the slopes around noon to a light rain. Within a few runs, the rain had turned to a mix, then sleet, then wet snow.. Left the slopes around 4 to foxfire for dinner before the crowds. Several inches fell before coming to an end around midnight. Wednesday probably hit the mid forties with sunshine and lots of ungroomed snow (too heavy to call powder -- i've only been skiing for a few years and don't know the 'technical' term for it but my wife refers to it as 'mashed-potatoes')on most slopes which i enjoyed alot because i really needed practice in skiing these conditions. About six runs down the western territory provided quite a workout (and about all my old bones, nevermind my wife, could handle) and really built my confidence -- even tried some of the 'bumps' on the other side. This morning (thursday) was spectaclur -- the complete opposite to yesterday. I do not know how cold it got last night but the groomers worked magic. Hit the Western territory by 9:10 am and both cupp and upper shays (lower shays is closed) were perfect corduroy. Was able to cruise down practicing all turn shapes, under sunny blue skies, almost effortlessly (which was a good thing since the hot tub last night didn't quite sooth my burning thighs from having pushed around heavy snow all day yesterday). Conditions held up fairly well until about noon- when i had to cut out for home anyway. The neat part is that we picked up some subs to eat on the trip home and we wound up eating at a picnic area in WV -- it was sunny and 72 degrees and less than 3 hours from when we left the slopes!. I couuldn't have asked for a better way to end the ski season and welcome in spring (time to get the golf clubs and motorcycles out of the garage!).
I hope the conditions hold for those heading to snowshoe this final weekend -- they still had excellent coverage when i left at noon today!

Great report. What do you mean "old bones". How old..where do you live?
The Colonel

Great report gizmo, I am glad to hear you got out there for some good skiing! I know exactly the kind of groomed spring corduroy you encountered on Cupp/Shays this morning, and that is indeed some good skiing. Wish I could have made it out there today!

Colonel;
In response to your inquiries, although a little off topic----
I was a bit tongue-in-cheek--- these 51-year old bones are still in decent shape...I'm from the Pittsburgh area... my wife and I have just completed our 4th season as skiers...have not had the opportunity to ski many places, just HV, 7Springs and Snowshoe but we love it! Because of business responsibilities it is difficult for us to travel for extended periods so over the years we had done several golf getaways to hv. Five seasons ago, on a whim, my wife booked us for a ski weekend getaway at hv with the beginners lesson package and we had a blast. Wound up buying a condo at hv and have been season pass holders for past 4 seasons. First stumbled upon this forum when I was searching for info re: hv sale. Really enjoy all the info and insight I've garnered from dcski!

What a closing. Weird cold front Sat. afternoon just for the pond skimming, but back to warm sun on Sunday. I was the shirtless one in the black bathing suit Fri & Sun if you were there. Spent the whole time on Knot Bumper...bumps getting bigger and softer all the time. Bathing suit ski tip: don't fall down. In its own way = one of the best ski weekends of the season.

Oh, had to add - bathing suit ski one day - they're expecting SNOW Tue. and Wed. !!!

Yeah, I saw that snow forecast too! Must let it go, must let it go, the season is over, the season is over....

Knot bumper is a great little trail when the bumps are in progress after a snow storm or when the snow is soft. That trail quickly gets too gnarly for me to ski when they let the bumps grow for a couple weeks and get hard/icy. But my brother in law can ski it well in any shape, and he spends hours over there. It would be great if they could add more glade skiing down below in the trees -- that's my favorite part but it's too short of a section.

Agree, I love the gladed area. While skiing at VAIL in January I discovered a section on the other side of the back bowls (Blue Sky Basin, Cloud9 slope) that included a gladed "run" that was over 1000' of vertical and probably 200+ yards wide, and the best part, it was groomed every evening!! Talk about providing a service for the customers! Obviously cutting a glade for skiing and making sure that the groomers (probably special ones for this slope) had room to get through costs extra dough. Thanks, Vail, it is one sweet sweet run through the fir trees.
The Colonel

Groomed glades?? Why thats just not done.

I like trees because the groomers can't get in there. Case in point McConkeys at Park City and Cobabe Canyone in PowMow. mmmm delicioso. Now excuse me while I turn away and daydream for 10-15 minutes.

Colonel,
I believe that you're referring to Blue Sky Basin...

-Warren-

Thanks Warren, you are correct. I just found my Vail trail map and have edited my original post to include the area and slope names.
Thanks again,
The Colonel

Yeah, they exist Kennedy. There's an awesome groomed glade at Big Mountain, Montana called Glory Hole. One of the most popular runs on the mountain.

You can also use groomers to make moguls. It's a wild world we live in.

Colonel,

if you like cloud 9 you will love the glade runs b/w 'heavy metal' and 'divide'. it is an unnamed ungroomed area that is awesome powder and rolling hills/hops. to get there mach it down underneath skyline experss lift (get speed to make it up the incline at the end, plus you are usually skiing into the wind). you probably recall the cliff face to your left as you rode the lift up(skier right). follow that ridge along the cliff face til it ends and down to the right at the end of it and it opens up to the best ungroomed glades i've ever ridden. usually i spend the whole day on these glades. it ends up dumping out right above lift 39.

hope to meet you guys at snowshoe sometime as i am also a homeowner at wabasso.

Hope to meet you someday also. Where do you live?
Next year we need to try to have a get together dat for all the DCSkiers that appreciate the SHOE.
"flanaryb", now that is an interesting handle. Any particular meaning?
The Colonel