What are the reasons that people seem to like Timberline more than Canaan? This baffles me. I find the terrain to be a lot more varried and interesting at CV. All the trails at Timberline pretty much are variations of straight down. There lift lines are almost always consideribly longer and it usually costs more.
I am curious>

Timberline has:

1. Better snowmaking--hence more open terrain on average.

2. More vertical and steeper drops.

3. More slopeside lodging.

Caveat: If CV is 100 percent open--it's a very interesting mountain. Go there!

[This message has been edited by johnfmh (edited 01-15-2004).]

I've only skied Timberline 3 times, Canaan twice. I do prefer Timberline. The 1000 ft. vertical and longer runs are the main reasons for me. I don't like that little road at Canaan that you have to take to get to a lot of their runs. Then there is the flat part that you have to ski to get to the Weiss Meadow runs and beyond. Also if you want to ski the full 850 vertical you have to ride the beginner's chair then ski down to the other chair. I also like having a foot rest which Canaan doesn't have. The conditions at Canaan have been better both times I've been there. If I'm making a 2 day trip I get the Ski the Valley pass so I can go back and forth to both resorts as I please. But if its just a 1 day trip it would definitely be Timberline.

Timberline is a bit better terrain wise.

I haven't ever seen a problem with Canaan's lifts (I had a season pass there for three straight years ending two years ago) - but Timberline's are notorious for breakdowns.

Canaan is funner (to me).

I used to like Canaan Valley more about ten years ago. Then Timberline introduced Pearly Glades and Cherry Bowl and Off The Wall and Canaan Valley destroyed the Chute, Dark Side of the Moon and the upper feeder trails by widening the hell out of them. To this day I prefer T-line, even without Cherry Bowl officially on the map. Dew Drop and Heavenly (name check please!) are both almost a mile long and intermediate; that's tough to beat around here. Canaan Valley lost a lot of its character by messing with their old narrow runs, especially Dark Side. That used to be one of the most unique trails on the east coast and now it's just another slope. Way to go, fellas.

Still, if you are an intermediate skier or below I think CV remains the better place to go. And to this day trails like Spruce Run (the old T-Bar line), the Glades, Snowfields and Weiss Meadows provide some great skiing experiences when there is natural snow. Lots of little cutbacks and liftlines open up at CV, too, with the natural snow, which makes things interesting.

From the parking lot all the way up to the lifts is a steep uphill walk at CV. Why do they waste all that ski terrain? your only getting about 700 or so vert out of the main lifts.They had the opportunity to put the new lodge further down & actually have a nice base area,but i guess that ment change which is so slow to come in WV.I feel if this mtn could be redesigned it would top timberline in popularity.Forget about it...bring on "almost heaven"

My big concern with CV is its lackluster snowmaking. That really limits terrain there unless there is a big storm. Why they constructed a new lodge rather than improving snowmaking and lifts still amazes me.

The other point of amazement is why Timberline and CV cannot share a common lift ticket and season pass--good for all periods (not just midweek like the current Ski the Valley Ticket). The Alta/Snowbird experience, not to mention all the consolidated tickets in Europe, demonstrate that region tickets can yield huge benefits for all resorts involved. Furthermore, chip card technology allows a ski region to better account for where people are skiing, and reimburse individual lift operators more equitably. In the Arlberg of Austria, for example, a computer catalogs each lift ride a skier takes, and then at the end of the season, every ski area gets reimbursed according to the volume handled. Ski areas also analyze lift use numbers to decide where to build new lifts, when to open and close lifts, and how to run their shuttle bus systems. Who said these people are nothing but unsophisticated chocolate makers?

PS When William the Conquerer finally comes to town, perhaps he will convince all three resorts to install a chip card system and sell a regional ticket. We could call it the WV Superski Region.

[This message has been edited by johnfmh (edited 01-16-2004).]

John- We'll never see a combined ticket that is not a 3rd party concoction, like Ski the Valley is.

Canaan Valley is under state operation and ownership. They're not gonna let it go, especially not right now, as property values are skyrocketing in the Valley. Timberline's privately owned, and has no money to convince Canaan Valley to combine with them. The only way what you want to happpend could happen would be if the state finally got enough money (we're in the hole 120million right now, all bets are off) to buy out Timberline.

To me, Canaan is like the Silvercreek of the Valley. Timberline hosts the vertical, the great terrain, and the larger crowds. Over at CV you get small crowds, less vertical, a park, and some interesting runs.

Even though their terrain is pretty good, it's unlikely that anyone is going to partner with TL unless they fundamentally change their approach to lift "upgrades" and maintenance. The potential liability will make most insurance companies run away very quickly.

On the CV side, the lack of trailside development is one of the big appeals. "Living room window" skiing generally detracts from the experience for many people.

[This message has been edited by tommo (edited 01-16-2004).]

[This message has been edited by tommo (edited 01-16-2004).]