Seems like the cold shots are coming a week at a time..Another shot for next weekend & then another for the weekend of the 15th thru at least tue the 18th. Opening day for many ski areas this year will be on the 27th..just in time for another winter blast?...its all in the timing.

I've been watching the weather up north because I want to ski Whiteface..Unlike SS, They could actually pull off Snowmaking starting from this latest cold shot Although I read that Whiteface won't begin snowmaking till the 15th...that & the fact that they will be opening up a whole new side of the mountain later on this season makes me think that a later trip than T-Giving will be better.

Watch your Fav ski areas & let us know how they are faring...& Stay tuned..& Waxed!

Just a small weather tidbit (really nothing to do with upcoming skiing). Although I'd rather it be snowing, today was one of the most beautiful days that I can remember. Right now is about 70 degrees, sunny, and the humidity is around 40%. I could sit outside all day....

Yeh David...Kwill calls it indian summer after after Squaw winter!...fished in shorts & no t-shirt (Exposing my Ripped Body) yesterday.

Play by play long range model has just pushed back the 2nd cold front till after the 18th...HMMMmmmmm...that cold shot will begin the main thrust of Snowmaking for turkey skiing...

Just Cked Whiteface's web site & they have moved up the snowmaking date to the 8th to take advantage of the next cold shot...I wonder how much snow SS will have left by the next cold shot?

TMI!!

High 70's today & tomorrow..Bright sunshine & work Slow = Great fall fishing Down here on the se coast of NC!

Looking at the future of Snowmaking & Snow for the mid Atlantic High country, i'm seeing Spurts of cold shots with chances of light snow here & there...Nothing sustained for any long periods yet...next shot starting this sat aft/eve into mon sometime. another chance wed nite/thur morn...here & there & then a good shot fri eve the 21st.(Subject to change of course!)

What do we need to get an area like wisp up & running for some decent T-Giving Skiing for fri the 27th..7 days of solid snowmaking weather?

Boy! That was a premature post..Just got a glimpse of the long range model that & in just 6 hours from what I based some info on has flipflopped...Its been going back & forth for awhile now & was a reason for me not doing an update. The latest is..after this weekends shot.. a good chance of Snowmaking from the eve of the 16th & on till at least the 21st...Thats why I named this thread "Play by Play"!...I want to ski locally this T-giving..Damb it!

So, by early December one or more of the local resorts will be open for skiing?

usually Snowshoe,Wisp, 7springs & 1 or two in the Poconos will open for thanksgiving...I've lost track of the Closer in areas, but If I remember right a few of years ago I skied Roundtop the day after T-Giving. Timberline in Canaan Valley will open up in early Dec...maybe some other folks can fill in the blanks...still looking for the sustained cold blast to get the snowguns a-blazin!


PS..Killington opened for 5 days this early nov but have shut back down but it looks like they will be able to fire the guns back up this coming Sun thru wed...

I posted that Quote on the morn of the 2nd,nov....8 days later we are rapping up this weekends cold shot (& light dusting SS north thru PA) Where it seems that Snowshoe was the only one that made Snow from Sat eve till this morn.They went above freezing where as Canaan Valley is still below as of 1245pm (24 at 3800')...Shame the canaan areas don't have the will/means to crank it out. Every ski area on the western front Alpps should take advantage of next weekends start of another cold & snowy shot to get some base down for turkey carving..

The long range models seem to get a grip on things Then sometimes confuse themselves with stuff then come back on line to the original gameplan...

hey so i have not been on DCSki very consistently but looking at what has been posted by fishnski I would definitely tend to agree that our next cold blast will come beginning of next week followed by a reinforcing blast the week of thanksgiving. The longer range forecasts are very very cold for this time of year and although I normally do not put much trust in any forecast past a week (maximum) I am beginning to think that there is a high probability that the time period from the 19th-end of nov will be very cold throughout the east coast. I would expect snowshoe to open around wednesday of the week of thanksgiving with wisp, 7 springs, and possibly wintergreen following close behind. T-line will definitely have the opportunity to make snow and open early but I am skeptical that they would put in the necessary effort.
For the more local resorts, it will all depend on how severe the cold blast is and what the outlook is beyond the week of t-giving (unlikely they would make snow around the clock if it was going to warm up after). Currently, I would give a 40% probability that whitetail-liberty-roundtop (and the rest of the close places) will open the weekend after t-giving based on the current forecast. As long as the forecast gives them a solid 2-3 days of snowmaking temps I would have to bet that one of the 3 would blast around the clock and grab a november opening with the rest following the week after. Another positive for them is that after next weekend things are supposed to get real dry which will help greatly with snowmaking (can blast up to around 37 degrees if DP's are low enough).

-Im definitely excited that for once the forecast is going our way for an early opening and it would be a real shame if everywhere did not take advantage of the could snaps that are hopefully coming our way. Ill update in a few days depending on which way the forecast goes.

I'm planning to Ski Roundtop the day before Thanksgiving.

How ya been Buddy??!! Weve been Wundering where you've been...This thread has been lonely for me so far, I'm Glad to get some more detailed output from you & anyone else that wants to chip in about anything related to opening day at any ski area that anyone is following.

I was trying to figure out why you were not posting any weather info & just figured that you were working/studying too hard & that you didn't want to get caught up in a another season of having another payless job duty here at DCski...or to that effect..

Wow, check out the pictures on Showshoe's website. They are quite impressive. It looks like it's been snowing there for weeks...

http://www.snowshoemtn.com/mountain/dailyPhotos.htm

hey ya i need to start posting again, been kinda sad... i have lurked every once and a while but i need to get back to the daily posting. I really enjoy trying to forecast openings/snow/weather in general and its great practice for me to try as often as possible to utilize the skills i learn in classes.

david, ya i saw those pics.. amazing, looks like they could open tomorrow! also noticed they are saying the 26th is going to be their opening which is kinda nice because that is the exact day i forecasted earlier today!!! wahoo 1 for 1, not a bad start.. just hope i am right about the local areas, really want to ski over t-giving break!

Welcome Back Skier..thats like saying "Player" in the hip hop Cool world!..Was that Snowshoe hare tracks around one of the Spruces David? I love the Snowshoe Hustle!!! They will have to weather some rain this week & then Back to winter wonderland for the weekend on. Accuweather is the most aggresive on the cold shot, showing snow from the 20th thru the end of their f-cast period which right now is the 25th...Stay tuned!

Way up north in Canada...Way up where a lot of these arctic fronts get their Goodies, there is a station I've been monitering that has been seeing temps in the 27 to 29 below 0 range for the last couple of days. Right before the Arctic shot that brought all the snow to the Alpps dropped down, the weather station saw temps build up to the neg 22 degree range before it "Vented" the cold south.......just a thought....

its gonna get real cold... my forecast for next week.

But ya your right, tons of cold up there right now just waiting to pour south. Sunday should be very cold for all of us followed by very slight warming on mon-wed before another arctic blast. Temps should be well below AVG for most of next week... after that it could go either way but higher elevations need to take advantage of snowmaking next week, any of the higher areas should be able to blast roudn the clock for an extended period! Snowshoe should be fantastic by opening baring some huge warmup (unlikely).
And fish is def right, watch the apps for some great upslope next week at at some point!

Update time:

Ok i have a slower day for once at school and wanted to post a full update on the wx just because I am board and am sure this will brighten everyone's day.

Short term:

Generally really crappy weather everywhere through saturday with rain off and on. Temps should generally be around average to a little above average before the approaching cold front that should make its way through on saturday.

Long Term:

Saturday afternoon-evening a strong cold front will move through, ushering in an arctic chill that will be as strong or stronger than any we have seen thus far this year. Temps will average around 10 degrees below average on sunday and 15 below on monday. Highs in the 40's around DC and in the 30's and possibly upper 20's in the valley and other higher elevation areas are possible on monday. Sunday and monday will also likely see lake effect snowfall for PA and north and some upslope for the valley/higher elevs. Too early to estimate totals but I would guess a few inches in areas prone to lake effect. Any resort looking for a Thanksgiving opening should try and take advantage of this initial blast of cold, I would not be surprised to see Wisp, 7-springs, tline, and hopefully wintergreen start snowmaking operations sunday night. Tuesday will feature slightly moderating temps, probably high 40's in DC and mid-high 30's in the upper elevations. Conditions should be generally dry. After Tuesday a reinforcing blast of cold should filter into the area sometime mid week, again decreasing temps far below normal and allowing for good to great snowmaking for the higher elevations and good nighttime and marginal daytime snowmaking for lower level resorts.

Long long term:

Could go anywhere. Have been hints of a possible east coast system, another arctic blast, or even moderation of temperatures. Overall, i would tend to believe that we will remain in a period of well below normal temps through next weekend and into thanksgiving week.

Depending on the severity of the second wave of cold, it is possible that every resort could have round the clock snowmaking potential by mid-late next week. So, it seems that the determinant for early season skiing this year may not be as much temps as will be a resort's willingness to make snow. Hopefully by thursday we will all be able to sit back and watch the cams as the slops turn white!

but, BE ADVISED:
As I have stressed before, any forecast beyond 3 days in such an active pattern is very very difficult to decipher, please do not take away from this that I am anywhere near 100% sure that the weather will play out this way. The key point to take away from this post is that there is good potential for some real early season cold and possibly with that some November skiing.

The snow was so deep by Powder Monkey that my dog Thunder went into about a 5 foot depth looking for his ball and I had to help him out. Skidder, Heisler Way, Gandy Dancer, Whistlepunk et al were being pounded with the white stuff. And the winds were cooperating. Although Thanksgiving will be in New England for me (family), the weekend after that I'm at the Shoe forsure.

Lou, I had a hard time today trying to convince a professor (who is from Colorado and says that WV "mountains" shouldn't even be called hills and skiing here is "a waste of time") that Snowshoe looks to have an awesome Thanksgiving this year. I told him to get on and look at the pics and see for himself. He said "It will probably rain before then and ruin it". That's an entomologist for you I suppose....

Tell your proff he's a sophomore... Skiing in the US wasn't born in the West, it was a product of Stowe, Otis, Cranmore, and even Seven Springs. That's where real skiing began.

The other side of the story is that with 6,000' - 7,000' base elevations many of the ski resorts out West are comparable or perhaps a bit higher in vertical than what we have out East in many places. Alta is barely 2000', same as Waterville Valley; Whiteface NY at 3,200' has a higher vertical than Park City at 3100', while Sugarloaf, ME is 2800 feet and has above treeline skiing. And there are very few ski areas out West abover 4,000' - most are in Canada and just a few in the US, and these are Whistler/Blackcomb 5,100', Snowmass at 4,400', Big Sky and Kicking Horse at 4,100', and Beaver Creek at 4,000'. Perhaps your proff doesn't know geography, but the number of ski resorts out East with over 2,500' elevation is quite large, Killington, Whiteface, Sugarloaf, Smuggs, Stowe, Massif, Tremblant, etc etc...

You may also tell him that unlike the wimpy 32 degree weather out West, we in the East have real manly-man conditions. Tell him that next time he skis all 2,200' feet at Jay Peak at 20 below zero, he can then call Arnold and put himself in the cover of Muscle and Fitness. Until then, he can wear his skirt down the slope.

Man!..I've agreed with every Ibotta post for a week now..unbelievable...
Like the Ibbott said, Mountain size is only in relation to its Verticle rise..If you head south out of Canaan Valley & take the route that heads you to Petersburg you will be passing mtn's that have vert rises of 1500 to 3000' & if you take into account that the towns of Vail & Avon,CO (Beaver creek) sit at around 8000' then you could say that those same WV mountains really LOOK like 9,500 to 11,000' mtns. Yes they are Smaller & if you take into account the Huge rocky faces that shoot up to 13,000'+ then they are much smaller..but too much mountain is just a waste. The Wv Alpps are Sweet by nature But don't get too Comfy & relaxed cuzz them little big bad boys might just kick yo (Censered)!!

Take the prof camping up at Mount porte Crayon Sat Eve!...Might get stuck there till T-Giving...

Yea, he obviously doesn't know what he is talking about, but you know how some "greater than thou" proffs can be. You could tell them that the sky is blue and they will never agree with you if they feel it isn't. There's just no convincing him. Then again, here in a few months I'll be sure to email him some pics of me smashing some good ole' WV Alpps powder. Probably won't change his mind any, but may make him feel bad that he is stuck teaching class while I am free........

Yeah right. I don't want to be camping anywhere near there within the next few days. I like my nice warm bed....

One last thing for your proff's arrogant illusions... Remember that the Trapp Family eschewed Colorado when they came to the US and instead settled in Stowe. Probably they wanted lots of skiing as well as culture and a sense of history.

Gee, I may have to take fishnski out of my ignore list...

Be Strong Mr Ibotta..Remember you were allready fooled by a charmer & fancy talker on the 4th of this month

How bout 8 inches falling out of the sky overnite sat/sun to tue nite up at canaan? Could be more, I don't think it could be much less. It will not snow the whole time, there will be a lull beginning sun eve till mon aft/eve.. 2nd wave looks snowier which Should get Whitegrass up & running by tue & then another shot for thur...waiting for L-skis update..

Monday looks really good.

Pretty much all next week looks really good. Agree with you fish, definitely will get some upslope going in the highlands with very cold temps for this time of year. I would not at all be surprised if the valley hovers around freezing, or below, and gets at least some snowfall every day of next week from sunday night on. Depending on the quality of the upslope (which sucks to forecast by amounts) i would say 4 through a foot+ of inches of snow is possible next week. If the secondary front is as strong as the first, whitegrass should get some massive drifts around their fences and be able to open up at least on a limited basis. Actually, whitegrass will most likely be the first resort in the area to open! Snowshoe should be able to lay down a few feet of snow as well and be ready for a spectacular opening and probably the best Thanksgiving skiing in many many years. 7springs and the rest of the high areas will have great snowmaking weather throughout the week (round the clock from sunday on is a strong possibility).

As of now my opening predictions are:

1) Whitegrass- Sunday, 23rd
2)Snowshoe- Whenever they feel like it, literally anytime considering the base they have already have down
3)Wisp/7Springs- Possibly on the 26th???? if not should be the 28th
4)Wintergreen- 28th
5)Roundtop- 29th (going out on a limb) rest of the locals could be sometime the same weekend
Last Place!!- Winner of the last place contest will be Tline and Canaan because they are so fricking lazy (could open as soon or sooner than shoe if they wanted)!

anyone else care to make opening guesses??

I'd say Whitegrass will be "open" for skiing by Saturday the 22nd. Snowshoe will stick to its opening date. Wisp also (see pic below). As for Canaan Valley and Timberline: Opening "As scheduled", sometime within the 1st few weeks of December.....

Snowmaking at Wisp! (11-11-08)

good find, i actually had not caught the fact that they had started blowing. Im sure they will go all out asap next week to show off their impressive snowmaking system for the cams. Actually just checked wintergreen's site and their projected opening is the weekend of the 12th! Really hope they do not wait that long, they are my backup for skiing thanksgiving weekend.

Timberline will open Thursday December 4.

David



i'm just finished with a huge undercover operation for teh DNC so lately i have not bin able to keep my postings up. now that i am home and suitably fortified i must ask ewe dude whats up?? class with teh bug guy. i thought u were going to be an MD?? anyways i agree with lou, unless u are going trout fishing what does a entomopolomalginist know about teh whether in wvallps. U tell him i said he is write that skiing in WV is a waste of time and that he should save his money and go to color ado to ski. i just love those pipples that know the only good skiing is out west, better for you an me, eh?

PS: RobD my preview post is working aslo.

Allways remember my Pipples..WVAllps could be much better...DNC Huh?

undercover? feather, quilt, woolen, silk?

Sorry to hear about not posting up.

Waking up to even more positive weather info...especially for the 2nd wave on mon/tue....The WV Alpps will have more snow fall on em than anywhere in the country in the next few days..We's in the Jackspot Shorty's!...don't even worry bout the thur event....one snow at a time

PS also looking better down the road closer to T-Giving but thats not dependable info at this point...

Was in the Valley for a short while today. The clouds were rolling in and right back out awfully fast. Wasn't a typical "beautiful" day, but I still think it was pretty darn good lookin' up there......

Radar looking good out there. Hoping to get more than they are expecting tonight and tomorrow.

Are you feeling the temp drop Jonjon? Looks like a few of degrees in the last hour...snow by 8 or 9 pm?...the icing will be on the cake tomorrow David...

PS. 42 below at a station in siberia..which seems to be seeping toward alaska with Barrow seeing -6 to 0 the last couple of hours...which is heading toward the mid atlantic..along with the 27 below temps way up north in Canada...

Turned to all snow around 8pm. Ground getting white now.

Awesome. It's still a chilly rain here. Hopefully it changes over sometime this evening. It's been raining for 2 days. I am ready for some snow!

I am headed to the mtns to hike tomorrow morning, and with my luck it will snow. Always try to do my part.

You know, Wintergreen broke usual tradition of targeting the Saturday after Thanksgiving and instead was saying Dec 13 -- probably because they got burned so bad last year with the warm November and early December. But with the shot of cold they are getting next week, I would not be surprised if they started blowing Monday/Tuesday and aimed for the usual post Thanksgiving opener. They seem to have removed mention of the Dec 13 target from their website....

ya skier, i saw that right after my initial post. its too bad because the one year they set a late target is the year they actually possibly could have opened. I really think it is better not to set any target until mid november if that. I never get why resorts do that

2 to 4 for the Wv Alpps overnite.. Still Snowin..Don't think PA got too much..Southern Alpps got 1 to 3 (Sugar/Beech)...Nice dumpage for Mon/Tue still & a little more thur. Getting worried that all this Snow & Cold will burn itself out by T-Giving..Maybe I'm just coming down off my Coffee buzzzzzz....

Started to get wind of this yesterday when I posted a 12 inch Snowfall F-Cast for Mount Porte Crayon on the New western Guy Thread...thought I'd wait till it was oficial for this thread....Winter Storm Watch for Tucker Co,WV for Mon/Tue...could get a foot or more on top of what has allready fallen...throw out my 8 inch f-cast I made a few days ago..I was trying to be conservative...since I vote that way!

See, you can't be too conservative. It just gets you in trouble. As does being too liberal... Moderation is key

http://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=WVZ041&warncounty=WVC093&firewxzone=WVZ041&local_place1=5+Miles+N+Parsons+WV&product1=Winter+Storm+Watch


Would not be too surprised if 15 inches are on the ground by Thursday in the valley. Possibly week total by next sunday will be in excess of 20 inches. Thank god T-Line and canaan are going to take advantage of this great weather and try to open! oh wait.... they are not

So what are you trying to say David..tone down the foot of snow...bring it down to 10 inches..a foot is too liberal?..Don't worry about #'s folks...it will be a doozy for this early in the year!

Good to see somebody posting a reply...Redskins don't play till 815pm..Its cold up in the DC area..where is everybody?..

I'll be up at Canaan with my 77 year old Pops all T-Giving Week..Hope the Snow stays around for some X-Country...My Dad is of Norwegian decent & grew up X-Country Skiing up in North Dakota & hasn't seen snow for almost 20 years!

Hey L-Ski..I just posted that Nobody was around..Good to hear from ya. Canaan & Timberline will run the lifts all summer long for Biking & leaf peepin...Will they let me & my Dad Head up to the High Country by lift this T-giving week if He was up for it?

I just called Canaan resort & they had no answers...Asked about the ice skating rink..the beginner area.."Don't Know" call back was the answer...There will be a T-Giving Buffet at the Lodge though!

I would ahve to guess your dad will see plenty of the white stuff at leas on the ground tgivng weekend, assuming temps stay low.

Something to note:
Just checked webcams in the area and cant find even one place with the lights on (meaning they might be making some snow, but wisp's webcams are our/not up dating so I am not sure what is going on there). Very disappointing, hopefully tomorrow night. Snowshoe says the fired the guns back up last night and I am sure they will not turn off until at least next weekend. Should be a decent 10 ft base by opening day, cant imagine how many runs thy might be opening!

ya fish, kinda sad.. they need to get their priorities straight

Hmm. Northern track on the first round of storms. Anyone looked in the vicinity of Elk Mountain yet?

snowmaking is ON at 7 spings!!!

nws keeps upping the ante...

Apropos of absolutely nothing.. greetings from San Salvador where it is a bone-chilling 77 degrees this morning! There's no humidity though and a howling wind that has cleared out the usual air pollution, so the skies and views of the surrounding volcanoes are crystal clear.

They've already started setting up all the Christmas decorations down here. I keep joking around with my family- when does it snow? Ha ha ha. It's always weird when the plane gets to the mountains of Guatemala and I look down and realize- this is a mountain range that never sees snow. How odd. My mind still can't wrap itself around the concept. I'm probably going to live in denial the rest of my life about that.

Anyway, a friend of mine tells me that everytime I leave Kansas City between November and April, it snows, so in some small way I hope my southbound odyssey has brought the snow in for y'all. Enjoy it and save some turns for the rest of us!

ps- I'm writing this morning because my wife is at work.

Snowmaking update:

-7 springs: making snow plans to for the remainder of the week, seems they plan to be aggressive for opening asap
-Wisp- Not a clue, webcams are down and they have not issued any updates
-Wintergreen- Saying snowmaking will begin tonight
-Massenutten- Claim snowmaking is in progress, i want proof with a pic or cam
-Snowshoe- We all know the deal, nice size glacier forming at the shoe
-Jack Frost/Big Boulder- Claimed they were starting last night


tried to email whitetail, no response. I dont have time today (currently in the library) but if anyone decides to give the snowtime resorts a call too see whats up please post an update.

I think i am going to tentatively plan to start my season on the 28th, most likely at 7springs for a day trip (almost definitely will go if they open up the north face slope) or wisp if they have more terrain open.

I'll be at the Shoe this weekend, picture taking will take place

I'm all for pitcher takin. Skiin?

http://www.natice.noaa.gov/pub/ims_gif/DATA/cursnow_usa.gif

Check out them Alpps with thier strip of white goodies standing proud...All hell getting ready to break out there ...like how bout a band coming thru the Canaan area in 20 min?..Moisture is pouring off every lake right now & the wind is becoming more nw which means...Its Lake Effect Time!...lets see which area opens earlier than expected. Sugar mtn down south says...Come on y'all yankees...GET-ER-DONE!!

From the Whitegrass site...Nov 17 eve update...."All trails open & skiable with base of 5 to 7 inches & at 630PM we are having Whiteout conditions.Tommy called from freeland road & said he can't move!....Soup is on"...

Andy, thanks for posting. I usually check WG in the morning only but nice to see that there is an evening update tonight. That must definitely mean that things are really looking good up that way. I sure hope Ole Tommy makes it....

Langley, looks like we both overshot the opening by quite a few days. It's never felt so good being wrong....

BTW, I got caught in a squall on the interstate today that had everyone driving about 45 mph. I must say that I've haven't been that happy to be going that slow in a while!!

Pray for Ole Tommy....hope he don't DRIFT off!

Andy is a one man updating machine! I don't even have to look out my window anymore!!

I hear ya. BetterhalfNski must really despise the fact that her husband is glued to the computer all winter. Then again, she actually probably enjoys the alone time....

She says I'm watching Weather porn & threatens to unplug...Come on Jonjon, look out the window!!!...

PS Roger...suck on a coconut for us buddy...Snowing at your old Stompin grounds in Blacksburg...Damb..Murphy won't have to look out his window now too.....here comes the ole lady...

Just looked out the window (actually I went out and measured). 5.4" here in town for the event. About 7.5" on the ground. Let it pour all night!!

latest 24 hour "oficial" snow count is 7" Laurel Summit...8.7" 3715' Canaan & 10" at 4800' up at Snowshoe

730 am dolly sods cam shows a good snow coming down....Wake up Jonjon!!

Wintergreen is making snow at their tubing park. They said goal is to get tubing park open by T-Giving and pushing to get ski area up and running by December 6th.

Weather forecast is looking very favorable though I see there is a long term prediction for rain by next Monday. Not too much of a warm-up though.

I love it! It is snowing... so Liberally!

So Wintergreen did start blowing snow last night -- on the tubing park!?!? They want to open that by T-giving weekend but are targeting December 6 for skiing/riding. That's not the kind of priority I wanted to see, especially when deliberating whether or not to buy a season pass this year. It doesn't sound like much, but a week of snowmaking priority during "bonus" early season cold weather can end up being a factor when the usual January thaw hits. I suppose they are putting the snowmaking capacity where the best payoff is.

On the other hand, go Whitegrass!!! Anybody up for some AT action this week?

Yeh..The long range has been flippin from cold & snow to warm "er" & rain GRK...flip flop..Flip Flop.. Just like Kerry (For Ibotta) Lets just hope it doesn't rain on us..the base will be there..

Poor decision on the part of wintergreen. No reason to think they will be assured snowmaking temps after next week for an opening on the 6th. I really dont see why they would put the tubing hill before the slopes. I actually really hope this comes back and bites them in the a$$ in early december... sorry to be a pessimist but I think it is lame that Massenutten, a lower level resort with snowmaking no where near as advanced, is blowing for an opening day and a higher resort with state of the art snowmaking that could easily open by thanksgiving if not by this weekendis dragging their feet.

Hey, but who would have thought that an all natural ski area (not lift served but who is keeping track) would be the first to open??? Lets just hope it is the first of a big wave of resorts!

Also, while I am complaining, whats with not even one of the snowtime resorts blowing? Last night they had temps in the mid-lower 20's and a very hard freeze, perfect conditions to start snowmaking (frozen ground is a huge help) and they should be able to blow for most if not all of today. However, not even ONE of them even did a test run of their guns or has anything on their sites even acknowledging that it is 24 degrees out and they had scattered snow showers last night. OK end of rant, i just want to ski!!

Any ya fish, flip-flop-flip-flop-BLOCKBUSTER STORM-BLOWTORCH has been the models from day to day for anything outside of 5 days. Pattern should be exciting but it is pure guessing to predict anything after this coming weekend (should stay cold for at least some time but as far as precip a coin toss would be a great way to predict a storm).

Does anyone know if Snowshoe minds people earning their turns? I'm guessing their not into it. Just thought I'd ask to see if anyone has actually tried in the early or late season.

Snowshoe is claiming 20" on the ground. While I'd love to believe that I don't trust ski resorts, especially in this part of the country, to report honest snow totals. I'm watching Chip's page closely. He gives honest information.

I gather that Timberline is making snow. Anybody know about Canaan?

If anybody gets earned turns anywhere a report would be much appreciated. I have commitments today & tomorrow. Thurs.?

Well, TECHNICALLY... Cataloochee was the first resort open on the east coast. But in the Mid-Atlantic, I seem to recall a couple other times in the last few years Whitegrass was the first place kicking turns.

Will do! Planning to head to WG tomorrow!

we went sledding up & down Timberlines slopes last T-giving...Don't see why you couldn't poach a few runs there...But you didn't hear that from me!!

Snowshoes 20 inches includes all the snowmaking theve done Denis...seems reasonable..

Canaan is getting some 1/2 inch Squalls betweem slight breaks in the clouds...The sun will add fuel to the Squalls for awile & then when the sun wanes...usually the snow wanes...Experienced Alpper's know the routine...

Sorry Denis..SS ..IS.. claiming 20 "'s from this storm. The oficial obs at 4765' was for 10 inches which was taken at 6am..5 hours later they might have got 3 to 5 more if it has been snowing as hard as it was early this morn there...not 20 though...

Fish, have to add, as soon as the sun wanes and the now dies off it will be only a minor >24 hr break until a clipper moves in wed night along with more snow, cold and upslope. Bring on round 2!

Not implying anything... but the lights are on at whitetail and people have been driving around on ATV's all morning.. snowmaking on the way??

looks like they have some guns on right now:

http://skiwhitetail.com/camera.htm

base of sidewinder. the new trail i guess?

yep just noticed that... bring it on

I am not sure about the policy, but I know it's been done. The fact that they have a security department is not a plus.

Thing is, you'd definitely want to stay off any trail that has received snowmaking (whether guns are running or not). Pre-groom, that stuff is holy hell to ski on, even with a natural snow frosting on top. I'd just as soon ski natural snow over grass/dirt than ski natural over ungroomed snowgun dumpage.

This is UNREAL...I haven't seen any sign of snow here, way down south in NC..not too far from the SC line..in 5 years & low & behold we just had a light snowshower!..Been watching the moisture flow off of Lake Ontario & noticed that with the north south flow we have now,there was moisture making the 6 to 700 mile trip...Lake effect in the coastal Carolinas! There are showers popping up out in the Gulfstrean from the cold air...Gulf stream enhanced Lake effect....unbelievable..

Dude just walked in & said in his 65 years of living down here there has never been any snow before T-giving....PLEASE..lets not get into a global cooling argument!!

Amazing! Good for you... ever think that you all the way down south would get snow before DC or Ney York for that matter!!

And btw, whitetail is now turning on guns at the base, looks liek they are going to get serious about this.. great to see!! All signs are pointing to a great early season!

had some flurries here in fairfax around 11am this morning. didnt last long tho

opps! well sorry fish, guess you lost to the DC area by a matter of hrs!

Snowshoe says they are opening this Friday..the 21st!..I will be Skiing there on Sun possibly & wisp later or vice versa..or somewhere at least for sure now!...what a beginning...

Canaan email said their guns were on.
Greetings!

Mother Nature has provided a snowy diversion in Canaan Valley, WV this November! With the return of snow this week (over 12" and still counting), Canaan Valley Resort has fired up the guns and will continue to make snow as we look forward to the start of an exciting winter season.

Visit Canaan in December and take advantage of discount & holiday packages throughout the
month to help you keep your holiday cheer and money in your pocket.

*Snow guns on the mountain - Nov 18, 2008 *Canaan Lodge - Nov 18, 2008
The Colonel

And to think, Hardy County getting around 1-2" of natural freshies seems less important to reading that NC got showers! Actually this is the earliest snow fall in recent years since the Wilma 'snow-i-cane' of Oct. 2005.

This could be on the "Snow dog" thread but we have finally come home with a new puppy from the shelter after a year of mourning over our precious Mocha...We brought the Pup home during the flurries & we named her flurrie for awhile...tanny,tawny,sasha...tasha seems to be the latest.

Ive been waiting for the 7pm update at Canaan Hgts or for Jonjon to look out the window, but no luck...Looking at the radar it seems that there has been a pretty good fetch off of Lake Huron right down & thru Lake Erie & down to Wisp/Canaan that has setup...the Canaan energizer Snowshoe hare bunny seems to want to play for awhile!

Be sure to read the story I published this evening with all the latest details on local snowmaking and opening plans for mid-Atlantic ski areas. The season looks like it's going to be off to a very strong start.

The Whitetail snowmaking earlier today was just testing, but they say the guns may fire back up this weekend.

Hey Scott...You Said SS was opening on Dec 21st...thats over a month from now!!!

That Misprint was in the Headline part when you 1st get into DCSKI..the Article itself is right on!..seems like something is wrong with this pic...Mount Mansfield Stake up at Stowe ,VT has only an inch on it... we have to Enjoy this while it lasts!!!

Oh crud! Thanks for catching that. That's what I get for rush-writing these stories on very little sleep!

We've gotten some good squalls this evening -- still snowing.

14.1" here in town -- I bet Dave on Canaan Heights is up to around 16" or more.

Looks like for the high elevation areas I am mostly going to bust with my original forecast but in a very very good way. But the lower elevation resorts may hold off until the following week (or maybe later if temps do not allow, still killing me to see whitetail turn the snowmaking OFF as it gets dark and temps fall).

Question for all of you old timers (aka over 30 ).. when was the last time we saw this perfect of a set up for pre-thanksgiving skiing? I cannot remember anytime within recent history that so many resorts have had the opportunity to open in mid-late November but am sure there must have been at least some year similar to this year in the past decade or two.

Hey, it looks like you hit the nail on the head with your Snowshoe prediction....

Question for all of you old timers (aka over 30 ).. when was the last time we saw this perfect of a set up for pre-thanksgiving skiing? I cannot remember anytime within recent history that so many resorts have had the opportunity to open in mid-late November but am sure there must have been at least some year similar to this year in the past decade or two. [/quote]

David better not make in any wise cracks about this, but it was back in 1913/14 when we had 45 inches of snow fall in the valley...Me & the Boys wuzzz Poachin some runs (& a few critters ) on aunt Beezby's prop off of Beardon Knob when she came out with the Guns ablazin!

Most of us remember the 60 inches that fell in nov back in 95/96...kept snowin the whole winter long...dropped to my chest up off the top of the Salamander run when I went to take a "Smoke" break...

Tiz been a good while since this has happened. It's almost biblical in nature! Shhhhh! Careful not to upset the snow gods and have it do that other four letter word.

I can't remember the last time I skied "lift-serviced" terrain before Thanksgiving, which probably means it hasn't happened since I moved down here in 1991. I have vague recollections of skiing a WROD at Killington in 1988 or so. Anyhow, this is definitely a blessing from mother nature. Not only will I get to start skiing this Friday at SS, but the mountain will be covered in natural snow and the open trails ought to be great. This almost makes up for the pain and suffering last year's early season brought to the local areas. Get out there and enjoy it while you can!

Cant imagin the conditions on trails at shoe that are parallel to the runs that have had snowmaking, lots of wind blown machine made snow as well as 20+ inches of natural, would be a dream to ski. Realistically, i dont see why they are only opening 6 runs? Seems like with their snowmaking ans the weather 20+ trails should not be too big of a task. Would think that by tgiving they will have many more runs open.

It is obvious that the weather Gods are happy with the election...

& the Gods are extremely pissed at that loud mouthed nobel peace prize winner!...I'm friggin Freezing down here in the Southland...& then I'm heading up to "North pole light" West Virginia?...you Damb right!...

I don't know if the ski areas are open, but I distinctly remember the winter of 1989. We had a white Thanksgiving AND Christmas in DC for the first time in 50 or 60 years. In early January the temps warmed up and the rest of the winter sucked, but Nov and Dec rocked. I'll be the ski areas went in all guns blazing that year.

Not to raz you too much, Lou, but I notice there's a snow drought in Colorado and a blizzard in West Virginia.

Red state, blue state
red state, white state
blue state grey
red state play

I know, I know Roger... CO's heavenly electoral votes are too busy frolicking with St Peter and time just pased by.

hey fishnski and langley...the weather models have been kicking out great looking forecasts for awhile. but the last few runs are making me a little nervous. is it just me or is the middle of next week starting to look a little marginal? rain starting to look like a possibility?

this is a weather topic, right?

Chad, ill respond with a full forecast including short term, kinda ment to do that anyways today.

short term (through sunday):
Starting tonight snow should slowly develop from west to east over the highlands and throughout central PA (including me!!). An alberta clipper is moving through tonight and through the day tomorrow which should allow some additional cold air to filter in. Tomorrow will be slightly warmer than today for resorts, but still generally below freezing. Snow should continue throughout the day accumulating 3-6 in the PA highlands (and wisp), 2-4 for canaan, and 1-3 for shoe. By tomorrow night it will turn into a more upslope/lake effect pattern with temps once again turning very cold (instead of just cold). Highs friday (opening day for 7 springs/shoe!!) will be well below freezing, possibly in the teens for the higher resorts with the best snowmaking temps of the season. Steady snows should continue throughout the region (for resorts) and by saturday morning storm totals (from tonight through then) should be 12+ for PA/MD highlands and 10+ for the WV resorts. Opening day's weather will be typical of mid january and probably go down in history as the best opening for both shoe and 7 springs, definitely will be a powder day!
Sat will again be very cold with scattered snow and highs in the teens/low 20's followed by very cold temps sat night with temps possibly approaching the single digits in higher elevations if skies clear out. Sunday, temps should moderate a bit and snow should have tapered off, first bluebird day of the year!

long term:
i really see nothing major in terms of a pattern shift in the future. Yes we may see moderating temps after this weekend (as well as another burst of snow early in the week) but temps should still remain below average through thanksgiving and likely the following weekend. You have to remember that a day like today is extremely rare for this time of year and to have temps this cold for such a long time is even more of an anomaly. If I had to put out a forecast I would expect below normal temps with off and on snow showers for elevated areas and possibly a weak system early next week to lay down some more snow or low level rain followed by warming to 5-10 degrees below average by thanksgiving and 5 below average by the weekend.
I would have to guess that at the end of this pattern (end of next week) we are going to see some system move up the coast or ohio valley (coast=snow, ohio valley=rain). I really have no good reason for this prediction, just based on past experiences, I feel there is an increased likelihood for some larger system to usher in a new pattern.
After that its really anyones guess, could stay cold or cool, which is what I am leaning towards, though not as quite as intense as our current cold spell. Or could warm up. Most likely at some point within the next 2 weeks we will see at least a 2-3 day period of above average temps and widespread rain possibly changing to snow.
I really do not see anything to worry about though, slightly warmer temps and a tad bit of rain is not going to kill any of the base currently laid down at the resorts or destroy the 20-30+ inch natural snowpack that should be common in the higher elevations by next wednesday. However, for resorts like whitetail that are lower level I would not be surprised if they cant open until the 12th of december if they wait past next week to make snow. I really have no clue what they are waiting for, fine if they dont open asap but there is not even a little bit of a guarantee for cold weather past next week and "average" temps this year are not conducive for round the clock snowmaking at the low level areas.

Excellent write up! Looks like winter will be sticking around for a little while.

Ok... These forecasts for more and more snow should be making me happy. Instead, I am just getting more frustrated because I can't make it out for a while... What should I do about this frustration? I say the best answer is to make a trip to Snowshoe on Friday. Assuming I can find someone that is willing to ride up with me, I WILL be skiing at Snowshoe on Friday. The only thing that sucks is that I have to work from 4a til 9a that morning. I'll just be making the trip for about 4 hours of skiing in the afternoon. I'd love to meet up with some people if that would be possible. Hasn't Colonel started a thread about who is skiing where?? Lets figure this one out.....

Get out of work early and go get the goods. You don't live in Utah, so you need to get to the goods while you can!

was that a shot of 1st runs at Wisp SCWA? Didn't follow up on the 1st track thread..

Smack on the buttonrue Mr soon to be Weather Guru---L-Ski--- Makes me get all teary ..I've watched you grow up here on DCSki....2 Cent Thoughts....Cry Wolf Models & Bloggers have Been hinting of the big coastal for 10 days or so...Don't just Blow off (MY)(I'll be there for that one) Storm early next week as " Just Another Snow chance" ...It will be the Grand finale of the Mother of all Clipper 1st/ Lake Effect/Upslope Events of ALLLLLLLllllllll Timmmmeeeeeee!!!!....I want to try out my new SnowShoes...Please ..Pretty Please???.....

In All Seriousness the way things have been going..the way these "Ordinary" snow events have been becoming Doozzers, Just like this new one tomorrow has become..it could happen again Mon/Wed.
Notice as the Accu map & L-ski note, there will be heavier amounts further north on this next one whereas Snowshoe got the Bullseye on the last one...Its all Good though!!!!

Some sort of "Ghost Clipper" formed along the base of the cold shot (Trough) & stole the energy from the System for the central & northern Alpps...Down South at Sugar they Got twice as expected with 4 inches overnite (Little snow in Raleigh,NC!)..Snowshoe & Canaan just got a little over 3 & CKing Laurel summit at 6 am they have 5.4...still snowing all places. I'm hoping todays Squalls will keep adding to the base!...the more the Merrier...Know Wut I Mean Vern?

Latest Snow event ended up being on the lowest side of the predicted amount

Snowshoe..5"
Canaan..8"
Laurel Summit...9"

& we are Bichin??!!...I Don't think so!

0z Model run is looking real positive for Skiers & Snow & Cold lovers...all the way into the 1st week of Dec. There should be a nice icing (Mon nite to thur morn snow) on the allready iced up cake we have for a few days leading up to Turkey Day & then For This Fri the opening of Wisp & a few others, it looks Dry at this point...I & many others will be enjoying that day & one day will be tellin the future DCSKI younguns about it while sipping on..Something..around the fireplace or computer posting about the T-Giving Skiing Conditions Of Nov 08!

If the most recent models are correct, it will start snowing Monday night (after a little rain) and keep on snowing until . . . . Um, forever.

i love how it is november and we are "disappointed" with 5-10 inches of snow!!

7 springs is blowing on NF slope... new snow, more freshies next week!! Ill be there wed??? Cant believe it is still NOVEMBER!!