I've always had an interest in the history of skiing, specifically skiing south of the Mason-Dixon. I know that there is a wealth of recorded history out there, but little is readily available to the public. The Lost Ski Area segment of DC Ski is one invaluable resource as are some of the links provided by Chip on the WG site. Question... what do you feel the interest/support for a "southern" ski museum in a resort area, say CV? I think it would be fun assembling as much data, photographs, film, video, equipment, etc... which would show the development of skiing in the south. Put in one place where people could go and enjoy the heritage of our passion. Potential of loans of "artifacts" from memorbilia collectors, ski area owners, and individuals.

So you are talking WV, VA, MD and NC, more or less?
If you included PA I was going to suggest a location along the PA Turnpike like Somerset or Harrisburg for maximum exposure, but that's not south of Mason Dixon.
Random thoughts:
-Finding a host and caretakers would be the key part.
-Canaan Valley certainly has a good base for mtn culture and ski lovers.
-Would the other far flung ski areas support a museum next to one resort, such as CV/Whitegrass?
-Would your goal be to draw new skiers, then locating beside an Interstate Hwy in a city would make sense, like Harrisonburg or Charlottesville. Or do you just want a repository for the hard core to visit when they're already at a remote ski location?
-The Homestead might be a classy place to house such a museum.
-Snowshoe and Intrawest might have the clout/$ to sponsor it at their mtn?
-How about in an NC mtn town like Boone?
-I think the "stuff" to display would come out of the wood work copiously if such a place were legitimately established.

Hmmm.. Marsh Mtn would be south of the M-D. I think the most "central" location would be somewhere along the I-68/I-70 corridor or maybe somewhere along I-81 for accessability. Does a museum need to be at an active ski area? a lost one? To be honest, I think that there are two differnt stories to tell about skiing int he Mid Atlantic, east and west of the Eastern Front/US-220, with the Pocono resorts a third area with more in common with the NE than Mid Atlantic.

Braddock Mtn Inn would be a great place for a museum for truely DC region ski areas.

This is a tough call. I have been to the Norweigan Ski Museum in Holmenkollen where the 52 Oslo Olympics were held. It is a great museum and supposedly the oldest in the world. It is also a major tourist attraction in Norway. What makes it great is that:

1. It is close to downtown Oslo.
2. It has a Ski Jump that you can ride up and check out the view.
3. It has active training occuring there year round.
4. It is well done with all the bells and whistles including a great store, etc.

To me, it has to be a current resort or area, and South of the mason-dixon I think CV fits the mold. Think about it--two currently operating resorts, two lost areas (Cabin and Weiss [now WG]), and one almost area (Tory), and the best nordic south of the Mason Dixon at WG. I do no think there is another area with so much concentration, with so long a history, perhaps with the exception of Garrett County.

Plus with CV, it would be easy to get funding from Senator Byrd.

It's a thought. I was bouncing the idea off some locals and they seemed interested. It may be one of those things that can tap some state tourism development $$. Too early to tell but am looking for some suggestions/ideas to further feed the debate. Besides, the governor may like the idea of this adding to his vacation interests.