DCSki examines four Mid-Atlantic ski areas that have inspired years of reader speculation about untapped potential: Blue Knob, Canaan Valley, Laurel Mountain, and Winterplace. Drawing on their terrain, snowfall, infrastructure, ownership, and operating constraints, the feature considers what improvements might help each mountain deliver more of what skiers already value.
From his first turns on Blue Knob’s ice in 1967 to retirement winters in Utah, Jim Kenney has built a skiing life around family, friends, and a willingness to adapt. Drawing on more than 25 years of his DCSki stories, this retrospective follows his travels, revisits memorable days, and explores how he has kept enjoying the slopes into his seventies.
Skiing has become expensive, but bargains have not disappeared. DCSki looks across the Mid-Atlantic for the season passes, night tickets, family programs, lodging packages, and other offers that can still put skiers on the snow without draining the winter budget.
Buying a ski pass used to mean choosing a home mountain. And that was pretty much it. Today, Mid-Atlantic skiers must sort through national products, regional passes, reciprocal agreements, limited-day packages, blackout dates, and prices that change several times before winter. It can be overwhelming! DCSki tries to break through the confusion by examining the leading options for 2026-2027 and the skiers each one serves best.
One of the strongest El Niño events in the modern record is developing ahead of the 2026-2027 ski season, increasing the odds of an active, moisture-rich storm track across the East. DCSki looks at the latest forecasts, lessons from past El Niño winters, and the factors that could determine whether that moisture arrives at Mid-Atlantic ski areas as snow or rain.
Indy Pass has added 16 new partner resorts for the 2026/27 season and lowered the price of its no-blackout Indy+ Pass to $399. Renewals for existing passholders opened February 25, with passes historically selling out quickly before moving to waitlist and public sales.
After an extended stretch of cold temperatures earlier this month, ski resorts across the Mid-Atlantic were able to make snow aggressively, building strong early-season base depths and opening expanding terrain. DCSki provides a comprehensive snapshot of current conditions across the region as resorts head into the end of December. Photo: Opening Day at Big Boulder, shot by Ella Muir.
Resorts across the Mid-Atlantic have spent the offseason upgrading snowmaking systems, expanding terrain, improving lifts, and refreshing guest facilities in preparation for the 2025–26 winter season. These enhancements aim to deliver more reliable early-season openings, improved snow quality, and a better overall experience for skiers, riders, and families. DCSki provides a summary of key enhancements across the region in this feature story.
An early-season cold snap brought the first real signs of winter to the Mid-Atlantic, covering higher elevations with natural snow and giving ski areas across West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania the chance to fire up their snowmaking systems. The drop in temperatures allowed resorts to run tests, train crews, and begin early preparations for the 2025 winter season. Some areas also saw natural snow, marking the region’s first widespread taste of winter weather. Above, natural snow falls at Hidden Valley Resort. Photo by Heidi Lewis.
Positioned as an alternative to the mega passes, the Indy Pass — good at small and mid-sized independent resorts — is now back on sale, but only for a limited time. The Indy Pass now provides two lift tickets each at 271 resorts across 4 continents, including numerous areas in the Mid-Atlantic region.
