DCSki Newsroom

High-speed detachable chairlifts have transformed the skiing experience, cutting uphill travel times and allowing skiers to spend more time on the slopes. Beginning with early installations at Beech Mountain and Whitetail, this chronological history traces nearly four decades of lift investments across the Mid-Atlantic and surrounding region. Along the way, it explores the arrival of six-passenger chairs, advances in lift technology, and the costs and maintenance considerations that explain why some resorts continue to favor traditional fixed-grip lifts.

Night skiing has long been a defining part of the Mid-Atlantic ski experience, allowing school groups, working adults, and budget-minded skiers to hit the slopes after dark. DCSki looks at why available night-skiing hours have gradually decreased in recent years, and why skiing under the lights remains an important regional tradition.

In this DCSki Interview Series installment, Woody Bousquet discusses his family’s role in founding and operating Bousquet Ski Area in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, his own lifelong connection to skiing, and the inventions and stories that shaped the area. He also shares how his collection of vintage patches, maps, brochures, and other memorabilia helps preserve the history of Bousquet and other lost ski areas.

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.

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.

Sustained cold temperatures have allowed Mid-Atlantic ski areas to ramp up snowmaking and begin opening for the 2025–26 winter season, with several resorts launching operations in the first week of December. Additional terrain and activities are expected to come online soon as snowmaking continues across the region. Above, an aerial view provided to DCSki by a skiing pilot shows snowmaking underway at Maryland’s Wisp Resort on December 1.

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.

The majority of ski resorts in the Mid-Atlantic region are now open for the 2024-2025 winter season, with a variety of trails available for early-season skiing and snowboarding. Additional resorts are set to open in the coming days, supported by snowmaking efforts and natural snowfall. Above, Pennsylvania’s Roundtop Mountain began its 60th season on December 14, 2024. Photo provided by Haley Mowery / Roundtop Mountain.