SeniorsSkiing Guide: Snowshoe Mountain
The Longest White Winters South of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Start at the top at Snowshoe Mountain Resort, WV, Credit: Snowshoe Mountain
Most ski resorts have their hotels and restaurants in a valley. Some resorts have hotels at the bottom of the slope and some restaurants at the top. But Snowshoe Mountain Ski resort has everything at the top of the hill. People call it “an upside-down ski resort”. Imagine a cherry on top of the mountain cake, decorated by snow and a picturesque lake. While Snowshoe is located less than a five-hour ride from the Washington, D.C. metro area, it is indeed as “wild and wonderful” as the rest of West Virginia.
The elevation of the resort is 4,848 ft, the second-highest point in the state. That is quite high by Mid-Atlantic standards. The location and the weather combined with modern snowmaking equipment gives Snowshoe a reason to guarantee “more open terrain than any other resort in the region.”
The resorts looks compact, cute, and cozy. The restaurants, bars, and stores are located in the pedestrian area. By the way, tap water here is clean and tastes better than many types of bottled water. The layout of the condos and hotels is designed to protect you and your car from snow and wind.
The resort has three ski areas: Snowshoe Basin, Western Territory, and Silver Creek. The majority of the slopes are senior skier friendly. One local Ski Patroller has noted that certain guests who have limited experience on small Southern hills, challenge each other on the black slopes of Snowshoe. The black slopes are not as wild as in the Rockies, but are still challenging for the beginners and enjoyable for experienced skiers.
According to one of the Slope Safety Volunteers, more than half of the resort volunteers are retirees residing here. One day I noticed a snowboarder with a big stick and decided that it was just another selfie maniac. Later I got a chance to talk to this 60+ year old ski and snowboard veteran. He uses a monopod (photography tool) to maneuver on flat areas and around the ski lifts. He skied for decades, but recently decided to switch to snowboarding because of joint pain. He found that his knees felt better on a snowboard than on skis.
In case you need a break from skiing, go visit The Green Bank Science Center, which is only 20 min away. The resort is active in summertime. Besides riding on bicycles, the guests enjoy golfing, boating, and hiking.
Useful facts:
Snowshoe offers an 800 ft vertical drop, 60 trails, 13 lifts, 250 acres of slopes, and 180 inches of natural snow annually.
An adult daily pass is $79 on a weekday and $109 on a weekend, and for people over 75 years old, it is $39 on any day of the season. A seasonal pass for those older than 70 costs $499 in 2019-2020. The resort is part of the IKON ski pass system.
This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (Dec. 20)
Happy Holidays, Injury Brings Insight, Gifts, Ski The Cone, Ski Forecasts.
As a holiday gift from SeniorsSkiing.com to you, here’s a poem celebrating the Winter Solstice and this special celebratory time of year welcoming Yuletide. The Shortest Day was written by Susan Cooper for the Christmas Revels, a wonderful show with music, dance, and poetry reflecting different cultures and styles of art.
The narration and video is by our friend and colleague Barry O’Brien, a videographer who has captured some special images to accompany the verse.
The Shortest Day By Susan Cooper
So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen,
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing, behind us — listen!
All the long echoes sing the same delight
This shortest day
As promise wakens in the sleeping land.
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends, and hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year, and every year.
Welcome Yule!
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This Week
Correspondent Marc Liebman recounts a chronic, stubborn condition that threatens his ski season. He has a lesson for all of us about not being able to make it this year.
Cartoonist and ski journalist Mike Roth offers a fun view of the Millennial snow sport enthusiast to accompany our Incidents and Accidents series.
We have a new Mystery Glimpse photo to guess. This should be easy. Also we reveal the identities of the seven Hall of Fame ski jumpers who appeared last week.
If you’re stuck for a gift, check our Very Last Minute gift suggestions. Do not delay!
Finally, Herb Stevens, the Skiing Weatherman, offers his view of what will be happening next week. By the way, his forecast for last week was spot on. This week coming up? All is calm, except for the West.
Next week, SeniorsSkiing.com will be taking a break. Have a wonderful holiday season, be safe, and we’ll see you next year.
And remember, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.
Short Swings!
Away this week through the New Year, so no fully-developed column. But thought you’d enjoy this statement explaining what it is about skiing that is so inexplicably wonderful.
It’s available as a poster in a variety of sizes. Click here for specific sizes and (very reasonable) prices.
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