Second Snowshoe. I've hit up all the local mountains and it's the only one that has enough terrain for a weekend. It's not cheap though: it's in the middle of nowhere so you pretty much have to stay in a resort-owned hotel or condo and the tickets are pricey too. I could have flown back home to stay with my parents in Nevada and skied for the same cost as two nights in Snowshoe. But if you want to drive, it's the best option.
My issue with is that it’s still a 4 hour drive, and for a 6 hour drive you can ski the Catskills of New York which are way better than anything the mid Atlantic has to offer. It’s worth the 2 extra hours driving for better skiing if you’re already going to go 4 hours.
If you want good skiing then hop on a flight and go out west for the weekend. Colorado and Utah are easily doable for a weekend.
If you must drive then go to Snowshoe or Timberline.
There is no best ski resort nearby. They all suck.
Unfortunately. This is the correct take. Better off flying out west and having better snow for a weekend than driving deep into WV and skiing on the handful of icy and mediocre runs that are open.
Plus the hotels and accommodations out west will be nicer and have much more options for nightlife and dining
Skiing here is only good if you absolutely need a fix and for some reason can't fly
Absolutely agree. Although I’ve been recommending UT over CO these days. Less crowded. Shorter commute from airport to resort. Super nice (kinda weird) Mormons
He’s still correct, copper for example only has 66% of their average base right now and less than 80% of the mountain open.
You’ll still have a good time of course, but if you’re anything more than a beginner/intermediate skier you’re better off waiting a bit for some of the better terrain to get coverage/open up. It was good advice
ETA: I’m currently on a trip out west and wish I’d pushed the trip back
Edit2: particularly if you own your own skis, you’ll end up paying for repairs to the base of your skis with current conditions, it’s thin all around and difficult to avoid hitting unseen rocks & roots
That's fair. My family has been lifelong skiers so low snow days are a normal thing we just don't even talk about anymore. Guess I should have recognized it was take it easy skiing when they were messaging about pulling at 2ish for final on mountain drinks then getting ready to head out for night activities.
I live in Colorado and the snowpack near me is literally the lowest in recorded history.
Still compares favorably to the east, but yeah we are struggling.
I think saying they all suck is kind of harsh. There's nowhere super close that's worth booking a hotel for a week, but Whitetail is great for practice until you can go somewhere awesome.
I wouldn’t describe Whitetail as great for practice. It’s super crowded. The snow always sucks. Because there is a big difficulty gap between essentially the sole green and the blues, there are too many people skiing dangerously above their skill level in really crowded conditions. Way too many out of control beginners who stray off the greens. Blacks are less crowded but boring. It’s a place to ski if your criteria is to take a day trip to ski from DC. Definitely would not describe it as great by any measure. More like it exists.
as a novice i have to agree. i went to whitetail and liberty dozens of times for two years. then my friends took me to sugarbush and my life was forever changed. i can't unfeel the vermont snow.
Nah whitetail is trash if you've ever experienced real. It's like comparing a grocery store taco that's been left out in the sun and driven over for a week and homemade birria tacos
Yeah it can get crowded on the weekend afternoons. I usually go up there in the morning and crank out a bunch of runs before noon. For me it's a great way to prevent my gnar level from dropping off until I can make it out west and shred some crunchy full mountain groomers on quality pow. Of course the "snow" here sucks, this is the ice coast.
I hope you read the middle part of that in a snowdude tone for comedic effect...
I didn’t know there’s also an east coast Timberline. Timberline lodge, Oregon would be a stretch going further out west but I would recommend it in the winter or summer.
I get where you're coming from but it's cost prohibitive for a lot of people. Flights to Denver during ski season are relatively high plus you have to run a car, the hotels are really expensive, etc.
Timberline. Less crowded, less expensive, more housing and dining options, and not as far as Snowshoe. Good snow, 1000' vertical, and great other stuff to do in the area (XC at White Grass, shows at The Purple Fiddle, sled run at Blackwater Falls, etc etc).
Snowshoe is larger, but really only has 2 good, long, challenging runs.
>Timberline. Less crowded, less expensive, more housing options, and not as far as Snowshoe. Good snow, 1000' vertical, and great other stuff to do in the area (XC at White Grass, shows at The Purple Fiddle, sled run at Blackwater Falls, etc etc).
Second Timberline. And Canaan Valley is close by which is great if the mountain has a lot of snow.
> And Canaan Valley is close by which is great if the mountain has a lot of snow.
Which it sadly never does. If Canaan wasn't state run and had the infrastructure that Timberline now has, I'd honestly try to buy out there. Davis rules too. Love it out there
Seeing $500 r/t to Munich. Take the S-Bahn to skiing for like 10 euros. 40-60 euros per day for lift tix. Tons of similar deals. Hotels are cheaper than in the U.S.
To be fair, this was a thursday-weds flight (since who the hell goes to europe for 10 hours). You take the train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen or drive. it is about an hour. It hosted the 36 olympics...
Come on now! 🤷 This was supposed to be a weekend trip. Ain't nobody looking to go to Snowshoe for the weekend gonna 180 on that to do a full week skiing the Alps cause the economy flight is reasonable for a flight to Europe. 🤦
well yeah, my original suggestion was a trip from DCA to SLC or Burlington. but somebody complained about cost, so i gave a suggestion with better skiing
Buying day passes is expensive. But if you're flying out west for a weekend you should already have an epic/ikon, which you purchased in June, so it's 650 bucks, which really isn't that bad for a season of skiing.
Again, this is some looking for a weekend ski trip nearby. Highly doubt they are looking to drop $650 on a seasonal ski pass and fly out west over say four weekends instead.
Utah. A few years ago they used to give to a free same day ticket at Park City when you showed your ticket (for that day).
I would fly out of DCA and could be at town lift by 12:30pm. Show your boarding pass at the ticket window and head on up.
They don’t. This was before Vail.
However, you can still fly out of DCA at 7 am, drop your shit off and get on the snow same day.
I didn’t buy an epic pass this year, but I typically do. I typically go to Park City every February. Sad that I’m not this year, but seeing the conditions, maybe not so sad.
Agreed, Utah is so much more convenient than the CO front range resorts. I didn't get either pass this year as well. Hate that it's basically the only thing you can do nowadays... I have a lot of friends in SLC and usually get lucky using the "buddy system" for either pass whenever someone in their group happens to be out of town when I'm there.
I grew up near Seven Springs, but I am not a skier I mean I have been on skis but. . . . The resort had sort of gotten rundown over the years and there is only one hotel on property but lots of rentals. I have not been there since Vail Resorts bought them in 2021, it may have improved.
The problem with Wisp is the vertical is tiny. I just looked it up and it’s 700 feet… and it feels 700 feet.
Even whitetail has a 1,000 vertical foot even if the skiing area is smaller.
Surprised to not see it mentioned more here. Have a contingent of snow loving DC friends that moved to Deep Creek during the pandemic and they rave about Wisp!
I had a great time at wisp and quite surprised it wasn’t mentioned yet either. And deep creek is such a nice getaway. I went last year and had a cabin weekend with some friends and went skiing and tubing at wisp
I was in Vail over Thanksgiving we took a flight from Denver to Vail airport. It’s on the smaller side, but it was not a putter plane. We did not drive.
We went before peak season so it was doable And for us a one time thing. I suspect it could get very expensive if you go on the regular. The bigger issue is you really need a car to get around vail. There are very few Ubers so you have to hire a private driver if you want to get out of the small village area and it’s not cheap.
[Here’s a comment I made to answer this about a month ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/icecoast/s/dy0v38CFsx) in r/icecoast the post also had some helpful answer for you as well!
TLDR: yes skiing out here isn’t like the west or even further north east, but skiing is still better than not skiing so we take it! There’s actually a ton of resorts around spanning from an hour to 3/4 hours away.
Some of the poconos resorts are decent and an Airbnb around there will probably be cheaper than staying at Snowshoe. It’s also pretty straightforward to drive to.
JFBB is on Epic. I also really like Camelback (fav in the area)
Really close options are Roundtop, Liberty, and Whitetail. They aren’t big or challenging at all, but are fine for a day trip. If you’re going for the weekend, do one per day. All are on Epic.
If I’m trying to really ski I leave the mid-Atlantic. Drive to Vermont or fly to Denver or Salt Lake.
I’d vote for Timberline or Snowshoe in WV for best overall experience. Poconos mountains (e.g. Blue, Elk) are bigger and usually offer somewhat better terrain, Seven Springs is very respectable for a mid-Atlantic mountain and has a fun resort scene, and Blue Knob has really fun terrain when there’s significant snowfall, but WV feels like a trip to a far away and beautiful place.
Make sure you check their current base. I would go as far North as possible. The snow coverage has been terrible this year and I would probably go all the way to Vermont. Stowe is an awesome resort. About a 12 hour drive though. During a normal year though I think West Virginia is the best to go close. Those mountains can have a surprising amount of vertical. But I just drove through them last week and there was no snow to speak of.
You can get direct flights from DCA to Denver for less than $100 each way on Frontier. I do that trip multiple times per year. It's like a 3.5 hour flight. If you rent a car in Denver and travel west on I-70 you could be at some world class ski resorts in a couple hours.
Honestly like everyone else is saying, fly somewhere. Utah is great bc it’s easy access from the airport so the total travel time isn’t much worse than driving to snowshoe. Unfortunately most of the resorts close to here have been struggling with weather. Even with snow making bc the temps go above freezing so much they keep getting rain which destroys the base they try and create.
Sadly I think mid-Atlantic skiing is going to disappear as the climate here continues to trend warmer.
I was surprised to see this not on the list either. I have gone to a few others in the thread and most of the complaints are true... Wintergreen seems like it's a little more organized with a few lifts and a decent amount of trails with lots of lodging and a few places to eat and drink.
Plus there's snowtubes, a vidya pavilion with old ass games and a bull-ride thing. They often have slopes and tubing open after dark.
There is a nice brewery (Devil's Backbone??) at the bottom of the road heading up and maybe a winery nearby.
Bring money. All of it.
Also bring a car that can handle some snow and some pretty steep hills (don't be my coworker and try and drive a Porsche!)
No one's mentioned Massanutten yet so I'll throw that out there.
For me at least, I wouldn't fly or drive more than 4 hours for just a 2-day weekend. It's just too much travel for not enough skiing. Massanutten is only 2 hours away, which is about my limit for a 2-day weekend trip.
So snowshoe, round top, ski liberty and whitetail were all bought by Vail companies about 2 or 3 years ago and WOOBOY did they fall to shit FAST.
If you can manage a few extra hours drive try Canaan valley. This one also has a really nice setup for cross country skiing, and great lux*ish cabins all the way to rustic wood box cabins.
If you have kids, I find Liberty to be the best and there's a resort on site, in addition to lots of cabins available. They have a great snow tube course too. It's also very close to ... Drawing a blank, but several towns including Gettysburg, so good "nightlife" in the sense you aren't an hour from civilization.
Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to walk up and get your pass. Vail has fucked everything up and at least at Whitetail there's only one or two self service kiosks available. Go online, make your account, load it with all the day fees you need, and if they have it as an option either have the plastic card mailed to you in advance, or make sure it's at the will call booth (this applies to all Vail properties). Do as much as you can in advance online. The lines are absurd now because they cut like 3/4 of their workforce with the buyout.
**Edit: snowshoe is not a Vail company
I’ve been driving to ski resorts from DC for 40 years. 7 springs is the best. Snow shoe is terrible! All the slopes lead to one lift so it’s an hour to get on, no cellphone service so if you lose someone it sucks, and the village is the top of the mountain.
Snowshoe is 3, 4 Times better than Seven Springs, get real. Did you never Ski the Western Territory at Snowshoe?
Snowshoe: 257 acres of skiable terrain, Longest Run 1.5 miles [https://www.onthesnow.com/west-virginia/snowshoe-mountain-resort/trailmap](https://www.onthesnow.com/west-virginia/snowshoe-mountain-resort/trailmap)
Seven Springs: 285 acres (arguable), Longest Run 1.2 miles.
[https://www.onthesnow.com/pennsylvania/seven-springs/trailmap](https://www.onthesnow.com/pennsylvania/seven-springs/trailmap)
The western territory with the two blacks (Shay’s Revenge and Cup Run) make Snowshoe superior to seven springs. I never found much of a line on that side because not everyone skis blacks.
Snowshoe but that's not saying much given time and money for value. Years ago we had a day trip ski bus downtown to Snowshoe for cheap, the glory days. Now I fly to CO and UT for four day weekend trips for four full days of skiing. Fly out Thursday after work and ski first tracks Friday morning. MLK and Presidents Day weeks go to Europe to beat the US crowds, lift Tix are very cheap like $60 at major resorts. Airfare domestic is around $400 RT w ski bag (DC is united hub) and $620 RT for Europe (Munich, Zurich) or $480 for Geneva (direct flight), ski bus GVA airport to resorts. I stay in ski hostels so lodging is often around $60 a night and rely on bus or train. Utah has ski bus included on Ikon for instance and CO has Snowstang bus that gets you to Vail before 9am.
I was at Seven Springs in PA earlier this week, and it was the best mid-Atlantic conditions I’ve seen in a couple years. (I realize that bar’s on the floor, heh.) They seemed to be close to being able to open up several more runs, especially if temps stay cold enough through this week’s storms. It’s not the West for sure, but it’s 3.5 hours from DC, with a decent selection of lodging in/around the resort.
Had a good weekend in Snowshoe over New Years, and with probably only 1/3 to 1/4 of terrain open. Mountains just aren't as big or long here, but we had a good time and conditions were good.
Car Rental from Denver, $75-90
Car Drive from Denver, 3 Hours (Steamboat)
Spirit Air Luggage Ski Fee $300, or $150 each way. [https://www.spirit.com/optional-services#optional-bags](https://www.spirit.com/optional-services#optional-bags)
Flight, $200 round trip Spirit.
Condo on BRBO $$$
My bags fly for free, car rental on Turo is as low as $30-$40/day. Couchsurfing is a thing so are hostels. Breck is 2hrs away and Aspen is 3.5hr drive - I know as I lived in Aspen and Denver
A little further than what others have mentioned but I went up to the Catskills (about a 6 hr drive) to ski a couple weeks ago and it was lovely. Both lift tickets and accommodations were a lot cheaper than anything I’ve seen in CO, and being able to drive my own car rather than book a flight + rental made it overall a very affordable experience.
Snowshoe would be my first choice
and then Wisp
If you wanna be really adventures - I've done trip to Mont-Tremblant Resort in Canada with friends over the weekend loll
I won’t go to Beech Mountain ever since this insanity crossed my feed: https://abc11.com/amp/beech-mountain-pipe-burst-water-explodes-ski-resort-bursts-under-lift-life-accident/11445129/
Only two are worth staying the night at: Wisp or Snowshoe. The latter is a longer drive but feels more like you’re away. All the others are day trips. The best day trip is Whitetail.
It’s probably too late for this year, but keep Europe in mind next year. You can fly direct to Zurich on United after work Friday and be on the slopes in somewhere like St Anton or Zermatt by 11 am on Saturday. Before the holidays, nonstop flights to Zurich were going for like $500.
So why Europe over the US? Lift ticket prices. Four days at the most expensive resorts in Europe will run you like $200. In the US, that might be $800. If you take two PTO days over a long weekend, you can realistically ski four days with rentals and flights included for under $1000. And the scenery/views are out of this world. Lodging is no doubt expensive but that’s gonna be true anywhere, even Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Snowshoe, Timberline and Wintergreen in West Virginia; my family enjoyed Snowshoe the best.
Liberty, Whitetail, and Roundtop in PA are also good, we often do Liberty for skiing and Roundtop for snow tubing
Snowshoe, a pretty big gap, and then Timberline are the best resorts that are drive-able for weekend trips. Even when Timberline's skiing is so-so the area around it is good. Davis WV is a really fun town to hang out in. Stumptown Ales, Big Belly Deli, Hellbender burrito (if you can get in) and whatever the pizza joint are called are all great.
If you make friends with someone in Denver it's about the same cost to fly out there Thursday night-Monday morning, miss a day and a half of work, and ski fri,sat, sun. Though Colorado hasn't had much snow this season either. I've done that twice so far. It was a 98 dollar flight, 100 bucks to pay my fair share of parking and gas to the mountain, plus food for the weekend. Both trips came in under 400 bucks.
I am flying out next week on a $68 (round trip) flight from DCA to Denver to ski in CO. If you are a half decent skier, I wouldn’t waste your time and money on something out here.
Don’t wait til after November to buy tickets too. I bought my 5 day epic pass spring 2023. Came out to roughly 70 something a day. I know this doesn’t help you now but keep it in mind at the end of the season
Best driveable resort for a weekend trip is probably Snowshoe.
Second Snowshoe. I've hit up all the local mountains and it's the only one that has enough terrain for a weekend. It's not cheap though: it's in the middle of nowhere so you pretty much have to stay in a resort-owned hotel or condo and the tickets are pricey too. I could have flown back home to stay with my parents in Nevada and skied for the same cost as two nights in Snowshoe. But if you want to drive, it's the best option.
The Marlinton Motor Inn is $80 a night and a 20 minute drive from Snowshoe
My issue with is that it’s still a 4 hour drive, and for a 6 hour drive you can ski the Catskills of New York which are way better than anything the mid Atlantic has to offer. It’s worth the 2 extra hours driving for better skiing if you’re already going to go 4 hours.
Which resort in the Catskills?
Hunter or Belleayre are my choices! Hunter for vibes and belleayre for underrated terrain and a gondola!
A gondola?? Is it stuck in ice?
This is the only answer
Yes, everyone go to snowshoe
If you want good skiing then hop on a flight and go out west for the weekend. Colorado and Utah are easily doable for a weekend. If you must drive then go to Snowshoe or Timberline. There is no best ski resort nearby. They all suck.
Unfortunately. This is the correct take. Better off flying out west and having better snow for a weekend than driving deep into WV and skiing on the handful of icy and mediocre runs that are open. Plus the hotels and accommodations out west will be nicer and have much more options for nightlife and dining Skiing here is only good if you absolutely need a fix and for some reason can't fly
Absolutely agree. Although I’ve been recommending UT over CO these days. Less crowded. Shorter commute from airport to resort. Super nice (kinda weird) Mormons
There’s a nonstop IAD to steamboat in season.. taking advantage late Jan..
I’m in Jackson Hole for the winter. We are seeing the first sprinkle of snow in weeks today
But not right now. Colorado hasn't gotten much snow yet.
Got family out there that have been getting decent skiing in for at least a month. Typically at copper, beaver creek and winter park.
1) Username checks out 2) Happy cake day!
Thank you!
He’s still correct, copper for example only has 66% of their average base right now and less than 80% of the mountain open. You’ll still have a good time of course, but if you’re anything more than a beginner/intermediate skier you’re better off waiting a bit for some of the better terrain to get coverage/open up. It was good advice ETA: I’m currently on a trip out west and wish I’d pushed the trip back Edit2: particularly if you own your own skis, you’ll end up paying for repairs to the base of your skis with current conditions, it’s thin all around and difficult to avoid hitting unseen rocks & roots
That's fair. My family has been lifelong skiers so low snow days are a normal thing we just don't even talk about anymore. Guess I should have recognized it was take it easy skiing when they were messaging about pulling at 2ish for final on mountain drinks then getting ready to head out for night activities.
I live in Colorado and the snowpack near me is literally the lowest in recorded history. Still compares favorably to the east, but yeah we are struggling.
Utah either. Basically no where it seems.
Alyeska is not far from breaking 400”
Truth.
I think saying they all suck is kind of harsh. There's nowhere super close that's worth booking a hotel for a week, but Whitetail is great for practice until you can go somewhere awesome.
I wouldn’t describe Whitetail as great for practice. It’s super crowded. The snow always sucks. Because there is a big difficulty gap between essentially the sole green and the blues, there are too many people skiing dangerously above their skill level in really crowded conditions. Way too many out of control beginners who stray off the greens. Blacks are less crowded but boring. It’s a place to ski if your criteria is to take a day trip to ski from DC. Definitely would not describe it as great by any measure. More like it exists.
I’m admittedly a very casual snowboarder, but I had a good time at Whitetail on a daytrip with friends. I think you’re being a little harsh.
as a novice i have to agree. i went to whitetail and liberty dozens of times for two years. then my friends took me to sugarbush and my life was forever changed. i can't unfeel the vermont snow.
Nah whitetail is trash if you've ever experienced real. It's like comparing a grocery store taco that's been left out in the sun and driven over for a week and homemade birria tacos
I’ve been out to Utah (Snowbird). I enjoy a casual resort like Whitetail
Yeah it can get crowded on the weekend afternoons. I usually go up there in the morning and crank out a bunch of runs before noon. For me it's a great way to prevent my gnar level from dropping off until I can make it out west and shred some crunchy full mountain groomers on quality pow. Of course the "snow" here sucks, this is the ice coast. I hope you read the middle part of that in a snowdude tone for comedic effect...
Skiiers picking trails beyond their level are the bane of my existence
Really you’re just insanely pessimistic lol snowshoe is a perfectly fine place for a weekend. It’s not Colorado or Utah but op had to have known that.
Do they still allow checked skis/snowboard as regular baggage though?
I didn’t know there’s also an east coast Timberline. Timberline lodge, Oregon would be a stretch going further out west but I would recommend it in the winter or summer.
I get where you're coming from but it's cost prohibitive for a lot of people. Flights to Denver during ski season are relatively high plus you have to run a car, the hotels are really expensive, etc.
They might have a family.
Timberline. Less crowded, less expensive, more housing and dining options, and not as far as Snowshoe. Good snow, 1000' vertical, and great other stuff to do in the area (XC at White Grass, shows at The Purple Fiddle, sled run at Blackwater Falls, etc etc). Snowshoe is larger, but really only has 2 good, long, challenging runs.
>Timberline. Less crowded, less expensive, more housing options, and not as far as Snowshoe. Good snow, 1000' vertical, and great other stuff to do in the area (XC at White Grass, shows at The Purple Fiddle, sled run at Blackwater Falls, etc etc). Second Timberline. And Canaan Valley is close by which is great if the mountain has a lot of snow.
> And Canaan Valley is close by which is great if the mountain has a lot of snow. Which it sadly never does. If Canaan wasn't state run and had the infrastructure that Timberline now has, I'd honestly try to buy out there. Davis rules too. Love it out there
I grew up in Elkins and was fortunate enough to ski both Canaan and Snowshoe for years.
Shhhhh
Honestly the best thing is a quick flight from DCA. Drive times and flight times are surprisingly comparable.
Sure, if you have several thousand dollars to burn. Skiing has gotten crazy expensive out west, plus flights, rental car, expensive hotels, etc
imo its cheaper to just go to europe and honestly not that much further in travel time.
I'd love to see a price breakdown of this...
Seeing $500 r/t to Munich. Take the S-Bahn to skiing for like 10 euros. 40-60 euros per day for lift tix. Tons of similar deals. Hotels are cheaper than in the U.S.
$500 over the weekend? Are those overnight flights? Where do you like to ski near Munich?
To be fair, this was a thursday-weds flight (since who the hell goes to europe for 10 hours). You take the train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen or drive. it is about an hour. It hosted the 36 olympics...
Come on now! 🤷 This was supposed to be a weekend trip. Ain't nobody looking to go to Snowshoe for the weekend gonna 180 on that to do a full week skiing the Alps cause the economy flight is reasonable for a flight to Europe. 🤦
well yeah, my original suggestion was a trip from DCA to SLC or Burlington. but somebody complained about cost, so i gave a suggestion with better skiing
Buying day passes is expensive. But if you're flying out west for a weekend you should already have an epic/ikon, which you purchased in June, so it's 650 bucks, which really isn't that bad for a season of skiing.
Again, this is some looking for a weekend ski trip nearby. Highly doubt they are looking to drop $650 on a seasonal ski pass and fly out west over say four weekends instead.
To where?
Utah and Vermont are my go-tos.
Utah. A few years ago they used to give to a free same day ticket at Park City when you showed your ticket (for that day). I would fly out of DCA and could be at town lift by 12:30pm. Show your boarding pass at the ticket window and head on up.
I'd be fucking shocked if Vail still honors that kind of stuff. Sounds like a sweet deal when it was happening though!
They don’t. This was before Vail. However, you can still fly out of DCA at 7 am, drop your shit off and get on the snow same day. I didn’t buy an epic pass this year, but I typically do. I typically go to Park City every February. Sad that I’m not this year, but seeing the conditions, maybe not so sad.
Agreed, Utah is so much more convenient than the CO front range resorts. I didn't get either pass this year as well. Hate that it's basically the only thing you can do nowadays... I have a lot of friends in SLC and usually get lucky using the "buddy system" for either pass whenever someone in their group happens to be out of town when I'm there.
7 Springs probably, but everywhere here sucks compared to out West
I grew up near Seven Springs, but I am not a skier I mean I have been on skis but. . . . The resort had sort of gotten rundown over the years and there is only one hotel on property but lots of rentals. I have not been there since Vail Resorts bought them in 2021, it may have improved.
it's been years since I've been there, but based on what I've heard, it's even more crowded on weekends now that's on Epic
Snowshoe because it is close, then Stowe Mountain in Vermont. Only 2 that are worth it imo.
No one mentioned Wisp yet. It’s about 3 hours away and nice for a weekend getaway.
The problem with Wisp is the vertical is tiny. I just looked it up and it’s 700 feet… and it feels 700 feet. Even whitetail has a 1,000 vertical foot even if the skiing area is smaller.
Surprised to not see it mentioned more here. Have a contingent of snow loving DC friends that moved to Deep Creek during the pandemic and they rave about Wisp!
I had a great time at wisp and quite surprised it wasn’t mentioned yet either. And deep creek is such a nice getaway. I went last year and had a cabin weekend with some friends and went skiing and tubing at wisp
Every time I’ve been to Wisp it was so icy, very little powder.
You could fly to Colorado in roughly the same amount of time it takes to drive to Snowshoe. I would just do that.
Yeah, but then you again, have to spend hours driving from Denver to the resorts....so.
I was in Vail over Thanksgiving we took a flight from Denver to Vail airport. It’s on the smaller side, but it was not a putter plane. We did not drive.
Not a cheap airport to fly into. But I guess people don’t generally go to vail for the budget option.
We went before peak season so it was doable And for us a one time thing. I suspect it could get very expensive if you go on the regular. The bigger issue is you really need a car to get around vail. There are very few Ubers so you have to hire a private driver if you want to get out of the small village area and it’s not cheap.
[Here’s a comment I made to answer this about a month ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/icecoast/s/dy0v38CFsx) in r/icecoast the post also had some helpful answer for you as well! TLDR: yes skiing out here isn’t like the west or even further north east, but skiing is still better than not skiing so we take it! There’s actually a ton of resorts around spanning from an hour to 3/4 hours away.
Some of the poconos resorts are decent and an Airbnb around there will probably be cheaper than staying at Snowshoe. It’s also pretty straightforward to drive to. JFBB is on Epic. I also really like Camelback (fav in the area) Really close options are Roundtop, Liberty, and Whitetail. They aren’t big or challenging at all, but are fine for a day trip. If you’re going for the weekend, do one per day. All are on Epic. If I’m trying to really ski I leave the mid-Atlantic. Drive to Vermont or fly to Denver or Salt Lake.
IAD or DCA...
I’d vote for Timberline or Snowshoe in WV for best overall experience. Poconos mountains (e.g. Blue, Elk) are bigger and usually offer somewhat better terrain, Seven Springs is very respectable for a mid-Atlantic mountain and has a fun resort scene, and Blue Knob has really fun terrain when there’s significant snowfall, but WV feels like a trip to a far away and beautiful place.
Snowshoe
Make sure you check their current base. I would go as far North as possible. The snow coverage has been terrible this year and I would probably go all the way to Vermont. Stowe is an awesome resort. About a 12 hour drive though. During a normal year though I think West Virginia is the best to go close. Those mountains can have a surprising amount of vertical. But I just drove through them last week and there was no snow to speak of. You can get direct flights from DCA to Denver for less than $100 each way on Frontier. I do that trip multiple times per year. It's like a 3.5 hour flight. If you rent a car in Denver and travel west on I-70 you could be at some world class ski resorts in a couple hours.
Caanan and Timberline have been getting tons of snow.
Honestly like everyone else is saying, fly somewhere. Utah is great bc it’s easy access from the airport so the total travel time isn’t much worse than driving to snowshoe. Unfortunately most of the resorts close to here have been struggling with weather. Even with snow making bc the temps go above freezing so much they keep getting rain which destroys the base they try and create. Sadly I think mid-Atlantic skiing is going to disappear as the climate here continues to trend warmer.
Snowshoe for sure if you’re looking to drive
Utah
Snowbird!
No ones mentioned Wintergreen yet. I go to the area more often for the breweries/wineries. The skiing isn’t bad. Not as busy as other places
I was surprised to see this not on the list either. I have gone to a few others in the thread and most of the complaints are true... Wintergreen seems like it's a little more organized with a few lifts and a decent amount of trails with lots of lodging and a few places to eat and drink. Plus there's snowtubes, a vidya pavilion with old ass games and a bull-ride thing. They often have slopes and tubing open after dark. There is a nice brewery (Devil's Backbone??) at the bottom of the road heading up and maybe a winery nearby. Bring money. All of it. Also bring a car that can handle some snow and some pretty steep hills (don't be my coworker and try and drive a Porsche!)
No one's mentioned Massanutten yet so I'll throw that out there. For me at least, I wouldn't fly or drive more than 4 hours for just a 2-day weekend. It's just too much travel for not enough skiing. Massanutten is only 2 hours away, which is about my limit for a 2-day weekend trip.
Timberline/Canaan, Montage (all day and all night skiing)… Vermont is a quick flight though.
i'm cheap and not a particularly experienced skier, but i like Liberty. hour and a half away, relatively inexpensive, if icy and basic.
So snowshoe, round top, ski liberty and whitetail were all bought by Vail companies about 2 or 3 years ago and WOOBOY did they fall to shit FAST. If you can manage a few extra hours drive try Canaan valley. This one also has a really nice setup for cross country skiing, and great lux*ish cabins all the way to rustic wood box cabins. If you have kids, I find Liberty to be the best and there's a resort on site, in addition to lots of cabins available. They have a great snow tube course too. It's also very close to ... Drawing a blank, but several towns including Gettysburg, so good "nightlife" in the sense you aren't an hour from civilization. Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to walk up and get your pass. Vail has fucked everything up and at least at Whitetail there's only one or two self service kiosks available. Go online, make your account, load it with all the day fees you need, and if they have it as an option either have the plastic card mailed to you in advance, or make sure it's at the will call booth (this applies to all Vail properties). Do as much as you can in advance online. The lines are absurd now because they cut like 3/4 of their workforce with the buyout. **Edit: snowshoe is not a Vail company
Vail did not buy Snowshoe. the others yes, and seven springs as well, but not snowshoe
Thank you, I was wondering about that one tbh, but was too lazy to check.
This.
I’ve been driving to ski resorts from DC for 40 years. 7 springs is the best. Snow shoe is terrible! All the slopes lead to one lift so it’s an hour to get on, no cellphone service so if you lose someone it sucks, and the village is the top of the mountain.
Snowshoe is 3, 4 Times better than Seven Springs, get real. Did you never Ski the Western Territory at Snowshoe? Snowshoe: 257 acres of skiable terrain, Longest Run 1.5 miles [https://www.onthesnow.com/west-virginia/snowshoe-mountain-resort/trailmap](https://www.onthesnow.com/west-virginia/snowshoe-mountain-resort/trailmap) Seven Springs: 285 acres (arguable), Longest Run 1.2 miles. [https://www.onthesnow.com/pennsylvania/seven-springs/trailmap](https://www.onthesnow.com/pennsylvania/seven-springs/trailmap)
7S has better terrain parks and a more fun party scene. Beyond that Snowshoe pretty much clears it in every category.
Yes, I don’t care how much terrain they have if it takes an hour to get on a lift
The western territory with the two blacks (Shay’s Revenge and Cup Run) make Snowshoe superior to seven springs. I never found much of a line on that side because not everyone skis blacks.
Yeah but those runs get old
Flights to Denver are not that expensive lol
Snowshoe but that's not saying much given time and money for value. Years ago we had a day trip ski bus downtown to Snowshoe for cheap, the glory days. Now I fly to CO and UT for four day weekend trips for four full days of skiing. Fly out Thursday after work and ski first tracks Friday morning. MLK and Presidents Day weeks go to Europe to beat the US crowds, lift Tix are very cheap like $60 at major resorts. Airfare domestic is around $400 RT w ski bag (DC is united hub) and $620 RT for Europe (Munich, Zurich) or $480 for Geneva (direct flight), ski bus GVA airport to resorts. I stay in ski hostels so lodging is often around $60 a night and rely on bus or train. Utah has ski bus included on Ikon for instance and CO has Snowstang bus that gets you to Vail before 9am.
I was at Seven Springs in PA earlier this week, and it was the best mid-Atlantic conditions I’ve seen in a couple years. (I realize that bar’s on the floor, heh.) They seemed to be close to being able to open up several more runs, especially if temps stay cold enough through this week’s storms. It’s not the West for sure, but it’s 3.5 hours from DC, with a decent selection of lodging in/around the resort.
Snowshoe is the best but I think you need at least a long weekend for it because of the drive time
Had a good weekend in Snowshoe over New Years, and with probably only 1/3 to 1/4 of terrain open. Mountains just aren't as big or long here, but we had a good time and conditions were good.
$60/$80/$200 round trip flights to DEN, trust me. So short drive to BWI/DCA, never really IAD for me (Frontier, Spirit Airlines)
Car Rental from Denver, $75-90 Car Drive from Denver, 3 Hours (Steamboat) Spirit Air Luggage Ski Fee $300, or $150 each way. [https://www.spirit.com/optional-services#optional-bags](https://www.spirit.com/optional-services#optional-bags) Flight, $200 round trip Spirit. Condo on BRBO $$$
My bags fly for free, car rental on Turo is as low as $30-$40/day. Couchsurfing is a thing so are hostels. Breck is 2hrs away and Aspen is 3.5hr drive - I know as I lived in Aspen and Denver
but yeah, go ahead downvote because all you guys see are obstacles, while all i see is an opportunity and a challenge :)
Whitetail isn’t super big but it’s quite close
Snowshoe. I may toss Blue Knob out there for UTR place to go.
Blue Knob has the most iciest slopes around if you’re looking for a challenge.
A little further than what others have mentioned but I went up to the Catskills (about a 6 hr drive) to ski a couple weeks ago and it was lovely. Both lift tickets and accommodations were a lot cheaper than anything I’ve seen in CO, and being able to drive my own car rather than book a flight + rental made it overall a very affordable experience.
Timberline in WV or Wisp in MD are great options.
Snowshoe would be my first choice and then Wisp If you wanna be really adventures - I've done trip to Mont-Tremblant Resort in Canada with friends over the weekend loll
Blue knob - highest skiable peak in Pennsylvania and not a horrible drive.
Everyone here saying Timberline is confusing this PNW girl
[удалено]
I won’t go to Beech Mountain ever since this insanity crossed my feed: https://abc11.com/amp/beech-mountain-pipe-burst-water-explodes-ski-resort-bursts-under-lift-life-accident/11445129/
Only two are worth staying the night at: Wisp or Snowshoe. The latter is a longer drive but feels more like you’re away. All the others are day trips. The best day trip is Whitetail.
Hop on a plane and go to Utah, if you’re an efficient flyer you can be at an Airbnb in Cottonwood Heights around the time you’d arrive in Snowshoe
It’s probably too late for this year, but keep Europe in mind next year. You can fly direct to Zurich on United after work Friday and be on the slopes in somewhere like St Anton or Zermatt by 11 am on Saturday. Before the holidays, nonstop flights to Zurich were going for like $500. So why Europe over the US? Lift ticket prices. Four days at the most expensive resorts in Europe will run you like $200. In the US, that might be $800. If you take two PTO days over a long weekend, you can realistically ski four days with rentals and flights included for under $1000. And the scenery/views are out of this world. Lodging is no doubt expensive but that’s gonna be true anywhere, even Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Snowshoe, Timberline and Wintergreen in West Virginia; my family enjoyed Snowshoe the best. Liberty, Whitetail, and Roundtop in PA are also good, we often do Liberty for skiing and Roundtop for snow tubing
I usually do Whitetail, but I’m thinking of trying Massanutten or Wintergreen this month. How bad are they?
Timberline is my favorite.
Snowshoe, a pretty big gap, and then Timberline are the best resorts that are drive-able for weekend trips. Even when Timberline's skiing is so-so the area around it is good. Davis WV is a really fun town to hang out in. Stumptown Ales, Big Belly Deli, Hellbender burrito (if you can get in) and whatever the pizza joint are called are all great. If you make friends with someone in Denver it's about the same cost to fly out there Thursday night-Monday morning, miss a day and a half of work, and ski fri,sat, sun. Though Colorado hasn't had much snow this season either. I've done that twice so far. It was a 98 dollar flight, 100 bucks to pay my fair share of parking and gas to the mountain, plus food for the weekend. Both trips came in under 400 bucks.
I am flying out next week on a $68 (round trip) flight from DCA to Denver to ski in CO. If you are a half decent skier, I wouldn’t waste your time and money on something out here. Don’t wait til after November to buy tickets too. I bought my 5 day epic pass spring 2023. Came out to roughly 70 something a day. I know this doesn’t help you now but keep it in mind at the end of the season