Here we are on a Feb 4th and for the next two weeks at least temps will continue to be above average with just a couple of good, but short cold spells for snow making.   I know in recent years we've had warm starts to the Winter and there has been some comeback in late Feb to March, but there is nothing to indicate this pattern will change anytime soon.   I can't recall a time recently when Snowshoe hasn't been completely open by Feb (50 of 60 trails) and I think the only resort with 100% of its trails open is Bryce.   The resorts mostly have done an incredible job opening up terrain this Winter with so little natural snow, but I fear that at some point soon they are all going to pull the plug on additional snowmaking and it could be an early end to the season.  

I wish I could say your wrong but looking at the forecast, I don't have much confidence unless some drastic weather pattern changes things.

I hate to be Debbie Downer, but hard to make snow when temperatures never go below freezing.

Yeah things are tough at ski areas south of Albany, we are heading back to Killington Sunday if anyone is up for going there,  the week before MLK was awesome and it's looking better up there now 

Snow is in the forecast Friday through Sunday at Snowshoe FWIW.

The rain is not being kind to the slopes today!  Canaan looks to be taking it right on the chin...  Lets hope for some cold and snow this weekend!

Timothy.grasso wrote:

The rain is not being kind to the slopes today!  Canaan looks to be taking it right on the chin...  Lets hope for some cold and snow this weekend!

Wow, you are right, the conditions on the webcams look awful (though nice to see they've added a new one at the mid-station).    Unless a weather miracle happens the President's Day Weekend for most local places (other than Snowshoe and the PA ones like 7S, HV, etc.) is going to be a rough one.

I just saw the extended forecast and I'm thinking if I want to hit Massanutten this year, Saturday might be my best, last shot. Looks like Lift 6 slopes are hanging in there.

Supposed to go to Canaan Valley (or Whitetail) on the 21st.. however, looking at current conditions, forecast and pattern of behavior in regards to snow making.. I think the season will be over by then.  Unless they get a foot this weekend but I think may be an inch or two.  That will be melting away by Monday.  Whitetail is going to get crushed in the next two weeks (with no snow making temperatures on the horizon), I don't think they will fully open this year. 

Such a depressing season.

Certainly doesn't look good through at least President's Day weekend.   If we finally start to get some cold weather by the end of February into early March not sure how much the resorts will want to invest in additional snowmaking trying to salvage a week or two.   

https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/814day/

Here's hoping Friday and Saturday nights get cold enough for snowmaking....really the only hope to extend things again.

Canaan says they will be making snow.  Probably trying to make it to President's Day weekend.  I don't see them make snow afterwards.  Here is hoping for a miracle.

Laurel Highlands (HV, Seven Springs and Laurel) seem to be the real winners from this winter blast of snow!

Also Snowshoe: making snow, getting natural!

So happy to hear that Canaan Valley (via facebook) said they will be making snow with the goal of staying open until mid March..  but damn, they look like they are on their last leg on the web cameras today!!!!  I know there is a good window starting tonight and lasting into the weekend.  They had better turn on every snow gun they have and turn the pump all the way up!  Still holding out hope for next Friday but its going to be hard to maintain anything with another round of warm weather/rain to start the upcoming week.  Only DC winter I can relate this one to is the winter of 2001-2002 which we had an inch (and ZERO snow days, I am a teacher so these things are important) but the next winter was a heavy snow winter!  There is hope for winter 2020-2010!

We are heading back up to Killington Sunday in case anyone else is up for some good snow before rain comes in the following week

Overheard a ski patroller at Hidden Valley say they are planning to remain open through he weekend of April 5th and that 7 Springs hopes to stay open another week or two after that. Seems pretty optimistic but perhaps they've seen some projections for March weather. They both have a decent base on their core runs, so it's not out of the question, but there's a lot of completely bare runs, too. At least the increasingly common weeks of rain and snow seem to be happening rain-first this year instead of like last year when every time we got some decent snow it rained a day or two later.

I work at 7springs and April 5th seems like a realistic last day.   They have had the first weekend in April as a target date for a long time.   Snow is in the forecast and I am sure they will be aggressive with the snowmaking this weekend. 

Gotta love Hidden Valley for their stamina and commitment... this morning's message...

Today temperatures will be rising into the 50's with rain predicted on and off. After a day of cloudy skies, light rain and warmer temps cold weather will be making a return starting tonight. Our snowmaking team has been counting down until they can turn the snow guns back on. Snowmaking returns to the mountain tonight. Plus, some natural snow heading our way.

Just a quick note ...

Thanks to all who are posting here and on other DCSki threads with updates on conditions and advice about where to go (and why) to get the most out of this sub-par season.  Still "thinking snow," or at least good snowmaking weather.

Woody

Beech and Sugar in NC look solid this weekend - probably App too but I don't pay attention to it as much.

I am at Snowshoe, the rain held off making for a great ski day, albeit a bit slushy and variable surface!  The big news is the snow forecast for SS by the Charleston Weather bureau for tonight, tomorrow Thursday evening and Friday has changed to HEAVY SNOW warning with 4-8 inches tonight and 1-3 on Thursday.  Temperatures are going to drop like a rock tonight, and forecast very cold for the future. Flatlanders, get up here and enjoy!

MorganB aka The Colonel

I just got back from 7 Springs and was pleased to see that all their snowmaking trails were covered albeit a little narrower. Giant Steps, Yodeler, and Lost Girl on the North Face. Goosebumps on the front. I think they're aiming for April. Lots left to ski. Laurel had nice coverage on Wildcat and Broadway  on Thursday, open weekends only with next weekend the last.  Come get it while you can. Soon time to head north or west.

Have a friend who lives in DC who had a good time at Bryce this morning.  Got a little warm by lunch time.

He was using the second day on the Indy Pass he bought at $139.  Two days at Bryce and two days at Massanutten during late season.  Not bad.

Liberty was in amazing shape this weekend- frozen granular turning through the spectrum into a creamy not-quite-corn harvest in the afternoon, with all of like 37 people on the backside.  It got thick by 2pm, but not at all the dreaded waterslush that grabs you.  Fun stuff once you shifted mindsets away from "I must make pretty turns" to "damn this skiing in a tshirt and kicking up snow thing is fun." 

World Tele day on Saturday, had a cookout at the South Pole and a dozen or so younger folks trying out tele for a few hours, in addition to the ~6-8 regular tele folks there.  With the lack of crowds, the ratio made it look like a tele takeover for awhile!

While things were still firm, Ultra was skiing very nicely.  Frontside was breezy; even White Lightning was in good shape although as usual Blue Streak was the most enjoyable way down.  Upper Eastwind bumps were great once they creamed up by 10:00 or so- the bumper crew that's been out there all season cut in and maintained a beautiful line on skier's left, and the rest of the slope had well-shaped and not-too closely spaced bigger bumps- lots of options to play.  Strata was ok, although the miniglacier at the top has shifted some lines that had been there all season.  Less traffic there since the 2nd lift wasn't running.  Lower Eastwind... not so much fun.  The typical sharp faces, supertight and syncopated spacing, and several bare spots creating chokepoints.  Low crowds at least kept carnage to a minimum, especially after lunch.

skinavy wrote:

World Tele day on Saturday, had a cookout at the South Pole and a dozen or so younger folks trying out tele for a few hours, in addition to the ~6-8 regular tele folks there.  With the lack of crowds, the ratio made it look like a tele takeover for awhile!

I made a few honorary tele runs in the morning before switching back to alpine after the first car break. I agree that the snow was good, it was one of my longest ski days of the season, and my friends made an epic Tele Day party out of the festivity. They were a little late on Sunday morn....

We had a great time at Winterplace WV on Sunday.  I wish we could have gotten there Saturday, right after they got their 3" of snowfall, but Sunday had its own charms.  As usual, we drove right up to and parked next to the lodge.  Temps started below freezing but warmed up to the 50's over the course of the beautiful bluebird day.  Unlike past years, my kids can ski all the black runs there now, so we stayed on that part of the resort, in front of the Mountain House, and lapped every run all day.  We could have lapped every run on any lift - no crowds or lines in sight.

The warming temps caused the initial groomed hard pack to soften up in short order, and there was a big section of relatively untracked powder between Drop Off and Snow Bowl that I enjoyed skiing through.

Two of the black runs (Plunge and Turkey Chute) were closed, as was my favorite blue run, Woods Run, but it was great to be able to take my kids down the blacks and blues that were open and not deal with lift lines.

It looks like the rain will probably end Winterplace's season sooner than in past years but I'm really glad we got a super fun no-drama Sunday at this underappreciated resort this season.

Given the long range forecast, it looks like this ski season is basically over in the mid-Atlantic.😥. When I left Vermont yesterday, it was close to 70 degrees and many trails with thin cover were showing grass. The forecast also indicates some significant rainfall in the near and mid-term future. I pray that this season is not a predictor for our future ski seasons in the mid-Atlantic.

Had several hours of pleasant skiing at Liberty yesterday (Wednesday, March 11).  

Runs were groomed, except the moguls on Upper Strata and Upper Eastwind, and the patchy Sidewinder.  Half the terrain parks were open, with one closed but looking ready for the weekend.  Snow surfaces on the open runs were loose to firm at first, but they loosened up nicely as the morning progressed.  

I skied about 15 runs before taking a break at 11:15 and then snagged some more after lunch.  As expected, the Backside runs were sliced up by early afternoon, but with very few thin spots.  Frontside runs, with their more northerly exposure, still skied well when I left at about 2:00 p.m.

I know the end of the season is close when I hear wrens and mockingbirds calling as I ride the main chair at Liberty.  Grateful to the  management teams and mountain ops crews throughout the Mid-Atlantic for putting down and grooming the white stuff so well this season, in the face of little natural snow and plenty of warm stretches.

Get out there while you can!

Woody

After seeing the beating the slopes at WT have taken this week I can't see them opening this weekend, Liberty should be OK.   Of course the coronavirus could change all of that.    What an awful end to a dreadful local ski season.

snowsmith wrote:

Given the long range forecast, it looks like this ski season is basically over in the mid-Atlantic.😥.

Going out with a real bang now.

camp wrote:

snowsmith wrote:

Given the long range forecast, it looks like this ski season is basically over in the mid-Atlantic.😥.

Going out with a real bang now.

snowshoe has plenty of snow.

MorganB

The Colonel wrote:

snowshoe has plenty of snow.

Nice. I'll find some more days in driving distance. Extra glad for those bonus days in November too

Nice conditions today-groomed corn here in the Lauels with 3-5 inches of snow predicted for tonight. Better than what I thought it would be. So life is good.

Looks like Seven Springs, Hidden Valley PA, and Wintergreen are the only Mid-Atlantic areas open today - Sunday, March 15.  (I haven/t checked out the Poconos or NC areas.)

Staying home, washing my ski clothing, putting away ski gear, and starting some house and yard projects today.  

Be safe.  Be well.  Help others. Avoid spreading unfounded rumors.  Don't be a carrier.  Take care, everyone!   ☀️ 

Woody

In NC, Sugar, Beech, Appalachian and Cataloochee are all open.  Winterplace in WV is closed.