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6/9/2018
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Laceys Spring, AL
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shirey
1/23/2019 9:42pm
1/23/2019 9:42pm
Edited Date/Time
1/24/2019 4:18am
Me and my buddy are looking at taking a ski trip March 18-22. Anybody have a recommendation for the cheapest lodging possible. Also will there even be enough snow for it to be worth while? We are two broke college guys from Alabama and don’t have too much of an idea about how to go about this. Two bedrooms would be ideal but I know that will be tough to do and keep cost down. Thanks
I recommend staying at Black Bear Resort www.blackbearwv.com. I've stayed there 20 times or more and always had a good time. It is a 10 minute drive from the slopes of both Timberline and Canaan Valley, reasonably priced for a weekend and is as nice as anything you will rent from the resorts and you can party your ass off there and no one will say a word. 10 minutes the other way is Davis, WV, home of the Blackwater 100. There is plenty to eat and do there from a tourist perspective. If you need to rent skis, rent them from the Ski Barn for $10 or $15 a day. Don't rent them from the resort.
Full disclosure, I made most of the outdoor furniture at Black Bear Resort but I also have several 100 pieces on Snowshoe properties. I can tell you, I totally prefer Black Bear and Timberline and the Canaan Valley area.
And really all you neee is heat and a place to crash. after all you’re going to ski!
https://www.winterplace.com/
The Shop
As for conditions, while it is a gamble, March has historically been one of their best months. Last March they got almost 5' of snow, we went about those same dates in March last year and it was great. We go there quite a bit as we have season passes and my wife likes the village area, so if you have any specific questions let me know. FYI for anyone in the area that skis, they have a season pass for $229 which usually comes available at the end of February and gets you the remainder of the current season and all of next. Hopefully they offer it again this year.
FlickitFlat, Timberline is having major issues, quite a management mess going on over there, They were actually closed recently, but looks like they just reopened with a whopping 7 trails. I would highly not recommend reserving anything there, unless you are going to Canaan. And I certainly would not get on any of their lifts, they had major issues the few weeks they were open. I have never been to Canaan but have heard great things, but mostly only when there is natural snow. Snowshoe put about 4 million dollars into snow making last year when they got bought out by Alterra, so they definitely kick everyone's tail anywhere around here when it comes to manmade.
I like Timberline because they have some great blue diamond trails and a couple of really good black diamond and the mid mountain lift. You can easily stay on the blue and black diamonds and stay away from many of those that don't have any business doing them. But they do have a green that leaves from the top but it goes the opposite direction. If you are a beginner skier, their green from the top is fun and very long. For a beginner skier, Canaan is also very good with long repeating slopes that progress as you get better. Beginners can stay in their own area. Maybe I've missed it but I just haven't seen that at Snowshoe. They have so many slopes but leaving from the village, I just think it is a very bad spot for a beginner to learn and they are mixed in with everyone going to other lifts. If I was a beginner, I just don't thing it is a very good place.
I also like Timberline and Canaan because they seem to lack in the numbers of DC fucks while Snowshoe is littered with them. I'd much rather see some dude in Carharts bust his ass all day than some kid with $1000 worth of gear.
Its cold and seem to be plenty of snow on all the mountains. I don't think lack of snow will become a major concern for any of the resorts for the rest of the season.
I'll agree with you on the beginner terrain at Snowshoe. I wasn't thinking of that as I don't spend much time there and try avoid weekends (as with most places). I'll do occasional weekends as that's the only time my kids can ski. When I do, I really like the Western Territory side as that usually weeds out the crowds and beginners as well. But the OP's dates are weekdays in March so crowds shouldn't be an issue, and I really think Snowshoe has the best shot of good base still with their snow making capabilities (if the rest of the season ends up dry and warmer). The last couple of seasons February has been rough, hopefully this year is better.
With our season passes it's hard to justify going somewhere else but I do want to give Canaan a try one day. We have the Ikon passes which include Snowshoe as well as a bunch of places out west and up north.
Snow sports can be hit or miss depending on the year just like all East coast/Midwest skiing. The ski resorts are pretty close to Morgantown but still a drive. They are probably 3 hour drive from Charleston. So it's not quite a perfect place for it but it is available, more so than Alabama.
There's a ton of hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing and river rafting/kayaking in the rt19 corridor from Beckley to Summersville. If you are looking to get into other outdoor rec hobbies.thats why I was there and it's a great place to have easy access to that stuff.
Being that you are graduating nursing school you could actually find a pretty decent job anywhere. I had to leave WV for mainly economic reasons, it's a tough place to make a living for alot of people. But, there's alot of good people, nice forest and space to get lost in yourself.
Her parents dropped us off at a different park each day while they were working with their contractors. Hawsnest, Sugar mountain, Hanging rock, Beach Mountain etc. I bought 6 acres on the New River on the east edge of Boone. Going to put a cabin on it in next year or so.
I made the mistake of skiing out west the next year, and now I can't go back to Beech (for skiing). Boone is an awesome town, I'm actually thinking about heading up there to do some mountain biking this summer. Although based on the GoPro footage of the downhill runs, I might be in over my head!
Yes, skiing out west will ruin you for skiing in the southeast. We are heading to Utah next week and then CA the last week of March. I've skied Sugar, Wintergreen, and Snowshoe a bunch so far this season to get my legs ready. It would be hard to come back from the western trips and ski any of those, but that wears off by next season when I start getting the itch to ski again.
I want to try the mountain biking too, I'm definitely going to try and make that happen this summer.
Pit Row
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