Powder Progress
With winter settling in, it’s time to mud off the ski and snowboard gear and hit the slopes. Whether or not you’re in search of a getaway out of your yard go-to or a household vacay at a brand new resort, some ski areas within the Blue Ridge area have gotten some main upgrades to reinforce the expertise this winter. From high-speed quad lifts to contemporary black diamonds, our information offers you the information you’ll want to decide a spot—and have some further enjoyable when you’re there.
BLUE MOUNTAIN RESORT, Pennsylvania
This well-known Pennsylvania resort, which was added to the Ikon Cross lineup earlier this 12 months, put in a candy new black diamond in 2022, upping complete skiable acres to 171 and trails to 40. Half-mile-long Free Fall plunges from the summit’s Comet quad and feeds into Paradise’s decrease section to supply riders 1,082 toes of vert—essentially the most within the state.
Final 12 months additionally noticed Blue Mountain’s tubing space increase to 46 lanes and a startling 1,000 vertical toes of drop, making it the largest park within the U.S. This season brings additional enhancements, like a brand new sound system and interactive occasion lighting.
And the provides don’t cease there: A pair of outdated two-seaters have been changed with a high-speed six-chair known as Fundamental Road Categorical. The improve ferries 3,000 riders per hour up the mountain to considerably enhance entry to the summit lodge and a cluster of hard-hitting blacks and beginner-friendly greens.
Snowmaking additionally will get an enormous shot within the arm with 79 new stick weapons and 26 absolutely automated fan items. That, mixed with 20,000 toes of latest air and water piping, ought to drastically enhance situations in lots of areas throughout the mountain.
Whereas You’re There
Ought to the climate take a heat flip, try the resort’s new journey course, Summit Aerial Park. It affords 5 treetop experiences of assorted ability ranges with nifty swinging logs, picket towers, platforms, rope ladders, ziplines, and extra. Get a enjoyable exercise whereas taking in spectacular views of the encircling Poconos.
SNOWSHOE MOUNTAIN, West Virginia
Followers of the “Beast of the East” might be delighted to listen to the Southeast’s largest ski resort has changed its Powder Monkey elevate, which dated to 1977, with a brand new high-speed, fixed-grip quad. The improve ought to dramatically enhance entry to the experts-only Western Slope space, ease congestion at terrain parks, and enhance wait instances on the oft logjammed central Ballhooter elevate.
However that’s not all. The Skidder studying space additionally obtained a major enlargement, with 15 new automated fan weapons and a conveyer connecting it and the adjoining Grabhammer elevate to the primary village, which ought to additional scale back Ballhooter wait instances by providing an alt path to Snowshoe’s 4,850-foot summit. The Silver Creek ski space gained 15 fan weapons on closely trafficked slopes and had 20 sticks added to its development park.
Whereas You’re There
E-book an offroad all-terrain-vehicle tour. The enclosed, heated four-seaters will carry you deep into the Cheat Mountain backcountry, bringing entry to forests, meadows, and vistas that few guests get to see.
MASSANUTTEN RESORT, Virginia
Virginia’s oldest ski resort turned 50 final 12 months and has been celebrating with a severe makeover. New on-line ticketing methods streamline rental processes and bypass ticket home windows to supply direct entry to slopes by way of radio frequency identification (RFID) passes and gates. A five-year mission to put in greater than 21,000 toes of snowmaking pipe concludes with connections to just about 100 new semi and fully-automated snow weapons that permit snowmakers capitalize on chilly temps to quickly blanket the Nutt’s 82 skiable acres. And lifts have all been upgraded, together with a brand new conveyer within the newbie space and much-needed high-speed removable quad to the three,000-foot summit.
However the perfect half is the paths: Builders have been working time beyond regulation so as to add 5 new routes. They embrace a mile-long signature blue known as Mueller’s Mile and the double-black plunge, No Hessitation (a nod to longtime director of operations, Kenny Hess). Additionally value noting is Ridgecrest, a breezy ridgeliner connecting the summit to the intermediate-level Higher Mass Transit and Showtime space.
Whereas You’re There
The resort is residence to a 56,000-square-foot indoor water park. It boasts a wave pool, flow-boarding machine, scorching tubs, water fortress, lazy river, 5 250-plus-foot waterslides, arcade, and restaurant.
HATLEY POINTE, North Carolina
The much-anticipated relaunch of Wolf Ridge has begun, and there’s rather a lot to get enthusiastic about. The resort, which sits simply off Interstate 26 about 30 miles north of Asheville, obtained new homeowners final 12 months and a severe overhaul for the 2023 season.
For starters, the primary lodge has been completely renovated, including an “elevated however accessible” full-service restaurant, taproom, bar space, and lounge. Gear leases and ticketing enter the 2020s with state-of-the-art gear, on-line reservations, touchscreen kiosks, and RFID passes and gates. Slopes additionally see main upgrades with the entire substitute—and beefing up—of current water pipelines and snow weapons throughout the resort’s major 55-acre ski space.
And extra enhancements are coming quickly, together with high-speed lifts to the 4,700-foot summit, a rebuilt higher lodge (which burned to the bottom in 2014), reopening 20-plus acres of deserted slopes, extra trails, terrain parks, a mountaintop village, and mountain biking.
Whereas You’re There
Take a horseback tour to the height of 5,500-foot Massive Bald Mountain at neighboring Bucktown Stables. Rides final 2-3 hours and carry you to majestic 360-degree views of the ski space and surrounding Pisgah and Cherokee Nationwide Forest.
SUGAR MOUNTAIN RESORT, North Carolina
One-off guests to North Carolina’s greatest ski resort—and the one with essentially the most vertical toes of drop—will profit from an overhauled tools rental system that streamlines processes by way of on-line reservations and touchscreen kiosks. Snowmaking will get a lift from a brand new compressor that ups general capability by greater than 20 % and a dozen absolutely automated SMI snow weapons. The latter are positioned to radically improve protection in closely trafficked newbie areas and intermediate trails just like the Higher and Decrease Flying Mile.
One of the best information, nonetheless, is the brand new lifts: All of Sugar’s half-dozen chairs have been changed inside the previous six years. Final season noticed the ultimate of those enhancements, with a high-speed removable quad getting into on the Oma’s Meadow slope. The brand new unit streamlines entry to mountaintop lodging and slashes trip instances from a painstaking 9 minutes to only above two.
Whereas You’re There
Bundle up and take a trip on the close by Wilderness Run Alpine Curler Coaster. The three,160-foot-long enjoyable machine sits just a little over a mile from Sugar Mountain’s essential lodge and is among the few mountaintop coasters within the Southeast. It climbs 770 toes to supply jaw-dropping views of surrounding valleys and highlands, then winds by way of attractive mountain forests to succeed in family-friendly prime speeds of about 27 miles per hour.
Cowl picture: A skier at SnowShoe Mountain in west Virginia. Photograph courtesy of the resort.
