Updated: 1-14-08 |
Winter weather has returned to Snowshoe (finally)! By 8am on Monday, two inches of fresh powder already coated the slopes, and plenty more is on the way. The National Weather Service is predicting snow every day this week, with final accumulation expected to measure just under a foot.
The current storm will cease just in time for Martin Luther King Weekend, making conditions awesome for the holiday, which is traditionally one of the biggest ski weekends of the season. Despite the recent warm and somewhat wet spell, our base has held up incredibly well. This natural snow, in addition to the heavy snowmaking that will take place this week, will quickly patch up the few thin and bare spots that exist out there, and continue to improve conditions for the 4-day weekend.
This morning we closed four trails in the basin in order to hit them hard with the snow guns. We know people prefer not to be skiing and riding with guns blowing in their face, so with lighter midweek crowds, we decided the best option was to close the slopes and make sure they are perfect for this weekend’s crowds—and we’ve still got 42 trails open! While those slopes will probably reopen before the end of the week, there’s a chance we’ll open some new terrain by the weekend. Currently, with those four slopes open, we’ve got 169 acres of skiable terrain over 45 slopes—that’s 75% of the mountain slopes.
If you’re heading up to Snowshoe this weekend (and if you’re not, you should be jealous of those who are), you should know that Silver Creek has some of the best conditions on the mountain. I rode all day on Saturday and saw very, very few thin or bare spots. The snow guns have been hard at work over there too, and we should be opening a new trail or two before the weekend is over. Silver Creek is also a great way to beat the holiday crowds. There’s hardly ever lift lines, so you can make run after run on the nice, wide trails.
For those of you who might have made other plans for the long weekend, conditions look good for the rest of the month. While it’s always hard to tell, right now meteorologists are predicting a cold end to January, which means plenty of snowmaking weather. With a little luck and help from Mother Nature, we’ll hopefully be 100% by early next month.
With the great conditions expected for this weekend, I’d hope most people are planning on spending the majority of time on the slopes. But, if you need a break, we’ve got some family-friendly, fun events happening across the mountain. The Big Top will be hopping this weekend with live musical acts and comedy shows. Saturday and Sunday we’ll also offer a movie matinee, which is a great way to wind down after a long day of hitting the snow.
We’ve had some ups and downs with weather so far this season, but right now we’re certainly on the upswing. We should have some of the best conditions of the season this weekend, and the long-term forecast looks favorable. So keep thinking snow, check out snowshoemtn.com for details on some great deals being offered right now and then get in your car and get up here!
