Ride Delaware ?

No, Whitegrass is just a touring center... Nordic only, but I have heard only good things off of several other message boards I lurk on... Sorry it has taken me so long to respond. As I have stated before, I learned to board at Snowshoe when I was 14 and then I went back when I was 18. I had an exceptional time both times, even though I spent more time on my ass the first time than I did standing up. First things first, Snowshoe is made up of three distinct mountain areas of differing terrain and vertical. The Basin I would peg at about 1,000 vertical feet, Silver Creek maybe at about 800, and the Western Territory at 1,500. The basin's terrain is very similar to Camelback. It is very mellow and definitely caters to beginners. It has some decent steeps but mostly has windy cruisers that criss cross a variety of trails before ending at the lift. The resort uses a top down philosophy and the lodges and lodging are at the top of the mountain. The Basin is serviced by two high speed quads. The Sawmill quad and trails (which includes the only on map glade), was added after I went, but according to Moe, is an excellent addition. The Silver Creek area is the night skiing area and has some more diverse terrain. It has a couple cruisers, and a couple trails that boast some reasonable steeps with a decent runout. Thete are no high speed lifts there. The Western Territory is on the backside of the mountain and caters almost specifically to experts. It is serviced by a HSQ and is almost always the last thing they open. It wasn't open when I was there due to lack of snow the first time, and wind hold the 2nd. Last I had heard, they hadn't opened Lower Shay's in the past couple years, so don't count on it being open. That being said, it is a remote all inclusive area resort. Like Moe said, there is nothing for miles. Don't expect to get cheap food or lodging. Although, the lodge at the base of the mountain is resort owned and much more affordable than slope side lodging. Snowshoe is a shining growth gem in the ski industry. Since Intrawest bought it and poured money into upgrading the infrastructure, it has consistently seen skier visit growth from 450k a year to over 500k a year (more than Stratton). Their snowmaking also rivals many places up north, and when the temps drop, they can cover a bunch of terrain quick. Unfortunately, while the peak is at 4,848, it is much more susceptible to warmups due to its latitude and longitude. However, some of the coldest temps I have encountered have been at Snowshoe. Also, due to their location, they average close to 200 inches of snow a year. As odd as it sounds, they are the beneficiaries of strong lake effect snows and can have some epic powder days. Since most of their clientele is the DC Baltimore Metro area, the weekdays are fairly slow. There is always snow to be found midweek, especially off piste. There are some really good trees to be had. Unless the atmosphere has changed since the last time I wa there, they were fairly receptive to off piste adventures, and I was never hassled. To sum it up, Snowshoe is prone to warmups, but can recover quickly, and can also deliver the goods from time to time. While pricey, the slopeside lodging is worth the investment. If the snow hits, there are few places better in the East south of Vermont. You just need to time it right. That being said, unless your in western PA, it's going to be tough to justify the trip. The distance to VT is closer, they have a better vertical, and more dependable snow conditions. However, if your in the area, definitely check it out...

Not that it matters, but where did they get the snow from? There hasn't been much snowmaking the last two nights, so why wait until now?

Have you tried googling the brand? That would definitely be nice to know lol

Sorry it took me so long to get to tarting this thread. I really haven't had the time to take pictures, and don't take my camera with me on the mountain while I work. I finally got photobucket for my iPhone, so I snapped two pics and thought id start it up. We are pretty much in a three way up and down race for most open in the easy between loon, k-mart, and SR. Lots of snowmaking over the past two cold days.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned it, but Cb has opened Nile Mile already... They've got some good terrain and lifts open for the holiday week... It's been tough on everybody, but Blue needs to open that 6 pack...

What's the snowmaking plan? They've ha some decent temps recently... Look like any new terrain for the big week?

Maybe this is what KC was referring to in the Sno thread... Either way, I hope this gets resolved soon... Elk needs all the access it can get... Sounds like the condo association has an argument though...

Just a crazed fan of snow sports in general that doesn't want to lose a mountain... I've never tried to spin Sno in a bad light... I may have questioned some things, but i have nothing against them... I want to see them succeed... I just like hearing good news, and it sounded like some was coming... I'll take KCs word on it until something happens again... I hope they kill it this year...

That definitely wasn't the answer I was expecting... After the buildup of waiting until the first of the month for the big news, we get no news 3 weeks late... More importantly, this does nothing to assure us that the issues are resolved long term... For all we know, this could become a yearly issue...

We sacrificed some skis the other night... Hopefully that will work lol

Worst case you'll get your first decent length groomer runs of the season and get to see the family... Its still up and down here in the NE, but we've had great snowmaking weather the past 5 days, an after a little NCP, it is going to drop again... Should be pretty good by x-Mas for sure...

How's it look down low? Any chance they get that open with some grooming? I know snowmaking chances are going to be limited...

2nd most terrain in the East currently, and loving every minute of it... Its been a rough start, but it would be even rougher if I were still in Delaware... Just checks out their webcam and they are blowing some serious snow around... I think they were able to blow all day, and in typical Elk fashion, they kept the guns off open terrain even though they probably could have used the extra snow... Hopefully they started on some new stuff to work toward having the quad for Christmas week... Before closing I could see from the webcam that they had a gun on Hiawatha, so thats promising...

Just checked CBs website, and I love the new webcams... It's really nice that they are now mobile compatible... They are cranking it out... This may be the earliest in relation to opening, that I have seen them make snow on Nile... They've got tonight and tomorrow night to get down snow for X-Mas... Best of luck!!!

I guess that's cool, but seems like a colossal waste of 30k lol

No snowmaking currently?

I may be in Maine, but I'd be interested in seeing how they are doing... Rummy? Geezer? I know you've been...

I try to keep it fairly reasonable and intelligent... I am not trying to be the next GSS... There are many threads I haven't commented on...

There will be death cookies... What kind of blue opening day would it be if there weren't?

K-Mart may not be a terrible decision... Snowmaking temps start mid day tomorrow and will go around the clock the whole time your there... Depends on all the cost variables, but if you have the money, it's a smarter choice IMHO...

I feel like this date keeps moving backwards everytime someone throws a "don't get worried date" out there...

Remember also, that compressed air is only finite if your pulling from a central compressor. If your like Boulder or Sno, and your using mostly fan guns, there is a compressor on board each snow gun...

I would pay it if I hadn't skied yet this season, but I would be much more likely to drive to Elk and pay even more. Their early season offering will be better than Blue... I'm just happy to see you guys get some places open... Let's hope they can really kick the guns into gear for X-Mas...

Coldest air of the year will be filtering in after Friday... Even if there is no moisture, I'll be happy if it allows them to run the guns around the clock...