Roses are red, violets are blue, I love snowboarding, and so should you.
Happy Valentine’s Day. I hope you celebrate by getting to the mountain and treating yourself to some turns. And if you’re single, I hope you meet your next love (aside from skiing of course) in the chairlift singles line.
I know that they say there are no friends on a powder day, but does that go for valentines too?
Wisp Resort looked like it was ripping yesterday. The ski area in Maryland got five inches of fresh snow, and snowmaking is back on.
Appalachian Ski Mountain played host to about 170 Special Olympians this week from across the southeast. Athletes from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina got a ski lesson on Sunday. Monday, they competed, and an awards ceremony was held yesterday.
Yesterday was my final day at Powder Mountain. It was my second trip to Eden, Utah, almost exactly to the day. As one of my friends who is a Salt Lake City Local said: “If I had a nickel for every time I skied Powder Mountain the day after the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, I would have 10 cents. Which isn’t a lot of money, but it’s pretty crazy that it happened twice.”
If you’re looking for somewhere to go out west, PowMow is a good place to try. We took a few cat track runs, which brought us to lesser-traveled terrain to reach some untracked powder. There were plenty of tree runs, but the wonderful thing about those tree runs is that there’s enough room for even an intermediate skier or boarder to link turns together.
The best part of PowMow is the lack of lines. The only time I waited in a lift line was on Monday night after the sun went down. Even then, there was a reason for that: A nearby high school sponsored lift tickets for its students.
If you make the trek out to Eden, it also has some of the most unique amenities. The Powder Keg – the bar at the base lodge – features a ramen and rice bowl bar. Among the lunch options yesterday was gumbo, in honor of Mardi Gras, and it was delicious. And the live music at the Powder Keg was fantastic.
And not to sound like a broken record, but PowMow is one of the featured mountains on the Indy Pass. Nearly the entire crew I was with had an Indy Pass. Single-day lift tickets at the ticket window can go for as high as $240. My entire Indy Pass cost less than $400.
Here’s what else you need to know in the southeast today:
Appalachian Ski Mountain
The Red Bull team will be back at App Ski for a special session on Sunday. The AppalTop progression park will be completely revised and revamped, and have some fresh features for fast progression. The event is open to riders of any age level, and is free to enter. Registration is on-site at the Alpine Sk Shop from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The session begins at 3 p.m.
And not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but the Monday of President’s Day Weekend will feature a 2-for-1 ticket special: buy one ticket now, and get a free one in March. There will also be free ice skating for juniors from 9:30 to 11:30.
Beech
Snowmaking is back on at Beech. There are 15 open trails, and five lifts spinning.
Snowshoe
From the snow report:
Love is in the air at Snowshoe Resort today, with temperatures hanging in the cozy range. While the sky may be mostly cloudy, there’s no denying the warmth you’ll feel snuggled up with your Valentine nestled within this Appalachian viewscape. Grab your partner’s hand, hit the slopes, and make some unforgettable memories! Seeking a place to wine and dine your Valentine? We’ve got you covered at 10 Prime, reserve your table now on our website or the Snowshoe Mountain App.”
Timberline
Snowmaking kicked off at 7 a.m. yesterday, and will continue throughout today. The mountain landed another inch or so of fresh stuff. Upper Almost Heaven will be closed today.
Massanutten
There will be no night skiing Tuesday through Thursday. Here’s what the snow report had to say:
Very limited snowmaking last night as the temps didn’t quite drop to the magic number. No freestyle features on Pacesetter. There are some thin and narrow spots out there so please ski with caution. Snow and snowmaking temps are in the forecast for this weekend. We are likely to reach capacity limits this weekend so buy in advance to reserve your spot!”
Bryce
Here’s Bill Nabers:
No snow but the mountains behind us were white when the clouds lifted. Good skiing on nice soft snow with no crowds. You get a lot of runs in. The rain has passed and we are still skiing, tubing and ice skating.
The Rest
Thanks to everyone that has already joined us on Discord.
Think snow!
Think cold!
Click here to join us on our new SkiSoutheast Discord channel. It is a great way to meet new snow loving friends and shares experiences, ask questions, and more!
And as always, email me at [email protected] with your thoughts and photos.