Lorrie Tomlinson was at Beech:
Monday afternoon at Ski Beech had thin areas and really soft snow, but overall was not that bad. The sky was completely gray and the temperature was in the upper 40s. Very few people were on the slopes. Looking down at Meadows run, only the lower left side was open. Before the night session, the temperature had dropped about 8 or 9 degrees. The rain started before the evening tickets went on sale. Around 9:30pm, the snow started falling in huge flakes. Beech Mountain Parkway had a slushy layer of snow by 10:00pm. The roads were not slick, but the snow continued to fall. In Banner Elk, the roads were just wet. It was snowing in B.E., but not like it was atop Beech. It is about time that Mother Nature figured out the correct weather for this time of year!
Mike Edwards reports from Ski Beech Monday Night:
I went to Beech for Ladies night. Both the wife and I got our lift tickets for $13.00. When we arrived it was gently raining and the parking lot was almost empty. I was concerned about the conditions but they were actually pretty good. The surface was soft frozen granular and we did not encounter many thin or bare spots. There were a few, but only a few and they were easy enough to avoid. We could ski right up to the lifts and get right on except for the high speed and the wait for it was only about one minute. When I got to the top it was pouring snow! The gentle rain at the bottom finally turned to snow shortly before we left. I would give Beech 1 thumb up for Monday night. One more thing I found out too. The snow bunnies are not elusive on ladies night at beech. They are everywhere!
On-Snow Reporters:
We will keep a log of the best reporter’s submission, photos and reports. Trust us it is way to time consuming to post every pic…but send them…because we are tallying the scores. The winner of the Best On Snow Reporter for 2005-2006 will win $1000 in cash, a FREE Getaway Vacation and more. The contest will run from now through March 1st and we will choose the winner. Our choice will be based on the following and IN THE ORDER of importance.
Quality of Photos
Quality of Reports (well written, informative, unbiased)
Number of Photo Submissions
Number of Reports
Extra points will be given for getting smiling faces in the photos and including names and cities where you can.
Extra points will be awarded for creative ideas.
We will choose the winner based on how helpful and informative the reports have been.
As of 01/31/2006 here are the top vote getters. (We will only document the top three to five here throughout the season…and we may begin posting the top ten, depending on how close results are.)
1. Mark McKelvy
2. Lorrie Tomlinson
3. Kent Jackson
4. Joe Harmon
5. Gresham Barker