This is always a melancholy time of the season for me. Melancholy in the “gloomy state of mind or sober thoughtful” kind of way. Case in point – yesterday one of my buddies who skis AND snowboards more than most twenty-somethings I know sent me a text that read, “Wanna ski tomorrow or tennis?”
I’ll admit that I THOUGHT about skiing, but answered him, “Tennis would be cool.”
I really enjoy the heck out of playing on snow, but this time of year I too begin thinking of tennis, golf and spending time at the lake. Chances are that I won’t make it back to the slopes until sometime in November or December. Our most recent website visitor numbers resemble a Standard & Poor’s stock graphic for energy stock – Transocean – which finished DOWN 66% in 2014.
Okay, that was an illustration-stretch…but you get the drift…our traffic is down dramatically in the last week. 24K of you visited SkiSoutheast and ResortCams over the last week and those are visited numbers that we normally see on a SLOW DAY in January. So, YES, we’re seeing the end of the season, for certain.
That said…here’s the tour today beginning with resorts that will remain OPEN for skiing and snowboarding after today, followed by those who are closing today.
Appalachian Ski Mountain – 46° and 100% open for day and night sessions. They are in great shape to make it to their Meltdown Games next weekend.
Bryce Resort – They are 100% with tubing open as well. Bryce will remain open for skiing and snowboarding until March 28th.
Omni Homestead – I heard from Lynn Swann and her team the other day and they are remaining open through April 5th…weather permitting. They operate today with 7 of 9 trails.
Sugar Mountain Resort – They have not announced a closing date just yet, but they have two less slopes open today and now are playing with 15 of 21 trails and a base of 15-54″. Tubing will close for the season after today.
I drove by Sugar a couple of times on Saturday and can tell you that Sugar looks pretty darn good with on some “snow discoloration” here and there. Sugar is reporting some thin areas on slopes.
Snowshoe Mountain – 28° and they are operating today with 39 of 60 trails. Snowshoe plans to ride on until April 5th. One look at the LIVE CAMS will tell you that they are in GREAT shape. Check them all out (there’s six of them with 5 streaming LIVE!!!).
See the boathouse cam here:
http://www.resortcams.com/webcams/snowshoe-boathouse/ and the rest are seen at: http://www.resortcams.com/ski-cams/
Winterplace Resort – They are hosting their annual Pond Skimming Championships today and they are riding on 100% of their slopes and trails – that’s 27 of 27 trails. There is some speculation that Winterplace COULD close after today…but no decision has been shared as yet.
Resorts that are closing for skiing & snowboarding after today
Canaan Valley Resort – They will close down for skiing & snowboarding after today but the resort has so much to enjoy during the Summer. Check their site out for summer fun activities. Today Canaan will play on 30 of 44 trails.
Cataloochee Ski Area – They are operating with 11 trails today and Tammy Brown, Cat’s Marketing Sweetheart (that’s her official title) announced on Saturday, “We have made the decision that Sunday, March 22, will be the last day of the 2014-15 season after 141 days of skiing and riding, our second longest season on record! We will close at 4:30pm on Sunday.
Many thanks to each of you for your support this season and we look forward to seeing all of you next season!”
Massanutten Resort – They are open for day sessions today on 12 of 14 trails and 6 lanes of tubing. They will close for skiing & snowboarding after day sessions today.
Timberline Resort – Their last day for skiing & snowboarding for this season is today as well and they will be open with 25 of 40 slopes and trails.
Wintergreen Resort – They will go out with a bang today with 18 of 25 trails open. Today will be their last day of the ski & snowboarding season. Golf anyone?
Resorts that Previously Closed Already:
Beech Mountain – They are now closed for ski and snowboarding ops and Talia Freeman posted, “Thank You for a Great Season! Beech Mountain Resort had a successful season, skiing 114 days total. As always, the resort is deeply grateful to our valued customers. Your support is appreciated and the reason for our continued success. We understand the value of customer satisfaction and we will continue to perfect our product. Summer is approaching, and the resort has a long list of exciting projects that will greatly enhance the customer experience. We will keep everyone posted on their development. Stay tuned for information on summer events and activities!”
Ober Gatlinburg
Sapphire Valley Resort
Wolf Ridge Resort
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