Man, I am running late this morning. I’ve spent the last 20 minutes or so trying to find a good program to run that will randomly choose a winner for the vacation giveaway. I think I have finally found one and now I can go ahead and select a winner. And the winner is…(drumroll), Bradley Taylor of Hickory, NC. Congrats dude! You have just won free lodging next Friday and Saturday nights at one of the three properties owned by The Village Inns of Blowing Rock as well as 4 free lift passes to Appalachian Ski Mountain. If you are reading this, you can go ahead and email me at [email protected] or I will call you here in a bit to confirm everything.
We have 4 more of these giveaways to do. I think I’ll do the next one for Cataloochee and I will make some calls today to confirm things. Hopefully tomorrow we can start another one of these contests. So be on the lookout for that.
Alright, so this morning things are looking kind of gray outside. Clouds are starting to pile into the region and it looks like the next 24 hours or so aren’t going to be that great in terms of the weather. Some underdeveloped snow is in the forecast through tonight for everyone. .jpg)
<<< It’s hard to tell, but this is the Shawneehaw cam at Beech. As you can see (or not see), clouds have already begun to roll in up there.
The weekend will see colder temps make their way back into the region though, especially up into West Virginia. I was talking to Mike this morning about how different it has been up there this year. We’re located here in North Carolina, where it’s been significantly warmer and wetter so far this year. Sometimes it’s hard for me to remember that even if the weather is crummy here, it doesn’t mean that it’s like that everywhere in the region. I find myself sometimes writing these morning reports and I’ll talk about how bad it is and what not, but in actuality conditions up into WV are pretty good and much different.
Just take a look at this weekend. The forecast for Snowshoe is calling for snow showers tomorrow through Sunday. I doubt the temperature will get above freezing until Tuesday. They have 54 trails open right now on 211 acres. They have definitely gotten the luck of the draw this year. .jpg)
That’s a good looking forecast for Snowshoe this weekend! >>>>>
All that said, everyone else is doing a good job with the cards they’ve been dealt. Snowmaking is pretty incredible here in the region, and we will see that once again this weekend as sub-freezing temperatures return. I was out at App last night and I can tell you first hand that they are in great shape right now. The snow was definitely slushy, but there was a lot of it. It was definitely a much better experience than the one I had the night before when I went somewhere else… 
<<< App has a ton of snow right now and last night was really fun. The park setup is pretty awesome too.
Don’t let the weather bum you out today, think cold and snow! Here’s a quick look around the region:
NORTH CAROLINA
App – They are still 100% open. Like I already said, they have a ton of snow and are in great shape right now.
Beech – They are open on 11 of 15 trails today and are open for the night session.
Cataloochee – Cat is open on 14 of 16 trails today and tonight. Tubing re-opens today. Things look pretty good out there!
Sugar – Sugar is open on 16 of 20 trails today. Whoopdeedoo opened recently and is the only double black diamond open in the state of NC. Conditions looked pretty good when I drove by Sugar on Tuesday.
Wolf Ridge – They are open today and tonight on 10 trails. The Home School discount and College Night specials are in effect today.
TENNESSEE
Ober Gatlinburg – Open today and tonight on 6 trails with a 6-10” inch base. Tubing is open as well. They will GREATLY benefit from snowmaking temps this weekend at night.
VIRGINIA
Massanutten – Massanutten is open on 10 trails today and tonight with a 30-40” base. Tubing is also open.
Bryce Resort – Open today and tonight on all 8 trails. They’re the only resort in Virginia that is 100% open! Tubing is also open.
Homestead – They will be skiing and snowboarding on 6 trails today for day sessions only. Tubing is open and they are also doing snowmobile tours.
Wintergreen – Open for day and night sessions on 14 trails.
WEST VIRGINIA
Winterplace – They are riding today and tonight on 25 trails. Some pics I’ve seen from up there recently show a deep base depth! I really want to get up there at least once this year…
Snowshoe – Open today and tonight on 54 trails, by far the most in the region. They have 211 acres of terrain open for skiing and riding! I cannot wait for the Ski Southeast Summit!
Canaan Valley – Open on 13 trails today. Fab February Weekends: Feb. 3-4 or Feb. 10-11: $69 per person/per night (lodging and lift ticket, inclusive). Space is limited. Call them today!! Reservations 800-622-4121
Timberline – Open on 28 trails today, second most in the region.
MARYLAND
Wisp – They are open today and tonight on 25 trails with. Ice skating and tubing are also open.
Email me your comments, thoughts, photos, vids or anything else you like at [email protected]