A delightful day at that modest ski hill in West Virginia, Canaan Valley. No lift lines, no wind, temps in teens to 20s, and we skied and rode powder. Well, you had to find it here and there--300 feet here, 200 feet there, etc., but it was light, fluffy, deep powder, that even I could ski and enjoy. Right here in the Mid-Atlantic. My only complaint is that the resort could have let up on the grooming and left some more powder. There were few people there today, so they could have accomodated everyone. Although the groomed trails were a lot of fun due to the abundant amount of natural snow the past several days.
Almost Heaven--Canaan Valley, WV 12 Feb
- Thread starter itbeme
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I'd be complaining too, but in their defense -- the number of people in that region who have any idea how to ski in two feet of untracked must be pretty small. And as Anthony mentioned, they're thinking in terms of extending their season. What about the trees? The amount of snow you've received over the last two storms must have covered everything pretty well.
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jamesdeluxe":mqjbgxh5 said:
I bet the trees are tight and filled in. Doesn't look like they have been cleaned up for glade skiing, and in WV, they probably don't ski in the woods in West "By God" Virginia much anyway.
By God, you are absolutely right about the thick forests. A lot of saplings, and they don't do much at Canaan to encourage skiing in the trees. There was a fellow from New Hampshire who used to ski with us years ago. He jumped into the trees and made it look so fun and easy I decided to follow him. The result was, well, disastrous.
But there are some thinned out areas and there are plenty of good skiers around here. Many are transplants, of course, but I have several friends who grew up here and who are very good skiiers. I'm the first to admit I'm not among them.
Most of the big snows (like the 2 feet we got last weekend) we get around here are heavy wet snows, and the "powder," for old legs like mine not used to such deep snow, is a lot of work to ski. But this most recent snow of more than a foot they got out there Wed through Thurs night was light and fluffy. That's what made all that grooming so frustrating. We don't get many opportunities like that. But I'm grateful for the powder that was left untouched and the opportunity to enjoy it.
Anyway, I enjoy reading all of your trip reports (especially the ones with photos), and every once in awhile I like to show you what it's like in the (normally) more snow-deprived Mid-Atlantic.
But there are some thinned out areas and there are plenty of good skiers around here. Many are transplants, of course, but I have several friends who grew up here and who are very good skiiers. I'm the first to admit I'm not among them.
Most of the big snows (like the 2 feet we got last weekend) we get around here are heavy wet snows, and the "powder," for old legs like mine not used to such deep snow, is a lot of work to ski. But this most recent snow of more than a foot they got out there Wed through Thurs night was light and fluffy. That's what made all that grooming so frustrating. We don't get many opportunities like that. But I'm grateful for the powder that was left untouched and the opportunity to enjoy it.
Anyway, I enjoy reading all of your trip reports (especially the ones with photos), and every once in awhile I like to show you what it's like in the (normally) more snow-deprived Mid-Atlantic.
I say that as I drag 2 out 3 kids out the door for technical ski evaluation day on bomb proof conditions.Canaan Valley does average 160" per year, which apparently is comparable to some NE resorts. The difference is that down here, especially in recent years, we've been prone to Juneuary warm spells from which it's been difficult for the resorts to recover. And that same rain event that you folks suffered through up north a few weeks ago passed through here on its way. But it's been snowing in West Virginia just about every day since.
I can remember when Canaan Valley used to have lift lines. With cheap airfares and easy internet planning, combined with several lousy mid-Atlantic winters, perhaps folks have become accustomed to going elsewhere.
Anyway, I hope things get better in Quebec.
I can remember when Canaan Valley used to have lift lines. With cheap airfares and easy internet planning, combined with several lousy mid-Atlantic winters, perhaps folks have become accustomed to going elsewhere.
Anyway, I hope things get better in Quebec.