Snowshoe, WV Snowpack is 2nd Deepest in America
BASE DEPTH: 44″ | 24 HOUR : 3″ | 48 HOUR: 5″
Ah, West Virginia!
America’s ski paradise. John Denver is cooing sweetly through the pine and country roads are taking you back immediately to the days of yore.
Then there’s snow, and this year there’s lots of it. We’re talking like the second deepest snowpack in America kind of deep. As of Thursday December 6, 2018, Snowshoe Mountain is measuring a 44″ base. For comparison, Big Sky in Montana is measuring a 38″ base. Think about that for a second.
Why Snowshoe?
Beyond the sheer amount of snow this mountain has been receiving (and making, more on that later), there are a few perks that make a trip to Snowshoe worth your while.
Upside-down Village
The Village at Snowshoe
When you’re stoked, sometimes you don’t want to slow down and ride a lift before skiing. Good thing Snowshoe put their village at the top of the hill, meaning the first run of the day is accessed via luxury heated chair lift — AKA your car.
Terrain
When most people think skiing the Southeast, good terrain isn’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind, but hold your sweet tea! When you consider that Snowshoe offers anywhere from 600-1500ft of vert depending where you are the mountain, preconceptions start to change.
Then consider that Olympic phenom Jean-Claude Killy, who became the most decorated athlete in the 1968 Winter Olympics after winning three alpine events, designed a run on the mountain. The run is called Cupp Run and is home to the annual Cupp Run Challenge–a giant Slalom event that follows every bit of 1500′ downhill.
In West Virginia you can ski or ride like the legends.
Snow Guarantee
Finally there’s the stuff that brings it all together–snow. Close enough to the Great Lakes and the Northeast coastline, Snowshoe gets hit with storms from both angles, catching lake effect snow and the occasional walloping nor’Easter.
Natural snow coupled with the resort’s prodigious snow making abilities that just underwent a $4 million upgrade, Snowshoe literally guarantees good snow. If you find that a ski area in the region–WV, VA, NC, MD–offers more open terrain, your next day is free. Yes, you read that right. Free. Where else can you be guaranteed by the resort to find snow?
Do you live in the East?
It might be time to shuffle the deck and head to West Virginia. You might be pleasantly surprised with what you find!
