Snowshoe New Years Week
by Paul Maraschiello

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After acting like a couch potato over the Christmas holidays, I was excited to learn that the Snowshoe Ski Area had just been hit by a big snow storm. They are a great ski area and less than a five-hour drive from the Washington, D.C. area. The new road (RT. 55) makes the trip much more enjoyable, quicker and less nerve-racking. It bridges a number of valleys and eliminates driving up and down a number of treacherous mountain roads. Now it is an easy shot for anyone driving west to Snowshoe.

I left the house at 5:00 a.m. Friday morning. I was interested in getting a full day of skiing in on this up-side-down mountain. At Snowshoe, the "village" is on the top of the mountain, unlike most ski areas where the lodge is at the base of the mountain. SKI Magazine once called Snowshoe Mountain the "Number One ski resort in the Southeast Region," and I have to agree. It reminds me of skiing in New England without the plane trip or 10-hour drive.

I checked in and found that I was staying at the Seneca Lodge, right in the heart of the Snowshoe Village, in the middle of everything. I changed into my ski gear and was on the hill in no time. I took a run down Gandy Dancer to warm up. It turned out to be bumped up, but the bumps weren't too big and only continued for about 100 yards, before I hit some groomed snow. I proceeded down the mountain and then began to explore all the trails. The sun was out and the skiing proved to be really good. I rode up the Grabhammer chair and took a run down Skip Jack to the Ballhooter high-speed quad chairlift. The snow was in good shape and the slopes weren't too crowded, considering that it was just a few days after New Years.

As usual, I met a lot of very friendly people and had a good time skiing black diamond trails like Grab Hammer which had a few bumps to challenge my ability. I checked out many of the other trails on the mountain and then headed to the Junction for lunch, just a few steps from the top of the mountain where the Ballhooter chair lets off the riders. I was trying to be good, so I had the chicken Caesar salad and a cup of hot chocolate. I chatted with a few people who were sitting at the bar and enjoyed my lunch.

I went back to the slopes and made a few more runs and then headed to my room.

Accommodations
I was delighted by my accommodations. They had arranged for me to stay at the Seneca Lodge which is centrally located and is very nice. My studio condo had cooking facilities , a TV and a big fireplace. I relaxed for a little while and then walked over to the Foxfire for a few happy hour libations and dinner. As usual, the people sitting at the bar were very friendly and the food was good. The bartender kept my glass full (with diet coke) and I had a very enjoyable time talking to other guests and a couple of waitresses who were off-duty. One gal had once worked at Hooters and was wearing her Hooters tank top. I have to admit, she had nice hooters and seemed to like showing them off.

When I left, I noticed a new restaurant next door to the Foxfire, named the Red Rover. The sign proclaimed that it was a "wine dive & doggery", so I popped in to say "Hi". I've never been in a wine dive or doggery, so took a look at their menu. They specialize in a variety of hot dogs and sausages. The menu includes an all American wine selection, beer and dogs with names like: Three Dog Night, Cali Dog, Pompedoro (Italian sausage), The Wild Boar Dog . . . you get the picture.

Back in my room, I watched a little TV before I fell asleep.

I was up early and on the slopes the next day. I skied all the expert slopes and even took a run thru the Terrain Park, where I shot a few photos of snowboarders doing their thing. I checked out the Western Territory. Cup Run was open that day but the snow was a little choppy and there was a lot of traffic. They had just opened it up and there were a lot of "death cookies" that hadn't been broken up yet. I decided to stop in at Arbuckle's Cabin for a hot chocolate but it was closed due to frozen water pipes. I took a couple more runs down Cup Run and then headed back to the main part of the ski resort.

I began exploring the mountain and was delight to find that they had build two more expert runs off the Soaring Eagle chair lift. My first run was down Sawmill and it had little bumps that I really liked. Camp 99 was steep and smooth, and a fun run for a guy like me. At the top of the mountain, I noticed a new restaurant called Hoots. It was just steps from the new Soaring Eagle lift and serves a variety of fast food for a quick lunch. Unfortunately there were no Hooters girls and the line was too long for me, so I took another run and had lunch once again at the Junction.

After a big bowl of chili and some interesting conversation at the bar, I was back on the slopes carving turns and having a blast.

Stats
Snowshoe has 60 slopes and trails with the longest run being 1 ½ miles. They average 180 inches of annual snowfall. They have 4,848 foot summit elevation with a 1,500 feet vertical drop. Snowshoe has 100% snowmaking on trails that are 41% easier, 36% more difficult, 23% most difficult with 14 slopes open for night skiing. This resort has 14 lifts that include 3 high-speed detachable quads, 2 handle tows and 2 Magic Carpet lifts. I rode almost all the chair lifts and skied all the trails that were open on the main part of the mountain.

After a great day of skiing, I went back to my room and took a little rest before dinner. I had noticed that Antie Pasta's was back. I remember this Italian restaurant from before Snowshoe went through its multimillion dollar transformation. It is now located in the basement of the Mountain Lodge and I had an excellent dinner that included mussels in a garlic sauce as an appetizer and Chicken Parmesan as a main course. I can attest to the fact that the food there is really good and the service was excellent.

The next day, it was raining and foggy when I woke up and I was bummed. I decided to have breakfast at Starbucks. When I was done with my coffee, Danish and conversation with some other customers, I decided to check out the conditions. It had stopped raining and although the top of the mountain was foggy, I could see far enough ahead to ski, so I put on my gear and headed down the hill. It turned out that the snow was in great condition and there was almost no one on the slopes. The lift line was non-existent and I had a ball. They had groomed Grab Hammer over night and I had a blast flying down that train, completing run after run as fast as I could. There was no lift line, so I'd hop right onto the chair and do it again. I made a few runs on other trails beside Grab Hammer and got in 25 runs before lunch. It would start to rain for a few minutes and then the rain would stop, before I got wet. I was able to ski as long as I wanted. I took a few more runs after lunch and by 2:00 p.m., I was all skied out and headed home.

If you live any place south of the Mason Dixon Line, Snowshoe is the best place to ski without a plane ride or a really long drive. The mountain is great, they get a lot of snow and you are guaranteed of having a good time. They have pools for swimming and hot tubs. You can go on a snowmobile tours and they even have snow cat tours in the evening. There are video games and other attractions for kids in the Big Top. They provide child care in both the Snowshoe and Silver Creek Areas. There are two grocery stores, and 11 shops in the village on top of the mountain. Snowshoe boasts 17 restaurants and 10 bars. Snowshoe is truly a destination ski resort. I usually park my car when I arrive and don't get in it again until I leave.

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