SNOWSHOE HAS SNOW !!!
by Paul Maraschiello

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With the warm weather that blanketed in the Middle Atlantic states in December and January, I was "jonesin" for snow. I knew that Snowshoe in West Virginia would have snow, so I headed west on Rt. 66 after work on Friday. With the new highway (Rt. 55) that bridges several steep mountain valleys and runs along the ridges, I was able to zip right along at 65-70. This has cut over a half hour from the trip. More importantly, it has greatly reduced the anxiety of all those 25 mph. switch-backs going up and down the mountain. Now, I can enjoy the views instead of driving with my heart in my mouth when the weather is bad. Three cheers for the VW Highway Department.

As I turned into the Snowshoe access read, a bobcat ran across the road. I've never seen a bobcat in the wild before, so this was pretty cool. I checked in and proceeded to my room. I was staying at the Mountain Crest which were only a short walk to the slopes. Everything was covered in natural snow, so I knew that I was in for a good time at this up-side-down mountain.

The skiing turned out to be pretty good and most of the trails on the mountain were open. Snowshoe has an elevation of 4,848' and a 1,500' vertical. It is the BIGGEST and BEST ski area in the Middle Atlantic States and great destination ski area, with all the amenities (hotels, bars, restaurants, shops) located at the resort. There are 57 trails and 14 lifts. They have night skiing and snowmaking over 100% of the skiable terrain.

As this was only my 2^nd weekend on the snow, I was content to take it easy. The conditions were excellent. I tired myself out running up and down the mountain on some nice blue runs. I met a lot of people from the Carolinas when I rode the chair lift. Everyone was very friendly (as usual) and I had fun chatting with them.

For lunch, I visited the Junction and really enjoyed their venison chili. It was tasty and filling. After lunch, I was back on the slopes. Making run after run on their well-groomed trails. It got a little crowded on the Ballhooter high-speed quad but an attractive young woman told me that the Soaring Eagle Express chairlift wasn't crowded at all. I followed her when I got off the chair and she was correct, there were very few people there, so I took a few runs right under the chair. Then, I started working my way back to the Powder Ridge chair, so I could get back to the condo. As it was my first day on the snow, I bagged it early.

Accommodations
It was my first stay at Mountain Crest and it was a nice studio condo that had a big TV, fireplace and bunk beds. It had kitchen facilities but I was interested in having a few drinks and dinner at the Foxfire. Grill. The place was packed but I was able to find a bar stool and really enjoyed a couple of margarettas before dinner. I decided on the rack of ribs for dinner. I had it on a previous visit and was not disappointed.

I made it an early evening and went back to the condo for a little more TV and some ZZZs. I was up early and on the snow checking out the new-fallen snow. It was pretty nice to see snow finally falling. I spent the entire day skiing all the trails and having a really great time. I decided to have lunch at the Junction again and then headed back to the slopes.

I called it quits at 2 PM and drove back home in a real full-blown snow storm. Luckily, I drive an all-wheel drive Dodge Stealth with four snow tires, so I had no trouble at all. I always have a good time when I visit Snowshoe. It always reminds me of a New England ski except that it is an up-side-down ski area with the village on top of the mountain. It's the best ski area within a reasonable drive and I highly recommend it and the views area great.

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