WHITETAIL, THE BEST SKIING IN THE DC/BALTIMORE AREA

 

I headed to the Whitetail Ski Area to do a little skiing. It is only an hour and a half from my home in Northern Virginia and for my money, it’s the best ski resort in the area. When I crossed over the mountains, the grey skies started to show blue sky and promised to be a great day for skiing. There was an inch of new snow on the ground and I was expecting to see hoards of skiers on the slopes. I arrived, I was surprised to see that the parking lot was only half full! There were only a few people in line for lift tickets and the slopes weren’t crowded at all.

Whitetail has invested over $4 million in improvements to the resort which includea new 1,800 foot beginner trail, additional snowmaking capacity, upgrades to the Marketplace dining area, a new Snow Groomer, and a new golfer friendly clubhouse at Whitetail Golf Resort. The new trail is called Ledgewood and this beginner trail is adjacent to the Snow Park trail.

Whitetail is the best ski area in the Washington/Baltimore area. It has a 935 ft. Vertical Drop with an elevation of 1,800 ft. There are 23 trails which are services by 9 lifts with an uphill capacity of 15,000 skiers/hr. There is snowmaking on 100% of the trails and they have an excellent Half Pipe and two Terrain Parks and a Tubing Hill for those that do not ski or snowboard. Every evening, the ski resort is open until 10 pm for skiing and riding under the lights.

As this was my first day on skis this season, I decided to take it easy and spend the morning skiing all the trails services by the Whitetail Experss high-speed quad. I warmed up on Limelight and then took a run down Snow Dancer. I went over to Fanciful and then took a run down Angle Drop to Home Run. All the trails services by this lift were in excellent shape. There was plenty of snow with good coverage.

I headed in for a little lunch at Windows Restaurant and enjoyed a Chicken Cesar Salad, which they served plated on a piece of pieta bread.

After lunch, I decided to check out the expert trails on the back side serviced by the Expert Choice Quad. I skied Angle Drop to Drop In and enjoyed skiing the steepest trail at Whitetail. I rode up the Quad I took a couple of runs down Far Side. This expert trail was groomed flat as a pancake and I had a lot of fun letting my skis run and picking up a little speed. I skied the small moguls that I found on Exhibition and had fun in the little bumps under the chairlift. I was delighted by the fact that there was NO lift line at all on this chairlift, so I was able to do as many runs as I could ski with no waiting at the bottom of the hill.

As this was my first day on skis this season, I called it a day early. The “thigh burn” that I was experiencing told me that I had done enough for that day, so I called it quits. I packed up my gear and rode the shuttle back to my parking place. I headed home with a smile on my face and enjoyed that tired feeling you get after a satisfying day on the slopes.

If you live in the Washington/Baltimore/ Northern Virginia area and you like to ski or snowboard, head up to Whitetail. It’s a great little ski area where you can have an excellent day on the slopes without traveling all the way to New England or the Rockies. The ski season at Whitetail usually goes from before Christmas until St. Patrick’s Day.

They have an excellent Ski School for adults and children. For those people who would like to learn to ski or snowboard, Whitetail has a Learn to Ski or Snowboard First Class package for just $39.00. The package includes a beginner lesson, rental equipment and a lift ticket valid from 8:30am until 10:00pm. They also offer a night 1st Class Package valid from 5:00pm until 10:00pm. The lift ticket is good for the Lift Off Quad, the U-Me Double, the Launching Pad, & the First Class Magic Carpet lifts only. Guests must be 8 years of age or older to participate. Free childcare is available to all parents who purchase this Learn to Ski or Snowboard Package. A reservation is required for childcare and is only available until 5:00pm.

For Adults:

An Extended lift ticked (good until 10pm) is $58 midweek and $66 weekends.

An 8 hour flex ticket is $51 midweek and $62 weekends.

A 4 hour flex ticket is $46 midweek and $57 weekends.

Night skiing is $39 (5pm – 10pm).

For Juniors:

An Extended lift ticked (good until 10pm) is $50 midweek and $56 weekends.

An 8 hour flex ticket is $45 midweek and $53 weekends.

A 4 hour flex ticket is $41 midweek and $48 weekends.

Night skiing is $34 (5pm – 10pm).

They also sell and Advantage Card where you receive a 40% discount on lift tickets every time you ski or snowboard at Whitetail Resort or their sister resorts: Liberty Mountain Resort and Ski Roundtop.

Ian Fehler
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