Charleston, WV – This week’s natural snowfall has benefited the state’s entire ski industry, as for the first time in recent memory, every ski resort, cross-country area and snow tubing park that make up the West Virginia Ski Areas Association are open and greeting visitors.

The National Weather Service in Charleston reports that over a foot of snow has occurred in the last seven days in the state’s mountainous regions.

In addition to the abundance of natural snow, this week’s cold temperatures have allowed the resorts’ snowmakers to work around the clock.  These snowmaking efforts on top of the natural snowfall have allowed the resorts to open additional terrain daily.

The alpine resorts that are now open include Winterplace Ski Resort in Raleigh County, Snowshoe Mountain in Pocahontas County, Canaan Valley Resort and Timberline Mountain in Tucker County and Oglebay Resort in Ohio County. For Cross-Country and snowshoeing enthusiasts White Grass Touring in Tucker County and Elk River Touring Center in Pocahontas County have miles of trails available.  The Snow Riders Tubing Park in Jefferson County is also providing downhill tubing fun.

The ski and snowboard season traditionally, weather permitting, continues from now through early April. The five-month long ski season in West Virginia has an estimated economic impact of over $250 million and 5,000 jobs at the resorts and other related companies.  For more information on skiing and snowboarding in West Virginia go on-line at goskiwv.com or skisoutheast.com.

Charleston, WV – Skiers and snowboarders have started heading to the mountains of West Virginia for the season, as the first two downhill areas opened for the 2023/2024 season. Snowshoe Mountain and Timberline Mountain opened for the season Saturday, December 2 at 9 am. The Pocahontas and Tucker County facilities is now providing skiers and snowboarders with a variety of terrain for their opening day turns on the slopes.

For the other alpine areas in the state, Winterplace Ski Resort and Canaan Valley Resort are scheduled for mid-December openings, weather permitting. Oglebay Resort is hoping to open for skiing during the Christmas holiday.

Low mountain top temperatures across West Virginia provided excellent conditions for snowmaking operations to take place at the resorts. Some natural snow has already occurred at the higher elevations this fall.

The snowmakers at all the state’s ski resorts can produce manmade snow whenever temperatures permit, allowing the industry’s unsung heroes to cover the slopes for skiers and snowboarders.  When snowmaking conditions are at their best (in the low teens), over 20,000 tons of snow is being produced in West Virginia per hour, enough snow to cover 20 football fields with a foot of snow each hour.

The West Virginia Ski Areas Association again this year is offering a program that will allow any child in the 4^th or 5^th grade to ski or snowboard for FREE. All of West Virginia’s ski areas, Canaan Valley, Oglebay, Snowshoe, Timberline and Winterplace are accepting the association’s Ski Free 4^th and 5^th Grade Passport Program.

The Passport may be used to obtain up to three (3) Junior lift tickets at participating resorts during the 2023-2024 season and one rental. Resort benefits are determined by each ski resort.

During a normal ski season, the mountain state’s ski resorts account for nearly hundreds of thousands of skier visits. The top states providing skiers and snowboarders to West Virginia slopes are Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio and Florida.

The ski and snowboard season traditionally, weather permitting, continues from this point through the end of March. The five-month long ski season in West Virginia has an estimated economic impact of over $250 million and 5,000 jobs at the resorts and other related companies.

Charleston, WV – Two more West Virginia ski resorts will be open for the 2022/2023 season as Timberline Mountain in Tucker County officially begins skiing and snowboarding, seven days a week on Friday, December 9 and Winterplace Ski Resort in Raleigh County will be offering a couple of bonus days on Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, December 10.  Winterplace will begin seven days a week on Friday, December 16. Canaan Valley is planning to open for the season on Saturday, December 17. Snowshoe Mountain in Pocahontas County opened November 23.  Oglebay Resort in Ohio County is planning to open around Christmas, weather permitting.

With the holiday season bearing down on the state’s ski industry, the recent cold temperatures in the mountains, have allowed the resort operators to make snow covering an abundance of terrain for the skiers and snowboarders.  The upcoming three-week holiday season (week before Christmas, Christmas week and week after Christmas) contributes up to 35 percent of the various resorts’ yearly revenue.

The West Virginia Ski Areas Association again this season is offering a program to attract young skiers into the winter sport. The program allows any child in the 4^th or 5^th grade to ski or snowboard for FREE.  All of West Virginia’s ski areas, Canaan Valley, Oglebay, Snowshoe, Timberline and Winterplace are accepting the association’s Ski Free 4^th and 5^th Grade Passport Program. The Passport may be used to obtain three (3) Junior lift tickets at participating resorts during the 2022-2023 season.  Benefits determined by each ski resort.

The ski and snowboard season traditionally, weather permitting, continues from now through early April. The five-month long ski season in West Virginia has an estimated economic impact of over $250 million and 5,000 jobs at the resorts and other related companies.  For more information on skiing and snowboarding in West Virginia go on-line at skisoutheast.com.

(Ghent WV) – West Virginia Tourism in collaboration with the West Virginia Ski Areas Association brought attention to the state’s ski industry at a Tuesday news conference at Winterplace Ski Resort in Raleigh County. The season, which began in November, so far has progressed nicely for the resorts as thousands of skiers, snowboarders, snowtubers visited West Virginia’s slopes over the Christmas and New Year’s holiday.

With the return of seasonable temperatures snowmaking is taking place at all of the resorts in West Virginia. All of the resorts will be adding trails daily as the slope conditions improve, thanks to the cold temperatures for snowmaking and natural snow.

Early on cold temperatures allowed the resort’s snowmakers to cover the state’s slopes providing the most acreage in the region for skiing and snowboarding.
New this season to attract younger skiers and snowboarders to the mountain state’s slopes, a program was implemented to 4th and 5th grade students. The West Virginia Passport Program allows the students to ski and snowboard on 11 occasions and take a lesson at the resort of their choice. The cost of program has only been $25 and nearly 500 passports have been purchased, meaning over 6000 possible skier visits could be experience through the incentive.

Annually the association’s four alpine resorts, Canaan Valley in Tucker County, Oglebay Resort in Ohio County, Snowshoe Mountain in Pocahontas County and Winterplace and the association’s two Nordic areas, White Grass in Tucker County and Elk River in Pocahontas County, experience nearly a million skier visits. The economic impact from the five-month-long industry is over $250 million, employing 5,000 on and off the resort properties.

The 2019-2020 season began on time this year a week before the Thanksgiving holiday, thanks to excellent snowmaking conditions in the higher elevations of the state’s mountains. West Virginia Ski Resorts have invested millions of dollars in snowmaking equipment which assures skiers and snowboarders in the region reliable conditions through the end of March into early April. The superior snowmaking infrastructure will allow all of the resorts to rebound quickly from the recent unseasonable temperatures.

Charleston, WV – The West Virginia Ski Areas Association has announced a new program this year, that will allow any child in the 4th or 5th grade to ski or snowboard for FREE. All of West Virginia’s ski areas, Canaan Valley, Oglebay, Snowshoe and Winterplace are accepting the association’s Ski Free 4th and 5th Grade Passport Program.