Much like our West Side counterparts, spring break along the East Coast is full of surf and snow. While North Carolina is a well known ski destination among the southeastern states, one rather mountainous area of the region is becoming quite the popular ski vacation spot.
The place? Almost heaven—according to John Denver that is. West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains. Life might be old there, older than the trees, younger than the mountains, and so on and so on, but the ski season is in its prime, and there are several different ski resorts where you can shred up the mountain on skis and boards, or slide down out of control on tubes. Along with some great lift tickets and other ski vacation packages, you can also find some cheap airline tickets into several big cities, as most of the Mountain State’s resorts are a three-hour drive or less from major airports in Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Columbus, and Richmond.
Here are four spots in West Virginia where you can go all Bode Miller (or at least try to) this spring break:
Winterplace Ski Resort– The southernmost resort of West Virginia is Winterplace, sitting atop Flat Top Mountain among the Alleghenies. Most of West Virginia is very rugged terrain, but with close proximity to I-77, you don’t have to take one of those John Denver country roads to get here, meaning even when the roads are wintry, you can still take in the resorts 27 downhill ski trails and 10-lane snow-tubing park (an event to which I can personally attest is most fun). There’s also a snowboarding park along with your typical ski resort lodge and facilities.
Canaan Valley – Surrounded by national forests (itself a state park), the area is the highest valley east of the Mississippi, and was the first commercial ski development in the state. There’s all kinds of snow-related, adrenaline-pumping activities to enjoy here while on vacation, including 34 downhill slopes, tubing and snowboarding parks, and 25 kilometers of cross-country trails.
Timberline – The other ski resort nestled in the Canaan Valley—the state’s largest ski region—is Timberline. Featuring 36 slopes, tubing and sledding areas, and 17 kilometers of cross-country trails. There are numerous lodging options, but with its close proximity, you can easily make a quick drive from your Charleston hotel—or even Pittsburgh hotel room for that matter—to catch a day on the slopes while on vacation in either of those areas.
Snowshoe Mountain Skiing – The name may imply a winter-based travel destination, but it’s one of West Virginia’s most popular year-round resorts, thanks to beautiful scenery of national forest. It’s also set up in reverse, with the resort set high atop its 57 downhill slopes, rather than where they end at the bottom. Housed on Snowshoe Mountain, the second highest peak in the state, means there’s more potential for snowy slopes, evidenced by the 180 inches of snow it gets each year.
If you’re a skier, then go to the place where you belong: West Virginia. Just like John Denver sang.
Image: Wikipedia Commons
