Two more W.Va. ski areas open this weekend – WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Two more West Virginia ski resorts will open for the season this weekend.

Ropes drop Saturday at Winterplace Resort in Raleigh County and Canaan Valley Resort in Tucker County. Those two will join Timberline Mountain in Tucker County and Snowshoe Mountain in Pocahontas County which opened December 2. Olgebay Resort in Ohio County is expected to open around the Christmas holiday.

An average colder temperatures in the mountains has allowed the resort operators to make more snow which is vital to the ski industry in the mid-Atlantic region. Getting that weather ahead of the Christmas holiday was extremely important according to Joe Stevens, Director of the West Virginia Ski Areas Association.

“The week before Christmas, the week of Christmas, and the week after Christmas are probably the busiest three weeks and most important three weeks of the season,” said Stevens on MetroNews Talkline.

Stevens said the arrival of some natural snow and the ability to create artificial snow on the mountains is a draw from many of the population centers which are targets of the West Virginia industry. That includes large metropolitan areas to the south and east of the mountains.

“What we’re seeing is a lot of folks coming north from Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina and coming west from the D.C. area,” said Stevens. “This is the time of year where a lot of people have never seen snow before and they are coming into the mountains of West Virginia and seeing snow for the first time.”

The ski and snowboard season traditionally, weather permitting, continues 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.