Timberline Opening day preview.
Doug Clayton, webmaster.

[Skip this stuff and show me the pictures now!]

Opening day is December 11th. With winter getting off to a slow start this year due to high temperatures until thanksgiving we thought we were going to have a repeat of 2 years ago. Well, we weren't that hopeless but people were already writing off this winter in some circles. I came up to the mountain today to get a first hand report on what's going on and share with everyone.

November was *almost* a wash
Last year has spoiled everyone and we all whistlefully look back on the 4' (feet) of snow that essentially buried the entire area in one week.

We had made some snow in November but with the warm temperatures most of our efforts were wasted as a good majority of it melted.

Take 2: The snowguns were all set up waiting for the right temperatures and humidity to start blowing the white stuff.
[see snowmaking process]

It finally came and we started up the guns. We had about 1-3" of the natural stuff and all the guns were firing. Other resorts had started making snow and the entire mid-atlantic was buzzing with rumors of a storm coming into the area around the 4th or 5th.

Many resorts had opening days set for the 5th and were under extreme pressure to get 1 or 2 slopes open to ensure that guests had something to do when they arrived. We decided not to open early with just 1 or maybe 2 slopes but to stick to the original date and offer more quality skiing on solid bases and snow depths.

The Snow "Storms"
Rumors were flowing all about. A major Storm was coming into the area. Well, they were half right. We got 1-6" on the 4th and the second phase of the storm we recieved about another 6-8". The natural snow was great to have but the better news was that the temperatures were dropping and they were going to stay around for awhile. Snowmaking was going to occur 24/7. We made some serious snow! (See Snowmaking news). We are still making the snow as of 12/7 and we expect to continue all week long. Their may be some warmer temperatures coming into play mid week but it won't stay around long. *fingers crossed*

Instead of spreading resources thin to get as many slopes "open" as possible as fast as possible, Timberline focuses on getting a good mix of beginner and expert trails open with solid bases. You can see and feel this when you ski at Timberline. We feel we owe it to our guests to give them quality skiing without trying to open slopes that are not safe for their equipment. If we opened a slope before we were satisfied we'd be taking risks with our guest's equipment by exposing it to bare spots and rocks. Ever have to get a gash out of your Ski base? Not a cheap repair. By maintaining quality slopes and opening new slopes a tad bit more conservatively than the big corporate resorts, Timberline is open much longer in the post-season and generally has some of the deepest bases in the mid-atlantic region.

What will be open on the 11th?
That's a good question and I was able to get a good idea of what to expect on the first day of operations which is Thursday the 11th. Here is the tenative list. Things could change and we'll update the website should they change. Snowmaking is an art-form and if conditions permit; more trails may be open or in case of mother nature deciding that it want's to have a 70° weekend; then less. Ok. enough stalling.

Upper White Lightning top to bottom, Herz, White Out, Cross roads, and Woodshole and Timberline . So we have a top to bottom run open and a few at mid station. The beginner slope and lift will also be open. I have also heard that Dew drop might open soon and so will some of the other blues and blacks. Someone even said they had snow guns on The Drop! Some of these are speculation since it's difficult to predict what slopes will be 100% open. Everything is driven by how well the weather holds so no angry emails if it doesn't happen. Call ahead or consult the snow report to get the latest info. Once we are open the trend seems to be that they open a new trail every day or so. Now remember, our trails are not just 10" deep bases with some packed powder. We have 30+ inch bases! This make things a little slower out of the gates but keeps everyone happy on the 55° freak weather days when other resorts are covering up bald spots and blowing snow in your face just to keep your skis from bottoming out.

More Stuff
Ok, here is some more information in random order.

There will be a contest soon for a free 3 day 2 night vacation at the Herzwood Condominiums (Slopeside!) that we'll be giving away in Jan, Feb & March. We'll send out an email when you can register for it.

The new Gladed trail that we have mentioned before doesn't have a name yet and we are probably going to open it up to the public. We'll give away a cool prize for the best name.

Ski the Valley passes are back. They are available Mid-week and allow you to ski both resorts for the whole day. Details coming.

The Silver queen upgrade has been delayed. The source for the triple chairs has been dragging their feet getting the chairs to us. What else is new? So you'll see the "Darth Vader" helmets for a little while until we get the new chairs. We didn't want to keep you in the dark about this. We will also be selling the old chairs in some fashion. We haven't really gotten that fully planned out yet.

H-Corridor information for those interested. Some inside info from a local.

Canaan Valley Stores (The Exxon station down the road) is open. They apparently went out of business last year but were bought by a local business owner and are back open again. So when you forget to buy toilet paper you won't have to drive into Davis.

Also, Don't always trust your cars navigation system. Print out our directions page or bring a map. Most navigation systems don't know road conditions or speed traps. I think my truck was trying to take me to Chechnya this weekend.

Speaking of speed traps. I hear that Wardensville has a new Police chief. I don't recommend speeding anywhere in WV but some of you guys that got tickets in the past and take weird routes to avoid Wardensville might want to reconsider your route options. Thanks to a DCski'er for that tip.

That's it for now. Get your skis and boards tuned up this week if you haven't done it already. No one rides well on rusty edges.

I took some pictures for your enjoyment. I know you all like pictures.

Any comments or questions to webmaster.