Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort looks like the quintessential ski resort. Isolated off the main highway about an hour in West Virginia, Snowshoe has ski-in and out options, plenty of family-owned cabins, and a wonderful resort area with a variety of restaurants and bars. With over 60 trails of various skill levels, people of all ages can enjoy a vacation here, and this resort attracts families, couples, and large groups. Snow tires or chains are highly recommended to reach this isolated resort, considered a premier East Coast ski destination with 244 miles of skiing terrain.
Skiing
A mi of easy slopes, sharp drops, and moguls will greet you at Snowshoe, and visitors could easily fill four days or more at this great ski destination. A horizontal area called Skidder for beginners so they can do continuous short runs. Since Snowshoe is a large mountain, the lifts don’t get outrageously crowded, except for Ballhooter Lift, which is where more trails of various skill levels merge together than anywhere else on the mountain. In the Ballhooter area, the largest drop is 800 vertical feet. Fourteen other lifts carry you throughout this mountain’s surface with nearly 5,000 feet of summit elevation. The easiest area is serviced by the Powder Monkey and Powder Ridge lifts on the East side of the main resort area, while the toughest slopes can be found at the Western Terrain. Cupp Runn has the longest trail on Snowshoe, measuring 1.5 miles with a vertical drop of 1,500 feet. Adventurous types can find several terrain parks to show off their skills too. The main mountain area closes down at 4:30, but an area called Silver Creek, part of Snowshoe Mountain, stays open for night skiing. Silver Creek is great for intermediate skiing, although a few easy and black diamond runs can be found. Even if you ski all day, you won’t get bored on this mountain and will be lucky to do every run. The bus service is a little slow, so if you can walk, do so.
Other Activities
Non-skiers don’t need to worry about getting bored on Snowshoe Mountain. This upside-down resort, meaning that the village area is on top of the mountain instead of the basin like many other resorts, has a variety of restaurants, bars, and shops to explore in the resort area. Choose from Italian, bar food, or barbeque, and you can find karaoke and comedy shows as well for late-night fun. At Silver Creek, guests can tube, and cross-country equipment can be rented to enjoy flatter terrain.
Lodging
Showshoe is an excellent place to splurge a little for ski in/ski out accommodations. With a variety of sleeping options from rooms to whole homes, Snowshoe has something to fit your budget and needs. Near the top of the Powder Monkey and Powder Ridge areas are several places with hot tubs so close to the ski runs that you could stick your hand out and get a high-five from a passing skier. Another great area to check out is the top of the Soaring Eagle Lift, the fastest lift on the mountain. Book lodging directly through Snowshoes website, the helpful staff at First Tracts, or look for sometimes less expensive rentals directly from owners at homeaway.com or vrbo.com.