Escape the winter doldrums with a ski trip to top regional resorts where recent improvements have amped up the fun
By Eric J. Wallace
When the weather turns frigid nothing staves off the winter blues like an action-packed trip to a mountain ski resort. Beat the cabin fever with relentless high-elevation views and breezy or adrenalin-fueled carve sessions through a wonderland of snow-dusted conifers. Follow with delish drinks and eats at ski village hotspots.
Sound like a tasty bag of chips? Our insider’s guide to the region’s best ski areas will help you and yours craft the perfect winter escape.
Massanutten Resort
Virginia’s oldest ski area occupies the southern tip of the 50-mile-long Massanutten Mountain Range and sits less than 10 miles west of Shenandoah National Park at the gateway of picturesque Page Valley.
A fully renovated main lodge area with a ski center, snow tube park and super cool domed slopeside bar are positioned at the base of the action, but the village fans out across much of the resort’s 6,000 acres.
It includes various smaller lodges, two restaurants, a large spa center and gargantuan indoor waterpark.
MORE TO LOVE AT MASSANUTTEN A five-year, multimillion dollar 50th anniversary project means more snow, new routes and more ease of access at the year-round resort located not far from Harrisonburg. (Photo courtesy of Massanutten Resort)
Slopes
A five-year, multi-million-dollar 50th anniversary project has given the Nutt a facelift. More than 21,000 feet of new, larger water pipes and 100 new semi or fully automated snow guns supercharge techs’ ability to capitalize on cold spells.
There are also new lifts in each of the resort’s three interconnected ski areas—including a covered, user-friendly conveyer in the learning center and high-speed quad that expedites trips to the 3,000-foot summit.
Seven new routes have boosted total skiable acres to about 100 and trails to 24. Experienced carvers will delight in a mile-long, signature blue called “Mueller’s Mile” that brings a total drop of 1,100 feet. Less brazen riders will appreciate the breezy “Ridgecrest,” which bypasses black-diamond drops to connect the beginner-friendly Mass Transit area to stunning summit views.
Eat/Drink
Campfire Grill dishes up solid American surf-and-turf in a fun and festive upscale pub setting. Post up by floor-to-ceiling stone fireplaces or grab a hot mulled cider and venture onto a wraparound deck with views of the golf course and surrounding mountains. Follow with craft beers or local-sourced ciders just a few miles from the resort at Elkton Brewing Company.
Opening day is set for December 20. massresort.com
Wintergreen Resort
The 10,000-acre, four-season resort is perched about an hour west of Charlottesville on a 3,500-plus-foot ridgeline that backs onto the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The festive village area unfurls around a series of stone terraces and wood decks with incredible views of undeveloped peaks in the surrounding George Washington National Forest and access to upper slope areas.
Attractions include a snow sports center with rentals, shops, a main lodge, coffee shop and three restaurants. A snow-tubing complex, spa center and two more eateries can also be found nearby.
Slopes
It’s true Wintergreen doesn’t get much natural snow—just 34 inches annually. But major investments in state-of-the-art snowmaking technology and water impoundments allows technicians to blanket most of its 129 skiable acres and 27 trails within a couple days.
Routes are spread across three unique areas tied together by fun connector trails. A learning slope and two wide central routes that descend from the village cater to beginners. Graduate to intermediate blues and low-level black diamonds in the Eagles Swoop area by the Adventure Center.
Then test your mettle in the eight-trail, experts-only Highlands. “Outer Limits” brings some of the best moguls this side of Vermont, while the upper and lower “Cliffhanger” can be combined for a mile-long, white-knuckle run with 1,000 feet of vertical drop.
Eat/Drink
Head to slopeside Copper Mine for delicious Italian style cuisine in a lodge-themed upscale casual setting with stone fireplaces and soaring wood-paneled ceilings. Enjoy craft brews, wine or cocktails with jaw-dropping views of surrounding peaks at The Edge’s window-lined bar area.
Opening day is set for December 13. wintergreenresort.com
Bryce Resort
This 400-acre boutique is located in the scenic Alleghany Mountains near the West Virginia border about 45 minutes northwest of Harrisonburg. What it lacks in size—there are just 25 skiable acres—it makes up for in character and natural beauty.
Book an east-facing slopeside condo, chalet or cottage with Bryce Mountain Escapes and bask in sunset views of the Shenandoah Valley. Pick from a trio of resort eateries and drink spots, or venture into the tiny communities of Basye or Orkney Springs for more great options.
Slopes
Bryce’s eight slopes offer something for everyone, but with just 500 feet of vertical drop, they’re perfect for first-timers or cusping intermediates looking to level-up their skills.
A tubing park and award-winning learning area equipped with conveyor belt rides up the slope is conveniently located outside the resort’s ski school and rental center. A new, highspeed four-person chairlift ferries riders to the 1,750-foot summit, which brings gorgeous eastward views and access to a quintet of blue routes.
More advanced riders will catch grins on the brief, but burning “Hangover,” and enjoy the recently added “Thunder Jug” terrain park.
A $2.5 million electrical upgrade coupled with new state-of-the-art snow guns ensure things stay good and snowy.
Eat/Drink
Enjoy classic American pub fare in a lovely, bar-centered dining room with exposed rafters, hardwood floors and floor-to-ceiling windows that open onto the slopes at Copper Kettle. Oenophiles should proceed to RHouse Wine & Café in Orkney Springs for fine vino and Euro-style small plates. Beer lovers can take advantage of Pale Fire Brewing’s fun and funky Basye outpost.
Average opening day around the second weekend in December. bryceresort.com
Snowshoe Resort
The famed Ikon Pass resort is the Mid-Atlantic’s top snow sports destination, bar none. Its Colorado-style village sprawls across a 2-mile-long, 4,800-foot ridgeline surrounded by Appalachian spruce-fir forests and vast, undeveloped swaths of the Monongahela National Forest. Amenities include numerous slopeside hotels, eight ski and apparel shops, and more than a dozen restaurants and bars. But the Shoe’s 57 trails and 245 skiable acres of terrain take center stage.
Slopes
With below freezing average nighttime temperatures from November through April, a whopping 180 inches of annual natural snowfall, and a word-class snowmaking system, Snowshoe boasts one the longest and best seasons in the eastern U.S.
The downhill fun gets spread across three expansive ski areas that cater to different skill levels. Beginners can find their sea legs in an isolated learning area by the central Ballhooter Lift, then build skills on enumerable green and blue trails that crisscross the mountain’s eastern slope. Catch a 1.5-mile shuttle to Silver Creek for another 18 trails that trend toward beginner and intermediates.
The experts-only Western Slope, meanwhile, is a mecca for shredders. It offers a trio of long black diamonds and a steep, plunging double-black peppered with moguls and glades. Riders with a need for speed will delight in “Shay’s Revenge” and “Cupp Run,” both of which drop 1,500 vertical feet over the course of an epic 1.5 miles.
Three feature-packed progression parks round out the package.
Eat/Drink
Adventure-loving foodies will take joy in Appalachian Kitchen, where chef Scott MacGregor’s new American, Appalachian-focused cuisine earned him a semi-finalist spot on the James Beard Foundation’s 2024 Best Chef list. Wash down the 100% made-from-scratch meal with slopeside craft beers at Old Spruce Brewing.
Opening day is set for November 27. snowshoemtn.com
Eric J. Wallace
Eric J. Wallace is an award-winning lifestyle journalist based in Staunton who has contributed to WIRED, Outside, Reader’s Digest, Atlas Obscura, Best American Food Writing, All About Beer and more.
