This southern ski area gets nearly 200 inches of annual snowfall, so you’ve got to admit they have a point. The vast majority of the nearly half million skiers who come here annually live well south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Snowshoe Resort is the closest “big mountain” skiing to be found in the South. It’s the most elaborate and extensive resort in the region, and it does very well by its core customers. It attracts a curious blend of D.C. bureaucrats, Nashville nurses and Atlanta attorneys. Most love to ski and come here because it’s close and has great facilities. Some come just to experience snow, struggle through skiing and party up a storm. The terrain is approachable with superb snowmaking and snow grooming that allows low-intermediates and intermediates to have a good time. Pickings are slim for the true advanced and expert skier.

The resort comprises three areas: Snowshoe, Silver Creek and the Western Territory, each with its own personality. The Silver Creek section presents an excellent venue for families, especially those with younger children, with its combination of single-facility, ski-in/out lodging, night skiing, terrain park and snow tubing. It’s also less crowded than the other areas, and the slopes are wider and better designed than at the Snowshoe area, but the skiing is less challenging.

This is an “upside down” resort: The base facilities are at the summit. A mountaintop village has been under construction for several years and a lodge, condominiums, restaurants, shops and a new conference hall have been and continue to be added, including Seneca Lodge, a 62-unit facility at the Village at Snowshoe. Additionally, a 100-unit condominium complex, Expedition Station, was completed in February, 2006.

An 11,000 square foot state-of-the-art rental shop, Expedition Rentals, opened in Expedition Station alongside Skidder Slope in 2005. A highlight: 20 flat screen televisions that display the latest resort and other information.

New for the 2006-07 season is the replacement of the Widowmaker chairlift by a high-speed quad. Located adjacent to the new ('06-'07) Soaring Eagle Lodge, it reduces a 10-minute ride to three minutes.

Visitors now have a central place of worship at the Saint Bernard Chapel in the south end of the village.

Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort Facts:

Summit elevation: 4,800 feet
Vertical drop: 1,500 feet
Base elevation: 3,200 feet

Expert: +
Advanced: ++
Intermediate: +++++
Beginner: +++++
First-timer: +++

Dining: ++++
Apres-ski/nightlife: ++
Other activities: +++

Address: 10 Snowshoe Drive
Snowshoe, WV 26209
Area code: 304
Ski area phone: (877) 441-4386
Snow report: 572-4636; (800) 258-0330
Toll-free reservations:
(877) 441-4386
Fax: 572-5664
E-mail: info@snowshoemtn.com
Internet: www.snowshoemtn.com

Number of lifts: 14—3 high-speed quads, 2 quads, 6 triples, 2 surface lifts, 1 moving carpet
Snowmaking: 100 percent
Skiable acreage: 234 acres
Uphill capacity: 22,900 per hour
Parks & pipes: 4 parks, 1 pipe
Bed base: 1,800 condominium & lodge rooms;
Nearest lodging: Slopeside
Resort child care: Yes, 12 weeks and older
Adult ticket, per day:
$60–$65 (06/07)