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Ready for a family trip to a WV Ski resort? West Virginia’s newspapers offer help

From the West Virginia Press Association:

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Christmas is over, it’s 2018, the weather is cold and West Virginia’s Tourism Office and the state’s ski industry are ready to host you and your family for a day, evening or weekend.

Has your family visited one of the Mountain State’s six ski areas this winter?  There are regional choices for winter sports and fun within a short drive.

Need to make plans? Families can see what’s available, check conditions and make reservations by visiting https://gotowv.com or any of the resort websites: Canaan Valley Resort, Winterplace Resort, Oglebay Resort, Snowshoe Mountain Resort, Timberline Four Seasons Resort and White Grass Touring Center in Canaan Valley, the state’s largest cross-country ski operation.

Don’t ski? Betsy DeBord reported in the tourism segment of the West Virginia newspaper industry’s new 30-minute weekly video program“West Virginia Press Insight,”  skiing in West Virginia can mean a great weekend on the slopes, tubing or just hanging out at the resort and near the fire in the lodge for a weekend of family fun.

Canaan Valley Resort in Tucker County, Winterplace Resort in Raleigh County, and Wheeling’s Oglebay Resort, Snowshoe Mountain Resort in Pocahontas County, and Timberline Four Seasons Resort in Canaan Valley are all open. White Grass Touring Center in Canaan Valley, the state’s largest cross-country ski operation.

Winter outdoor activities are family fun at Canaan Valley Resort State Park.
(West Virginia Department of Commerce photo)

According to industry officials, West Virginia’s ski industry is one of the largest seasonal employers in the state, employing over 5000 people during the season which traditionally goes from the Thanksgiving holiday to the first of April. More than 800,000 skiers/snowboarders visit West Virginia snow resorts annually, generating $250 million in economic impact to the state.

The cold winter, while bothersome for many, helps the ski industry. While natural snowfall is a bonus, “it was really the prolonged cold temperatures that allowed the ski areas to use their snow-making equipment to maximum effect that’s allowing the resorts to open up with such quantity and quality this season,” said Joe Stephens, spokesman for the West Virginia Ski Areas Association.

After doubling its snow-making capacity last season, Canaan Valley added high-efficiency snow guns this season, boosting its snow-making output by another 20 percent. There is also snow tubing at Canaan’s 1,200-foot tube park — the longest in the mid-Atlantic region.  Winterplace, the state’s southernmost ski area, also has snow tubing.  Oglebay Resort’s small but active ski area, served by a triple chairlift and equipped with a terrain park, now offers anew snow tube park at the Wheeling resort.

Charleston Gazette-Mail courtesy photo
Snowshoe has opened its slopes at Thanksgiving for the past three years.
  • You can get  quick information about planning a winter gateway in West Virginia or visiting the skiing resorts, visit https://gotowv.com.
  • The another good place to get quick information about skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing in West Virginia go to goskiwv.com, there you will find a link to all of the resorts slope cams so you can see for yourself how much snow is on the slopes.

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