Winterplace and Timberline Ski Areas Open Friday

Skiers and snowboarders heading to the mountains of West Virginia this weekend will find two more of the state’s major ski resorts open for the season.  Winterplace and Timberline open Friday, December while Canaan Valley will open Saturday, December 20.  Snowshoe Mountain has been open since November 26.  Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, which offers one slope for guests, will begin the season when weather permits.
 
Along with the natural snow in the mountains, temperatures in the higher elevations have been cold enough this week for snow making operations.  Ski Association spokesman Joe Stevens says that allows all of the resorts to provide excellent early season conditions, as the all-important holiday season looms later this month.

Resorts in the mountain state annually attract over 800,000 skier visits and numbers have been strong during the first couple weeks of the season.  “It’s the time of year all of the resort operators look forward to getting open and have skiers and snowboarders head to the slopes,” says Terry Pfeiffer, President of the West Virginia Ski Areas Association and President of Winterplace. The top states providing skiers and snowboarders to West Virginia slopes are Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio and Florida.