This article was updated in January 2024.
Skiing requires two things: snow and slopes. A decent number of the latter are within an easy drive of Washington. The former is more of a challenge. In the Mid-Atlantic, snow can be elusive.
Which is why skiers from our area and other not-quite-Switzerland locales might take heart from a trend that has quietly revolutionized nearby resorts: vastly improved snowmaking technology.
About 90 percent of resorts now use machines to augment whatever Mother Nature delivers—and most skiers can’t tell the difference. Unlike previous models, the newest snow guns produce a consistent flake that lasts longer. The machines themselves also automatically turn on when the temperature and humidity reach ideal levels, meaning there’s no need to wait for a human to flick a switch, something that could cost valuable snowmaking time.
All of which means that even if you see green grass in your yard, ski resorts most likely have snow. Here are our favorites for taking advantage of winter.
Most Romantic
Wintergreen
At this destination in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, you can rent a beautiful cabin with a fireplace or enjoy a sunrise view from one of the many mountaintop condos that face east. Hit the spa for a couples massage or to sink into an outdoor hot tub as the sun sets. Oh, yes, there’s skiing, too—26 trails and a vertical drop of more than 1,000 feet.
Best Bit of Summer in Winter
Massanutten
You can ski or snowboard all day on 14 trails. Or escape the cold entirely at Massanutten’s 42,000-square-foot indoor water park. The facility features a “lazy river” where you can float on a tube in the warm water, plus tube and body slides, and a Flowrider Endless Wave surfing zone that pumps 50,000 gallons of water a minute to form artificial waves.
Most Convenient
Liberty Mountain
This Pennsylvania spot, with its trails and vertical drop of 620 feet, is about a 90-minute drive from DC—even less from the Maryland suburbs along I-270. Because it’s so close, it’s great for a day trip. It’s also fun for an evening excursion; all of the slopes are lit and running until 10 on Fridays and Saturdays. A 3-to-10-PM adult lift ticket is only $49.
Best for Beginners
Wisp
This laid-back, family-friendly mountain is next to Deep Creek Lake. The slopes are right outside the lodge—as is the ski-and-snowboarding learning center, which includes five conveyor-belt lifts and a separate section for children. Many of the 33 trails are rated for beginners, and no one ever seems to be in a rush—making it easy if you’re just getting into snow sports.
Best for Intermediates
Whitetail 1
Of the 23 trails at this Pennsylvania resort, 11 are rated blue, or intermediate. The trails are all wide open and easily negotiated by skiers and snowboarders who love the joy of carving turns but don’t want terrain that’s too steep. A high-speed, four-person lift means a skier can crank out run after run after run.
Best for Experts
Blue Knob
This no-frills mountain is renowned for having the most difficult single slope in the Mid-Atlantic, dubbed the Upper and Lower Extrovert. Compared with other resorts in the region, the mountain is steeper, the trails are narrower, and there are lots of moguls as well as ungroomed terrain and trails cutting through the trees. Blue Knob has a vertical drop of more than 1,000 feet, and nearly half of its 34 runs are rated advanced to expert.
Best for Cross-Country and Snowshoeing
Canaan Valley
This West Virginia spot is for people who’d rather provide their own locomotion than ride a lift and use gravity for speed. The valley, with an elevation of 3,300 feet, is in an area that regularly receives lake-effect snow to cover the open fields and wooded trails. Skiers will find more than 35 kilometers of cross-country and snowshoeing trails at Canaan Resort as well as an additional 50 kilometers of maintained trails at adjacent White Grass Ski Touring Center. Both offer rentals and lessons.
Best Snowboarding
Seven Springs
While most resorts have one or two terrain parks for snowboarders, Seven Springs has seven. Each has one-of-a-kind features for boarders of different levels, and freestyle skiers can also frolic on the rails, boxes, and jumps. The resort has the largest and longest half-pipe in the region—the 450-foot-long Spot Superpipe—which allows Seven Springs to host major snowboarding competitions, such as the US Revolution Tour.
Best Getaway Overall
Snowshoe
It may not be Colorado or Utah, but this West Virginia resort may make you feel like you’re skiing out west—without the cost of a plane ticket. There are 61 trails, a vertical drop of 1,500 feet, and more than a dozen lifts. The mountaintop village includes a spa, restaurants, shops, and lots of lodging options—from hotel rooms and condos to cabins and houses. Off slope are snowtubing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobile tours, a swimming center, and much more.
This article appears in the January 2020 issue of Washingtonian.
