Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 11:22 am
Hi all,
I'm from South Carolina. I had planned to bring my boys up to North Carolina to ski/ride this past winter, but had to cancel because of the ice storm. They were heartbroken that we couldn't go (one of them has been once to App, the other has never been). So,I told them I'd take them next year during their Christmas break.
However, some of the extended family now wants to go as well, and they've asked me to set it up for everyone. So, it's gone from the three of us, where we would be fairly flexible and able to pick a few days when the weather looked good, to at least 11 people of mixed abilities (3 total newbies, a few advanced skiers, and the rest are beginner-intermediate). Everyone comes here for Christmas, so now the trip has to be planned far enough in advance that people can plan their work vacation and plane tickets accordingly, and it will have to be during the break, most likely the week following Christmas. It also means we probably need a cabin (preferably slopeside).
My only experience skiing in WV was at Snowshoe 20 years ago. Since then, my southeast experience has mostly been to take off a day or so mid-week and drive up to Sugar or Beech with a couple friends when the weather looks good for it.
So, the main considerations are going to be crowding, learning areas for the newbies, and lodging. I was thinking about going up to Canaan, and maybe driving over to Timberline or Wisp if we feel the need for variety (I haven't been to any of those, but they look nice). I loved Snowshoe 20 years ago, but it looks like it has changed a lot and may get crowded during the Christmas break. I love Beech and Sugar, but it seems to me those would both be jam packed during the break as well.
Any suggestions? This has sort of gone from a fun idea to a ton of pressure to plan it right for everyone.
Thanks!
I'm from South Carolina. I had planned to bring my boys up to North Carolina to ski/ride this past winter, but had to cancel because of the ice storm. They were heartbroken that we couldn't go (one of them has been once to App, the other has never been). So,I told them I'd take them next year during their Christmas break.
However, some of the extended family now wants to go as well, and they've asked me to set it up for everyone. So, it's gone from the three of us, where we would be fairly flexible and able to pick a few days when the weather looked good, to at least 11 people of mixed abilities (3 total newbies, a few advanced skiers, and the rest are beginner-intermediate). Everyone comes here for Christmas, so now the trip has to be planned far enough in advance that people can plan their work vacation and plane tickets accordingly, and it will have to be during the break, most likely the week following Christmas. It also means we probably need a cabin (preferably slopeside).
My only experience skiing in WV was at Snowshoe 20 years ago. Since then, my southeast experience has mostly been to take off a day or so mid-week and drive up to Sugar or Beech with a couple friends when the weather looks good for it.
So, the main considerations are going to be crowding, learning areas for the newbies, and lodging. I was thinking about going up to Canaan, and maybe driving over to Timberline or Wisp if we feel the need for variety (I haven't been to any of those, but they look nice). I loved Snowshoe 20 years ago, but it looks like it has changed a lot and may get crowded during the Christmas break. I love Beech and Sugar, but it seems to me those would both be jam packed during the break as well.
Any suggestions? This has sort of gone from a fun idea to a ton of pressure to plan it right for everyone.
Thanks!