A look at the Week’s Winners & Next Week’s Place to Be
Last weekend the holiday spirit became a bit brighter with snowfall in New England. The lake effect snow created a blanket of snow for a few resorts’ opening days.
The winner this past week was unfortunately not open! Peek ‘n Peak Resort was blessed with 36” over the weekend. Hopefully it will only make the snow conditions much better for their opening day on December 7th.
West Virginia came up big as well with 20” of snow over the weekend at Timberline Resort. I would go there over the years as a child with my parents. I especially remember that feeling while heading down a black diamond run of just “getting it”. When you realized you just upped your skill level. The confidence boost from something like that is astronomical.
This coming weekend I think it’s safe to say that everyone would love to be in Whistler/Blackcomb. They will probably get a nice 2 feet or more, however, given New England’s strong start, I thought I’d highlight the resort I’ll be heading to this weekend.
Peek ‘N Peak & Timberline
I am pretty sure that most of the readers of this article have already asked, “Where the hell is Peek ‘N Peak and Timberline?”
Good Question.
I’ll start with Peek ‘N Peak.
This four-season resort is located in Clymer, NY. Residents of Erie, PA have only a short 20-minute drive to reach the Peak. Buffalo and Cleveland folks have less than a 2-hour drive. Pittsburgh citizens don’t have to drive south but instead can take 2.5 hours north to reach this resort.
That’s a long drive you say? It’s worth it for a resort that can get 200 inches of snowfall in a season.
Peek ‘N Peak also has more than just a few lifts and some trails. They also boast a luxury spa, a plethora of restaurant choices, and a large indoor activity center that includes a pool and hot tubs. I think you’ll find this resort is a perfect weekend getaway.
Timberline is in the Canaan Valley region of West Virginia.
This resort, like Peak ‘N Peak, has a sense of charm that has you feeling as if you found a little oasis in the middle of nowhere.
Timberline was also closed last weekend but plans on opening this Friday. Those 20” will certainly make the weekend nice. To get there from the Washington, DC and Baltimore metro areas, you’ll have to put in a good 3-4 hours on the road.
Don’t worry, you’ll also be rewarded for your time spent driving. Canaan Valley has a lot of lodging options from the beautiful Canaan Valley Lodge, to a variety of home and condo rentals by the mountain. This is ideal for nature enthusiasts.
The mountain itself has 3 lifts and 22 trails on 1000 foot of vertical. It gets 170” on average in a year. A ticket for an adult is still under $100 and there are lots of ways to save with discount offers.
Next Week’s Powder
What resort is projected to get a good amount of accumulation (as it has throughout the week!) and I plan on hitting its slopes on Friday?
Stowe, Vermont of course.
I know I have talked about Stowe before. It is on the Epic pass. I know many of you are not big on huge conglomerate owned ski resorts. I get it. However, this company made it super affordable (okay more reasonable) to own a season pass that would allow anyone to go to any resorts. Heck, I can go to Europe and visit those resorts without paying for a ticket.
Its passes like the Epic and Ikon that have made winter sports travel beyond our local resorts, possible.
Stowe has all the charm one would want for a winter holiday vacation. A quaint new England town, more restaurant choices than you could imagine, activities off the mountain for those who need a rest day, and on mountain amenities to make memories more memorable.
The mountain itself comprises of two separate peaks connected by a gondola. Spruce peak offers a resort village complete with ice skating, shops, spas, and a cute coffee shop. Mansfield offers challenging terrain, phenomenal tree skiing, and a peak dining experience accessible from their gondola to the top.
Need a little ‘Sound of Music’ in your life? Visit the Trapp Family Lodge and Brewery. They have cross country and snowshoe trails, luxury lodge hotel(this is my top choice for a place to stay), and a big brewery facility.
I could go on and on about how all the wonderful food, shops, and activities that make Stowe a top-notch winter vacation (and summer vacation too!). But I need to get ready for my first runs of the season.
And as always, I would be even happier to help you plan your own vacation to any of these destinations. Message me!
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