Collection of Internet

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Collection of Internet / Collection of Internet.iso / faq / rec / southern < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1993-09-23 | 19.9 KB | 477 lines

Newsgroups: rec.skiing,rec.answers,news.answers Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!usc!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!tijc02!djm408 From: djm408%tijc02@uunet.uu.net (David J. Marks) Subject: Southern US Skiing FAQ (REPOST due to posting problems) Message-ID: <1993Sep23.122544.23707@tijc02.uucp> Followup-To: rec.skiing Summary: This posting contains a list of frequently asked questions (and their answers) concerning the state of the sport of skiing in the southern US. It should be read by anyone who wishes to ski in VA, NC, WV, TN, GA and AL. Lines: 465 Sender: djm408@tijc02.uucp (David Marks) Reply-To: djm408%tijc02@uunet.uu.net Organization: Siemens Industrial Automation, Johnson City TN Date: Thu, 23 Sep 93 12:25:44 GMT Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Expires: January 1, 1994, 00:00:00 GMT Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu rec.skiing:24967 rec.answers:2334 news.answers:12824 Archive-name: southern-US-skiing Last-modified: 1993/09/08 Version: 1.3 ****** This being reposted due to posting problems; It is the last time I will post it before the next edition in December! Sorry for any inconvenience. ****** Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Southern U.S. Skiing ======================================================== -2. Administrivia This FAQ is posted approximately once per quarter during the Fall and Winter. To the best of my knowledge this FAQ is valid as of 9/8/93 -1. Table of contents 0. Why an FAQ on Southern U.S. Skiing? 1. I didn't know there was skiing in the U.S. south. 2. Aren't the winters too mild for skiing? 3. How can you ski at a place that gets less than 50" of snow annually? 4. What types of runs are available? 5. What types of snow conditions can be expected? 6. I've heard that the lift lines can be very long. 7. Where can I snowboard? 8. What kind of skis do I need? 9. What kind of clothing do I need? 10. When is the southern U.S. ski season? 11. What does it cost? 12. I'd like to take my family skiing, but some don't ski. Is there anything for the non-skier to do? 13. What sorts of evening activities are there at the southern U.S. ski 14. Can I go to a southern U.S. college and still ski a lot? 15. Where ARE the southern U.S. ski resorts? 16. What are the phone numbers for southern U.S. ski resorts? 17. I will be moving to the south near skiing, can I be a ski patroller in my spare time? 18. Where can I get more information? 19. Who wrote this FAQ and how does he know so much? 20. How can I disagree with or add to this FAQ? 0. Why an FAQ on Southern U.S. Skiing? This FAQ was prompted by a discussion in rec.skiing that flamed southern U.S. skiing. This FAQ is here to set the record straight. Southern U.S. skiing is not as good as western U.S. or European skiing. However, most of us cannot afford a western U.S. or European ski vacation regularly. Additionally, we need someplace to stay in shape and to practice for when we do go out west or to Europe. Southern U.S. Skiing is as good as any comparably sized place in New England (such as Mt. Abrams, ME; or Gunstock, NH). 1. I didn't know there was skiing in the U.S. south. There is a wide variety of skiing in the U.S. south. Ski resorts are located in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama, in the southern Appalachians. 2. Aren't the winters too mild for skiing? Not at all; they are variable, and the conditions could differ drastically from year to year. The further north you go (VA and WV) the more reliable the weather, and the further south you go (AL, GA, and TN) the less reliable the weather. Temperatures vary from -12F to +60F. Average yearly snowfalls vary from 12" at Cloudmont, AL, to over 200" at Snowshoe, WV, with 50"-100" being average. Typical conditions are 20F to 40F with 20" to 30" of snow on the ground. It is often the case that it will be 55F and no snow in Charlotte while Sugar & Beech will be 30F and have 30" of snow. Unless you live next to a ski resort, your local conditions are no indicator of the conditions at the ski resorts. Most of the ski resorts are at the top of the highest mountains east of the Mississippi. Snowshoe is above 4000 Ft., Beech and Sugar are above 5000 Ft. 3. How can you ski at a place that gets less than 50" of snow annually? Most southern U.S. resorts have 100% snowmaking, and as long as the temperatures fall below 32F several hours everyday, then there will be plenty of snow. 4. What types of runs are available? Most southern U.S. resorts are small. Most runs are shorter than 1/2 mile. There are some longer, such as Cup Run at Snowshoe (1 1/2 miles), Shawneehaw at Ski Beech (1 mile), Flying Mile at Sugar (1 mile), but not many. Most runs are beginner or intermediate. The larger resorts have some advanced runs, but these would be intermediate out west. Winterplace has one run designated double black (super expert). In the 1978 edition of the BOOK OF LISTS, Jean Claude Killy ranked Cup Run, Snowshoe, WV as his 10th favorite run worldwide. Bowl skiing does not exist in the U.S. south; most runs are wooded. Mogul runs are usually only there because they were made that way by large numbers of skiers, or because the run wasn't groomed for several days due to warm weather. Many runs, even at the highest elevations, are near condominiums and are ski in - ski out. 5. What types of snow conditions can be expected? All kinds. As a consequence, it is said that the southern U.S. skier is the most versatile. You can expect packed powder with some ice patches as the typical conditions. When the weather is warm there may be mashed potatoes or really thick loose granular (like rock salt). Powder (as in Utah) is very rare and there may be several years when there is none. 6. I've heard that the lift lines can be very long. You've heard correctly; however, this is only a problem on weekends and holidays. On weekdays and nights there could be less than 100 skiers on the slopes; you might even be the only one. The most crowded periods are the week between Christmas and New Years, Martin Luther King's Birthday weekend, and Presidents' Day weekend. 7. Where can I snowboard? Ski Beech allows snowboarding. Many other southern U.S. resorts do not. Ski Beech built a half-pipe out of snow (not permanent part of the hill) last year on Southern Star. This year they are building a permanent one in the Meadows. Bryan Smith at npri6.npri.com!bryan@uunet.uucp says that he has noticed that more and more resorts allow snowboarding; in fact the last time he was at Snowshoe, he noticed that snowboarding was allowed. 8. What kind of skis do I need? Since most U.S. southern resorts are small, slalom, giant slalom or recreational skis are best. Downhill, extreme, and mogul skis are not really suitable. You must be willing to endure scratches on your skis to ski the U.S. south. Snow cover is thinner than up north or out west and more rocks will show through. During crowded days you may get other skiers cutting across your tips or stepping on them in line. Make sure you have good edges for the ice patches. If you ski less than 10 days per year, it may be more cost effective to rent than to own. However, renting at the resorts may be a bad idea on crowded days. Many ski shops away from the resorts will rent for one day's price if the skis are returned by noon the next day. 9. What kind of clothing do I need? First and foremost, warm, waterproof gloves. You need these for the cold and wet. Next, pack clothes for all weather conditions: light waterproof pants and jacket, heavy insulated pants and jacket. Bring extra socks and insulated underwear. It is better to bring too much and not use it than not to bring enough and need it. Since conditions are so variable, and you can't really know in advance, you need to be prepared for a frigid blizzard, a warm rain, a cold rain, warm sun, cold sun, etc. Don't ski in jeans unless you don't fall very often. Even then, jeans are no fun in the rain. Waterproof clothes are the best bet. Bring plenty of sunscreen for sunny days. Southern U.S. winters have more direct sunlight, than northern ones. Bring goggles in case the snow makers are running (you may have to ski through artificial snow showers). Bring sunglasses for the brilliant southern sun. 10. When is the southern U.S. ski season? It varies. The larger resorts ski from Thanksgiving to March 15th depending on the weather. Snowshoe can ski as late as April 15th. Cloudmont, AL usually only has a 6-8 week season during December, January and February. 11. What does it cost? Southern U.S. skiing is expensive. Weekend day tickets at the larger resorts cost between $30 & $40. Weekday tickets cost between $20 & $30. Night tickets are usually around $15. There is a 20%-25% discount for groups of 15 or more at many resorts. Some places have half day and twilight (afternoon + night) tickets. Ski Hawksnest has a Saturday night session between Midnight and 4am that costs the same as a regular night session. Group lessons tend to cost around $10 to $15 per hour. Ski rentals cost around $10 to $15 per day. Some of the larger resorts have an all day program for kids between 4 and 10 years of age (called SKIWEE at SKI BEECH) that provides all day instruction and lunch for about $40 per child. This allows the adults to be without their kids for a day - sort of ski day care. Prices may be less at the small resorts. 12. I'd like to take my family skiing, but some don't ski. Is there anything for the non-skier to do? For the most part, no. Most of the southern U.S. ski resorts are small and cannot afford non-skiing amenities. Most of the nearby towns are small also. This is especially true of Snowshoe, where the nearest town of more than 10,000 is more than 30 miles away. Gatlinburg is an exception. Outlet shopping heaven is right below the resort on a 10 mile stretch of the road to Knoxville. Also nearby is Dollywood (Dolly Parton's amusement park) which is open during Christmas. Gatlinburg and Cataloochee are on either side of the Smoky Mts. National Park, so there is sightseeing there. Some of the larger resorts have day care for kids too small to ski. If your non-skiing partners or family members are willing to drive, they can go to Knoxville (from Gatlinburg), or Johnson City (from the NC resorts) which are usually less than an hour away. Ski Beech has an ice skating rink. 13. What sorts of evening activities are there at the southern U.S. ski resorts? At the larger resorts in WV and in the towns near the VA and NC resorts, there are many restaurants and night spots. Most of the music is bluegrass, country, or folk (this is the southern Appalachian mts. after all), but there ARE rock bands. You can also go to Charlottesville from Wintergreen (a major university town) or to Knoxville (pop. 200,000) from Gatlinburg. Snowshoe has a comedy club. Several southern U.S. resorts are located in dry counties where liquor by the drink sales are prohibited. If you wish to drink with your meal anyway, check ahead: brown bagging may or may not be permitted. 14. Can I go to a southern U.S. college and still ski a lot? Yes! Appalachian State University in Blowing Rock, NC and Lees-McCrae College in Banner Elk, NC both take skiers into account in their curriculum and give special lift ticket discounts. Appalachian owns Appalachian Ski Resort, and Lees-McCrae is less than five miles from Ski Beech or Sugar. Both schools also have competitive ski teams. Other schools (not an exaustive list) that are within 50 miles of a ski resort: East Tennesse State University - Johnson City, TN; near Ski Beech, Sugar Mt., Mill Ridge, Ski Hawksnest, Hounds Ears, and Wolf Laurel. Milligan College - Milligan, TN; near Ski Beech, Sugar Mt., Mill Ridge, Ski Hawksnest, Hounds Ears, and Wolf Laurel. University of Tennessee - Knoxville, TN; near Ober Gatlinburg University of Virginia - Charlottesville, VA; near Wintergreen Virginia Military Institute - Lexington, VA; near Homestead and Wintergreen Washington & Lee University - Lexington, VA; near Homestead and Wintergreen James Madison University - Harrisonburg, VA; near Massanutten Virginia Polytechnic Institute - Blacksburg, VA; near Winter Place Liberty University - Lynchburg, Va; near Wintergreen University of NC, Asheville - Asheville, NC; near Cataloochee and Wolf Laurel Western Carolina University - Cullowee, NC; near Cataloochee, Fairfield Saphire Valley, Scaly Mt., and Sky Valley Furman University - Greenville, SC; Near Fairfield Saphire Valley 15. Where ARE the southern U.S. ski resorts? This list is from the WHITE BOOK OF SKI AREAS Virginia - Bryce - 500 Ft. vertical, W of I-81 between Harrisonburg and Front Royal (NW VA) Homestead - 700 Ft. vertical, Nw of Lexington (western VA) Massanutten - 795 Ft. vertical, near Harrisonburg (NW VA) Wintergreen - 1003 Ft. vertical, W of Charlottesville (western VA) West Virginia - Cannaan Valley - 850 Ft. vertical, northeastern WV Alpine Lake - 400 Ft. vertical, East of Morgantown (northern WV) Timberline - 1084 Ft, vertical, near Canaan Valley Snowshoe - 1500 Ft. vertical, in southeastern WV Silver Creek - 650 Ft. vertical, next door to Snowshoe Winter Place - 600 Ft. vertical, near Beckley, WV North Carolina - Appalachian - 400 Ft. vertical, near Boone (NW NC) Cataloochee - 740 Ft. vertical, between Asheville and Smoky Mts. National park (Western NC) Fairfield Sapphire Val. - 425 Ft, vertical, southwest of Asheville (SW NC) Ski Beech - 830 Ft. vertical, near Banner Elk (NW NC) Hound Ears - 107 Ft. vertical, Between Banner Elk and Boone Mill Ridge - 225 Ft. vertical, Between Banner Elk and Boone Scaly Mt. - 225 Ft. vertical, near Dillard, GA (SW NC) Ski Hawksnest - 619 Ft. vertical, Between Banner Elk and Boone Wolf Laurel - 700 Ft. vertical (expanding to 1200 Ft.), north of Asheville (NW NC) Sugar Mt. - 1200 Ft. vertical, near Banner Elk Georgia - Sky Valley - 250 Ft. vertical, near Dillard (NE GA) Tennessee - Ober Gatliburg - 600 Ft. vertical, near Gatlinburg, east of Knoxville (eastern TN) Alabama - Cloudmont - 150 Ft. vertical, east of Huntsville, SW of Chattanooga, TN (NE AL) 16. What are the phone numbers for southern U.S. ski resorts? This list was taken from the main rec.skiing FAQ NORTH CAROLINA N.C. High Country Host 800-438-7500 accomodations & restaurants Banner Elk Chamber of Commerce 704-733-4737 Boone Chamber of Commerce 704-264-2225 State-wide report 800-438-7500 Sugar Mountain 704-898-4521 - snow report 704-898-5256 Ski Beech 800-438-2093 (includes snow report) Appalachian - reservations 800-322-2373 - snow report 704-295-7828 Ski Mill Ridge - groups 800-253-5808 - snow report 704-963-4500 VIRGINIA Bryce 703-856-2151 Homestead 703-839-7721 Massanutten 703-289-9441 Wintergreen 804-325-2100 WEST VIRGINIA State-wide report 800-225-5982 Canaan 800-225-5992 Silver Creek 800-523-6329 Snowshoe - information 304-572-1000 - reservations 304-572-5252 - snow report 304-572-4636 Timberline 304-866-4828 Winter Place 304-787-3221 17. I will be moving to the south near skiing, can I be a ski patroller in my spare time? Yes! Many smaller resorts have a hard time keeping patrollers. If you will be living close enough to be able to ski between 15 and 20 sessions, contact the patrol director at your chosen resort, to see if he has openings. The Southern Division of the National Ski Patrol depends on volunteers for over 75% of their membership. You will need to be a strong paralell skier that can agressively ski all the runs at the resort where you plan to patrol. You will need an active certification from the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association in one person and two person CPR. You will also need a certification from the National Ski Patrol in Winter Emergency Care (WEC). Ask the local patrol director for the date of the next WEC class. You don't have to be a patroller to take the WEC class. If you qualify, you will be accepted as a Candidate (a provisional member). After one to two seasons of training, and after you pass your on the hill skills test, you will be advanced to Basic Patroller and be a full fledged member. Candidates are not allowed to ski a loaded sled (loaded with an accident victim) from an accident to the first aid room until they advance to Basic Patroller status. The Basic on the hill skills test consists of free skiing, controlled skiing, a snowplow and side slip course through gates, skiing an empty toboggan (rescue sled) to an accident, and skiing a loaded toboggan from an accident to the first aid room. 18. Where can I get more information? THE WHITE BOOK OF SKI AREAS published by Inter-Ski Services, Inc., P.O. Box 3635, Georgetown Station, Washington, DC 20007. This book cannot be obtained from a bookstore (it does not appear in BOOKS IN PRINT). You must get a copy from a ski store or from Inter-Ski Services. This book is the bible of the ski industry. THE NATIONAL SKI PATROL, Samaritans of the Snow, by Gretchen R. Besser, The Countryman Press, Woodstock, VT; ISBN 0-88150-030-5. Call the ski resorts and ask them. Consult your nearest ski store. Every big city has one. Many small ones do too. 19. Who wrote this FAQ and how does he know so much? The author is David J. Marks residing in Johnson City, TN. He is a volunteer member of the Beech Mt. Ski Patrol at Ski Beech, NC. He has skied many of the NC, and WV resorts over the last 15 years. 20. How can I disagree with or add to this FAQ? If you have any disagreements with this FAQ, or additions to this FAQ, contact Dave Marks via the email addresses below. Please don't clog this newsgroup with flames about the quality of southern U.S. skiing. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- David J. Marks | UUCP: ...!uunet!tijc02!djm408 Siemens Industrial Automation, Inc. | Internet: djm408%tijc02@uunet.uu.net P.O. Drawer 1255 | Phone: 615-461-2074 Johnson City, TN 37605-1255 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------