Whether you ski black-diamond trails, slowly navigate bunny slopes or want cold-weather fun that does not involve skis, resorts just a few hours drive from Bethesda have what you’re seeking. From Pennsylvania to West Virginia, the Mid-Atlantic region provides outstanding options for winter activities.
Snowshoe Mountain
With 60 trails and 14 lifts handling more than 23,000 people per hour, West Virginia’s Snowshoe Mountain (www.snowshoemtn.com, 877-441-4FUN) is the region’s largest ski resort. The drive takes five hours, but visitors are rewarded with a wide variety of terrain, a beautiful setting and some of the best early-and late-season conditions in the region, says DCSki.com Editor M. Scott Smith. Averaging 180 inches of annual snowfall, Snowshoe generally has great skiing December through March. Fourteen trails are open for night skiing.
The terrain park is packed with free-styling rails and features a 300-foot half-pipe. Nearby, a six-story tubing park brings out the kid in everyone. Snowshoe provides lessons for all ages and levels. Away from the slopes, guests can snowshoe, cross-country ski or experience the excitement of snowmobile and Snow cat tours. Kids can splash their way through an indoor water park complete with geyser and slides. With several hot tubs and a sauna, adults can unwind too. A note of caution for the technology-dependent: most guests lose cell phone service about two hours outside the resort; calling cards are highly recommended. High-speed WiFi is available for guests staying in the Village (and at Starbucks), but other mountain units have dial-up.
Where to Stay
Snowshoe (www.snowshoemtn.com/lodging) offers options from hotel rooms to five-bedroom houses. In season, rates at the Inn at Snowshoe, located at the mountain base, start at $118 per weekend night. Weekend rates at the top-notch Vantage Inn, with in-room fireplaces and flat-screen TVs, begin at $276.
Guests can rent studio to four-bedroom condos throughout the resort. Overlooking the mountains, Camp Four has outdoor hot tubs and ski-in/ski-out access. One-bedrooms start at $320. Upscale Silver Creek Lodge has an indoor/outdoor pool, sauna and Jacuzzis. Studios start at $215, and three bedrooms at $573. Luxurious Soaring Eagle Lodge offers concierge service, a restaurant and a private wine bar. Studios start at $280, and three-bedrooms can run $1,400 per night in season.
Where to Eat
Snowshoe has 18 dining options, from barbecue at Foxfire Grille to Italian at Auntie Pasta’s (www.snowshoemtn.com/village/dining). Family-friendly Cheat Mountain Pizza turns out traditional and gourmet pies. The Junction Restaurant and Saloon serves guests in a turn-of-the-century train station and mill. New to Snowshoe is Ember, described as “hip and young…high country meets downtown.”
Drinks and entertainment are available well into the evening. The Hole in the Wall Pub serves 40 beers, including local microbrews. The Connection offers slope-side refreshments by day and dancing by night. Comedy Cellar is extremely popular, with live acts on the weekends. For teens, The Big Top has everything from a gaming zone to pool and dance parties. Kid World makes a memorable night, with games like Snowshoe Idol and Fear Factor.
Where to Buy, What to Expect to Spend
Snowshoe Mountain Homes (www.snowshoemountainhomes.com, 888-489-1943) manages real estate within the Snowshoe neighborhoods. New ownership opportunities are currently in the planning stage. In the Village, existing properties include upscale Allegheny Springs, where studios start at $185,000 and three-bedrooms at $525,000. At Seneca, a complex with heated underground parking, hearth room and thermal spa, one-bedrooms start at $199,000 and three-bedrooms at $715,000. Outside the Village at Soaring Eagle Lodge, two-bedrooms start at $530,000 and three-bedrooms at $725,000.
Wintergreen Resort
Three hours from the Bethesda area in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Wintergreen Resort (www.wintergreenresort.com, 800-926-3723) recently invested $20 million in upgrades. The division of Wintergreen’s 25 slopes (23 percent beginner, 35 percent intermediate, 42 percent advanced) makes it a great choice for groups with skiers of mixed levels. Lightening-fast “six pack” lifts keep things moving, and over half of the resort’s slopes are open for night skiing.
Wintergreen has lessons for all ages and levels and guarantees that first-time skiers will learn the basics in the first lesson or the next lesson is free. Special programs, like the women’s ski seminar, occur throughout the season.
The sizable terrain park gives freestylers a chance to test their skills on snow features and rails—one mounted atop a partially buried Volkswagen like a “metallic Mohawk hairdo,” according to DCSki.com columnist Jim Kenney, who taught his son that there is no fool like an old fool when it comes to mistimed jumps.
On the 10-lane Plunge, tubers speed up to 40 mph as they experience a 100-foot vertical drop. The Slide provides tamer tubing for the 2-and-over crowd.
After a tough day on the slopes, Wintergreen’s spa offers massages, heated pools, hot tubs, steam rooms and saunas.
Where to Stay
Wintergreen has 300 rental units, from studios to five-bedroom condos—most with fireplaces and a balcony or deck—and villas and homes with two to seven bedrooms. All are privately owned, but booking through the resort ensures access to guest only amenities, such as a cashless vacation and 8 a.m. slope access. Condo rates start at $235 per night in season for a studio and $269 per night for a five-bedroom with a three-night minimum. Two-bedroom homes begin around $400 per night, and seven-bedrooms at $990 per night.
Where to Eat
Dining options are limited (www.wintergreenresort.com/dining_and_nightlife), but mountain views more than make up for it. The clubby Devils Grill on the golf course serves American favorites with a Southern flare, while The Edge offers casual pub fare. The Copper Mine prepares steak and seafood in “classic steak house style” and Stoney Creek Bar & Grill’s menu lists elegant entrées and Sunday brunch with a spectacular mountain view overlooking the golf course. Stoney Creek and The Edge both offer live entertainment on winter weekends.
Where to Buy, What to Expect to Spend
According to Brian Chase of Wintergreen Resort Premier Properties (www.wintergreenresort.com/wrpp, 866-905-9777), studio condos start at $125,000, and a three-bedroom with ski in/ski out access and mountain view at $400,000. There are “all manners of detached homes,” Chase says, starting at $290,000 for a two-bedroom and rising to $2million for a “fantastic property with a fantastic view.” Basic half-acre mountain lots start at $80,000, and slope-side lots begin at $250,000.
Seven Springs Mountain Resort
Three-and-a-half hours from Bethesda and southeast of Pittsburgh, Seven Springs Mountain Resort (www.7springs.com, 800-452-2223) is the destination for winter enthusiasts who want to stay put. From winter sports to food to entertainment, Seven Springs has everything—including 31 trails and an average of 105 inches of snowfall per year.
A snowboarder’s paradise, Seven Springs has three terrain parks. Santa’s Beard features jumps and rails designed to develop a beginner’s ability. At Little North Face, more confident riders attempt advanced features, including a 13-foot half-pipe and medium-size jumps. The Spot has an advanced 440-foot-long super-pipe with 18-foot walls and 30- to 55-foot features, including rails, ramps and tabletops.
The tubing park is open to those over age 4, although children 9 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Mimicking the thrill of a roller coaster, the runs are full of dips and bumps. Off-the-slope activities include snowshoeing, snowmobiling, horse-drawn sleigh rides and late-night, slope-grooming tours on a Snowcat. In addition to an indoor pool and hot tub, guests can enjoy the bowling alley, miniature golf course and two game rooms with video arcades and pool tables. And the spa offers total relaxation.
Where to Stay
Seven Springs has many options, from the Main Lodge Hotel to one- to four-bedroom condos to chalets and dormitories. On weekend nights in season, rooms at the lodge start at around $155 and suites at around $400, including a breakfast buffet. One-bedroom condos average $370 per night, and four-bedrooms $760 with a two-night minimum. Chalets average in the mid-to-upper $500s per night. Luxury can be had at Southwind townhomes, with ski-in/ski-out access, fireplaces and private hot tubs.
Where to Eat
Seven Springs provides guests with 11 dining options. Helen’s Restaurant, the original slope-side home of Seven Springs’ founders, serves intercontinental cuisine. The Slopeside Dining Room (800-452-2223) features elegant cuisine at reasonable prices—guests rave about the Friday night seafood buffet, Saturday night grand buffet and Sunday brunch. For more casual dining, the Coffee Shop serves salads and sandwiches, and the Pizza Shop offers Italian specialties. Mountain Perk features Starbucks, and the bakery staff keeps the Pastry Shop stocked.
Where to Buy, What to Expect to Spend
In the Villages at Seven Springs, condos range from one to six bedrooms. Current listings include one-bedrooms starting at $140,000, three-bedrooms at $350,000 and six-bedrooms ranging from $600,000-$900,000. Under development, ultra-luxurious Pheasant Run has 31 home sites from three to 21 acres in a private, peaceful setting. Custom-built homes feature natural wood and stone exteriors. A 4.75-acre lot sells for $275,000, and a recently listed four-bedroom, five-bath home under construction was priced at $950,000. Off the mountain, many properties are on the market. A four-bedroom chalet with a view of the Seven Springs slopes lists for $500,000, and three-bedroom condos at nearby Swiss Mountain average $280,000 and include a shuttle to the resort.
Wisp
The elevation of Wisp (www.skiwisp.com, 301-387-4911), three hours from Bethesda at Maryland’s Deep Creek Lake, means an early snow season. Wisp averages 100 inches of annual snowfall, and nearby lake water ensures unlimited snowmaking on Wisp’s 32 slopes.
Sports enthusiasts can try skiing, snowboarding, tubing and snowmobiling. Wisp’s tubing park has nine 750-foot shoots. The resort also features an extensive freestyle terrain park, super- pipe and rail park, with rails as high as 40 feet. Guests can enjoy the stillness of the cross-country and snowshoe trails or the noise and thrill of guided snowmobile tours.
A variety of lesson options are available at Wisp, including the Burton Learn-To-Ride Center for Adults & Children. Children’s programs, including lift tickets, rentals and lunch, focus on building confidence and ability. The Mini-Riders program aims to please 6- and 7-year-olds begging to snowboard, and Mountain Rippers will teach 8- to-14-year-oldsmore advanced skills.
Where to Stay
Perched slope-side, the ski-in/ski-out Wisp Resort Hotel & Conference Center (www.wispresort.com) has an indoor pool and Jacuzzi, and each room has its own ski/boot locker. Hundreds of homes and condos are available for rent throughout the area. The ski-in/ski-out Villages of Wisp sits atop the mountain. A two-bedroom townhouse rents for $815 per weekend and $1,635 per week during the winter season. A three-bedroom house on the lake rents for $520 per weekend and $1,195 per week. A lakefront, luxury, five-bedroom house is $1,210 per weekend and $2,100 per week. Among the area’s bed and breakfasts is the Carmel Cove Inn (www.carmelcoveinn.com), a former Carmelite monastery with fireplaces, Jacuzzis, billiards room and nightly bonfire. Rooms start at $175 per night.
Where to Eat
Wisp Resort has convenient dining options. DC’s Bar & Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Wispers Mountainside Bar serves pub fare and, for a bite between runs, The Pumphouse Café has quick sandwiches and panini. Restaurants in nearby McHenry include the Pine Lodge Steakhouse (www.pinelodgesteakhouse.com, 301-387-6500) and, for the kids, Smiley’s Funzone & Pizzeria (www.smileysfunzone.com, 301-387-0059) and its multiple attractions. Brenda’s Pizzeria (www.brendaspizzeria.com) serves some of the best (and largest) pizza in the area. WiFi is available at both Brenda’s and below the restaurant at Trader’s Coffee House (www.brendaspizzeria.com/coffeehouse).
Where to Buy, What to Expect to Spend
For convenient ski access, $900,000 will buy a new, slope-side, five-bedroom chalet within walking distance of Wisp’s chairlift or a four bedroom townhome with ski-in/ski-out access in Kendall Camp, near the future mountaintop village. Around $600,000 will fetch a four-bedroom log home at the base of the mountain next to Wisp Resort. A three-bedroom townhome across the street or in the Villages of Wisp will cost about $370,000.
Writer Gabriele McCormick lives in Frederick County.
