As we come up to ski and snowboarding season, we ask ourselves where we might go skiing on a Friday? Or over the weekend? Most of us just go to the closest resort, Wintergreen, but a minority go to other resorts in the area. Some of the resorts in Virginia and surrounding areas are: Wintergreen, Snowshoe, Whitegrass, Homestead, Massanutten, and Bryce Resort. Found throughout the area, each of these resorts has varying specialties like beginner skiing, trick skiing, and cross-country skiing. However, after asking CHS students and looking through their websites, maybe taking a visit to one of these resorts might be your new thing.

Wintergreen, a classic, has everything you would need if you are a beginner or intermediate skier. They have lessons, green slopes, blue slopes, black slopes, and double black slopes. Along with the slopes, Wintergreen has a plethora of commodities like golf, lodging, zip-lining, tubing, ice skating, biking, shooting, hiking, horseback, fishing, pools, a spa, an arcade, and even snowmobiles available to rent. “I go to Wintergreen because I’ve been snowboarding for a long time and it’s something fun that I can do on a weekend. I like getting out of town and it’s especially nice because Wintergreen is only 45 minutes away. It’s a good way to spend time with my family and friends when there isn’t much to do in town” said one CHS student. Wintergreen has many packages for pricing as well. A day pass is normally $99, a season pass is around $699, and rentals cost about $44. This is relatively cheap, however, there are other resorts in the area that have even cheaper prices.

The Homestead Resort, which is a four-season hotel, is located in Hot Springs, VA. It’s mainly known for downhill beginner skiing, which is great for families. It’s not that great for intermediate or expert skiers, however, it has a great spread of slopes. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, Homestead has golf, a spa, lodging, tubing, biking, shooting, ziplines, horseback, an ice rink, a waterpark, a gym as a four-season resort. Because the resort doesn’t have a large plethora of slopes and skiing, the prices are much lower. It’s $69 for a day pass, $199 for a season pass, and $109 for rentals. However, none of these costs are present when staying at the resort as a guest in the hotel.

Bryce Resort, also in Virginia based in Basye, is a smaller resort that most CHS students haven’t heard of. Because it’s known for being very family-oriented and best for beginners, not many people come to this resort. However, there are various slopes that are great for everyone, especially for getting back in shape for harder slopes. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, they have tubing, lodging, lessons, golf, biking, ice skating, and various lake activities in the summer. The prices for Bryce Resort, however, are not as optimal as other resorts in Virginia or West Virginia. A day pass is $70, a season pass for $350, and rentals for $56. The majority of the people that travel to Bryce Resort are families that live in Charlottesville in hopes of going skiing for the weekend. Will you be its next visitor?

Snowshoe, a little farther away in Village, WV, is a much larger resort than the majority of resorts in Virginia. With some of the best slopes in the South East Appalachian Mountains, Snowshoe is a perfect inverted mountain with fresh snow and downhill snowboarding and skiing. Because the resort is so nice, the prices are jacked up, no matter if you are a guest at the hotel or not. A day pass is $128, a season pass is $699, and rentals go up for $55. “I go because I love to ski, I’ve got a lot of old friends up there and there are loads of parties,” said an 11th grader. Students at CHS love Snowshoe, however, once you go, you get addicted. Snowshoe has a lot more than just skiing and snowboarding, as the four-season resort also has lessons, lodging, snowmobiling, offroad RZR tours, sleigh rides, pools, a spa, tubing, a terrain park, hiking, biking, lake activities, golf, horseback, segway tours, climbing, backcountry, and disc golf. 

Massanutten, a ski and snowboarding resort in Massanutten, VA, is a little bit larger than Wintergreen, but about has the same levels and slope terrains. The resort is mainly known for its trick skiing, but also has plenty of downhill slopes and beginner slopes. They also have a spa, lodging, a waterpark, tubing, an escape room, an ice rink, a gym, a salon, craft workshops, and golf. Again, because of all these commodities for customers of the resort, the day pass is $86, a season pass is $586, and rentals can range but also are around $51. Not too bad, however, according to various student sources at CHS, the prices are not worth it.

Lastly, Whitegrass is a cross-country resort in Tucker County, WV. Whitegrass is a small cross-country skiing resort that showcases a beautiful mountain and a small and tight-knit community. “I go to White Grass because it just has great cross country skiing. And I love it because they make such good food and the customer service is great. It’s a really neat place and sometimes they have bands play there which makes it such a nice environment. The skiing map is nice, it’s a good mountain. They have good trails, a beautiful view at the top which also has these beautiful birds that you can pet, even though they are wild, which is very fun,” stated a 10th grade CHS student. Whitegrass is solely skiing, which isn’t seen a lot in Today’s day. They have backcountry, lodging, lessons, hiking, biking, and kayaking. They also have a famous restaurant that students here at CHS love. The best thing about Whitegrass, though, is the prices. A day pass is $25, a season pass is $160, and rentals are $25.

Ski resorts in Charlottesville are a staple for the season. Some resorts are the usual ones you may go-to for a day or two, but there are a large bunch that most people don’t even know about. I encourage you to visit one of them on your next ski trip because they all have their specialties regarding winter sports.