At the end of December we hope to drive north, from South Florida, for a week or so on the road. A family of 4 looking for a couple of days of snow, to give the kids a chance to try skiing &/or snowboarding for the 1st time.
Can anyone suggest the right area to aim for that will, on average, likely have decent snow, but is not adding enormous hours on the road by being significantly further north / west than we need to go?
Skiing in the (South) East United States
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Vermont. Any place South may not have snow. Not even sure where the first ski area is heading north from FL. Would be West virginia at the earliest but doubtful that they have enough snow. Better off flying to the Northeast then heading to Vermont.
Bryce Ski Resort, Bayse, Va just west of Mt Jackson off I-81 and Massanutten Ski Resort just east of Harrisonburg, Va off I-81.
You have a good shot at having man-made snow on the slopes in the NC high country (Beech Mtn, Sugar Mtn) in late December. About 2 hours northwest of Charlotte. Check out http://www.skinorthcarolina.com/
December can be "iffy" for snow in the "(South) East" US. Even traditional ski places like Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine may not have much natural snow and if the temperatures haven't been below freezing for relatively long periods artificial snow might also be lacking. Your best bet is to monitor the weather and ski conditions for several different ski areas that are within your allotted driving (as you get closer to your planned trip) and pick the one that offers the best conditions at that time.
I don't think anyone can guarantee you'll find snow in the Eastern Corridor in December.
Hint - do some google searches using such topics as "Skiing in NAME OF STATE". That will produce links to websites for all the Ski Mountains/Lodges. You can choose a few that are within the allotted drive time from your home. You can then easily monitor the ski conditions and choose the best one when you are ready to travel. Since this will be the first time skiing for your family members it isn't too important which place you go as just about every "ski mountain' has facilities suitable for beginners and intermediate skiers.
Good luck with this. South Carolina and Georgia won't work. North Carolina will be highly unlikely to have actual snow, Virginia will be similar. The only places where you will have snow at that time of year worth skiing on is the mountain areas of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and the California/Nevada areas.
Well, it isn't true at all that there won't be "skiing" in the east. If the weather is cold in the mountains there will be plenty of man made snow. Natural snow probably not. Sustained freezing temperatures is what the ski areas pray for. Natural snow just complicates the skiers getting TO the ski areas!!
That's right, and remember, this trip is a chance for the kids to try skiing and snowboarding for the first time. They don't need super challenging runs or perfect conditions. It would be very surprising if NC ski resorts didn't have a decent base on the slopes by late Dec.
Paoli Peaks, Indiana, has man-made skiing. Try Googling it.
Ummmm Ski Indiana. Vertical drop, 100 feet!! Sorry, just couldn't help myself. And I KNOW Indiana!!
I'm not sure why West Virginia isn't on your list. I have been told that there are some years the ski resorts there have more snow than Colorado.
Bryce, 11 miles west of Mt Jackson exit 273 I-81, also has snow tubing.
www.bryceresort.com/winter-sports/skiing-snowboarding
I suggested it, and it is a good idea. Snowshoe is high,and oriented so the sun doesn't hit its slopes a lot.
"I'm not sure why West Virginia isn't on your list. I have been told that there are some years the ski resorts there have more snow than Colorado."
Right. Snowshoe and Canaan Valley area get huge amounts of snow. Last winter was a monster year with about 230 inches. But your best bet closest to FL would be Beech/Sugar Mtn around Banner Elk, NC. The town of Banner Elk itself is above 4000 ft, so the ski resorts are even higher than that.
Or the Cataloochee ski area near Maggie Valley in the Smokies.