Planning to go skiing in February (3 couples in their late 20s), and was looking for suggestions within a 4-hour drive of Washington, DC.

None of us are very experienced skiers, and 2 of us have never skied before. Would like something that isn't too horribly crowded on the weekends (difficult, I know), good atmosphere (choice of bars, etc.), and nice accommodation. Price isn't really an issue.

Any ideas?

Try Wintergreen. There is lots of other stuff to do if you get tired of skiing.
Their website is www.wintergreenresort.com

Wisp, Maryland is a nice area. They get quite a few people from DC especially on long weekends.

Hi Annie-Don't know how far it is from DC, but Snowshoe, WV. is a great place with great nightlife and nice accomodations. Snowshoe is an inverted mountain, you ski down to get the lifts and the accomodations are at the top of the hill.

check out Nemacolin Woods, not far from Pittsburgh or from DC -- www.nemacolin.com. Many options in addition to skiing.

Bryce Mt. we went last year and drove to and from Alexandria VA. It was 2 hours, I think. It was great for beginners. The prices were reasonable and the slopes were manageble. Kinda like Sugar or Beach Mt in NC. It was my kids first time seeing snow and skiing and they had a blast...we had a nice time, especially knowing that we weren't paying the erewest prices...If you can't find it let us know and I'll check my stuff for more info. There was a great, but expensive, restaurant in a house right at the entrance to the mountain. Good food, great atmosphere.

I've skiied everywhere in the mid-Atlantic. February is a good bet for decent snow conditions. If nightlife is really important to you, go somewhere in the Poconos. Otherwise, Snowshoe WV and 7Springs PA are good bets; both of those can get crowded on weekends. My personal favorite for terrain, conditions, and price is Canaan Valley, WV on a Sunday, but there's not much around that area except another ski area (Timberline).

Thanks for all of the advice.

Question: nightlife isn't a big deal, as long as we have somewhere to go and swill beers. Can Snowshoe provide that?

Annie-There are a couple of good bars at Snowshoe.

Here's their url:
http://www.snowshoemtn.com/