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Skiing is just the tip of the iceberg
By LYNN SELDON You don't have to head to the Northeast, the Rockies or Europe to enjoy winter sports this season. A wide variety of options beyond downhill skiing are available within driving distance at southern ski resorts. Winter sports in the Southeast once meant skiing and maybe some snowboarding, with a little bit of basic eating and sleeping between runs. Now, resorts "in the region are evolving from ski areas to winter recreation destinations," says Steve Showalter, president of the Southeast Ski Areas Association and mountain manager at Virginia's Massanutten Resort. Options include snowbikes, snowshoeing, tubing and other hybrids, plus the more familiar cross-country skiing and ice skating. That said, skiing and snowboarding are still big business at the region's resorts. Thanks to some snowfall and lots of snowmaking, southern skiing and snowboarding have developed into convenient and less costly alternatives to catching a plane for distant parts. Fast lifts, new runs, more rental and purchase possibilities and expansion of lessons have made winter in the South a bigger lure. Both snowboarding and tubing are attracting younger crowds in record numbers, as new boarding and tubing parks are being built or expanded at virtually every Blue Ridge resort. Among the enhancements and additions, state by state: VIRGINIAThis season, Wintergreen Resort has further expansion on and off the slopes. Highlights include a new tubing park, a new six-person lift said to be the only one of its kind in the region, winter golf, indoor tennis and the Outdoor Wilderness Leadership School (OWLS). To the north, Massanutten is following a record year with more snowmaking machinery and a $149 season pass for Monday-Friday and any night (holiday periods excluded). Nearby, Bryce Resort, always popular with snowboarders, is offering more snowmaking, new rental skis and 'boards. The resort had a successful season of skiing and 'boarding on grass: Try it next year when the snow melts. Expanded winter options at The Homestead include tubing, a "touring center" that promotes snowshoeing and cross-country skiing with guided tours, an afternoon learn-to-snowboard program, horse-drawn sleigh rides, snowmobile tours and winter hiking. WEST VIRGINIASnowshoe Mountain earned an "Editor's Pick" ranking in SKI magazine, after owner Intrawest spent a reported $100-million-plus in the past five years. Highlights include another new luxury lodge in the Village at Snowshoe, a new aqua center, a successful skiing program for challenged athletes, expanded snowmaking at Silver Creek and an upscale "getaway cabin" reached only by snowmobile, hiking or snowshoeing. Canaan Valley Resort State Park spent more than $4-million in expansion and improvements on a new ski-area base lodge (with more retail, rental and dining space), eight new rental cottages and activities such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, a year-round pool, tubing, an ice rink and children's programs. Nearby, Timberline offers a second terrain park and 10 miles of mapped and marked backcountry trails. In southern West Virginia, Winterplace has lots of news: another lift for the huge tubing park, more snowmaking capability, an expanded teaching area and new accommodations at sister resort, Glade Springs Inn (where there are lots of activities for non-skiers and skiers alike). MARYLANDWisp Four Seasons Resort, set amid the mountains of Garrett County and overlooking Deep Creek Lake, had more than $2-million worth of improvements for this winter, with a new tubing park, lift enhancements and a new run. NORTH CAROLINASki Beech, said to be the highest ski resort east of the Rockies, has been a popular choice since 1967. Nestled at the base of the slopes is an alpine village and popular 7,000-square-foot ice-skating rink. There's a snowsports learning center and, for this year, two new lifts and increased snowmaking capability. Sugar Mountain Resort is offering guided snowshoe tours until the end of the season, every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The smaller, family oriented resort Hawksnest is now a popular tubing park only. Wolf Laurel Ski Resort has expanded snowmaking machinery, a renovated lodge, a new intermediate slope and a renovated tubing run. TENNESSEEOber Gatlinburg draws families interested in downhill runs, skating and the views from an aerial tramway. GEORGIAJust two hours from Atlanta at the southern tip of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Sky Valley Resort offers the region's most southerly skiing. Highlights this winter include group "safari tours" by Land Rovers in the Blue Ridge Mountains, renovations of the lodge, restaurant and tavern, and enhanced snowmaking. FOR MORE INFORMATIONPhone numbers and Web sites for the resorts mentioned here: VIRGINIA: Bryce Resort: toll-free 1-800-821-1444; www.bryceresort.com The Homestead: toll-free 1-800-838-1766; www.thehomestead.com Massanutten: toll-free 1-800-207-6277; www.massresort.com Wintergreen Resort: toll-free 1-800-266-2444, www.wintergreenresort.com WEST VIRGINIA: Canaan Valley Resort & Conference Center: toll-free 1-800-622-4121; www.canaanresort.com Snowshoe Mountain: toll-free 1-877-441-4386; www.snowshoemtn.com Timberline Four Seasons Resort: toll-free 1-800-766-9464; www.timberlineresort.com Winterplace: toll-free 1-800-607-7669; www.winterplace.com NORTH CAROLINA: Hawksnest Golf and Ski Resort: toll-free 1-888-429-5763; www.hawksnest-resort.com Ski Beech: toll-free 1-800-438-2093; www.skibeech.com Sugar Mountain Ski Area: toll-free 1-800-784-2768; www.skisugar.com Wolf Laurel Ski Resort: toll-free 1-800-817-4111; www.skiwolflaurel.com TENNESSEE: Ober Gatlinburg: toll-free 1-800-251-9202, www.obergatlinburg.com GEORGIA: Sky Valley Resort: toll-free 1-800-437-2416; www.skyvalley.com -- Freelance writer Lynn Seldon lives in Richmond, Va.
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