Whitegrass Springs Forward

March has come in as predictable as she usually is. Wintry here and there, throw in some warm and we are all types of four seasons in one week. Good thing Tucker County knows how to “March” to a different beat. Few do this better than Whitegrass, with Chip Chase as the drum major.

That twisted, four season in one, type of weekend started Thursday, March 8th with a teaser winter storm warning. The magic of Canaan Valley lies somewhere between the weather and the people. By Friday 8:00am, the so called “winter warning” coughed up almost a foot of snow. Time to ski!

With 1,200 vertical feet of accessible terrain, Whitegrass Cross Country Ski Resort is the place to be. The energy level is palpable in the lodge, so the wait was brief before beginning the ascent to the Round Top shelter and beyond. Winter Finch are the first to greet our party and ready to put on a show. Granola bars and express-your-self chalkboards are found in 12 shelter along the 60 KM trail system.

Hours pass because life is better at 4,000 feet. Now the real fun begins on the decent from Weiss Knob, down the Breakfast Bowl, and finally the main slope. Charlie tears the main slope up in the above picture, good luck keeping up with her! Little fact: The main slope and surrounding tree glades are a 600 foot vertical descent to the Whitegrass Lodge. That’s is the same vert found at the Wisp ski resort, times two!

Saturday pulled a yin-yang. Outdoor enthusiasts coined the term “bluebird day” for those cloudless, sun tan lotion spackled days. This would be that twisted weekend from snow to sun, and forty degree temperature swings. The energy level was off the charts, days like this are what us cross country ski nuts live for.

Legs were shot from the previous day so cross country uphill skiing took a backseat. An early lunch from the Whitegrass Cafe and afternoon ski with Liz and her mom around the snowfarm seemed to be a good idea. Apparently we were not the only ones.

Eat, ski, relax, and repeat. The atmosphere at Whitegrass is casual. No outrageous pricing or chairlift lines will do that for a resort. This type of ski area experience is hard to come by these days. A virtually flat 5km snow farm is meticulously groomed by “Gravy Dave” every morning. Beginner and novice cross country skiers pepper the snowfarm, scurrying about, powered by vitamin D. The month of March is a magical one in Canaan Valley. Watch the weather, plan accordingly, and never rule out a spontaneous road trip to Tucker County and Whitegrass.

Cheers!

Brian