ASPEN EAST

West Virginia’s Snowshoe Mountain Resort
Robb Report, January 2000
Copyright 2000 Dale Leatherman

    On a high mountain in one of the East’s last unspoiled wilderness areas, a transformation is taking place. West Virginia’s 25-year-old Snowshoe Mountain Resort is evolving into something unique this side of the Rockies -- a country-cosmopolitan cross between a no-frills Appalachian ski resort and a European alpine village. Mellow with a trendy edge, it is blessed with everything an upscale visitor could want in a ski destination.

    Snowshoe is experiencing what can happen when a resort in the middle of nowhere is bought by a corporation willing to spend more than $100 million on new or upgraded facilities. The "why?" has an easy answer: Snowshoe’s "nowhere" is within a day’s drive of half of the country’s population, including metropolitan areas such as Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, Philadelphia and Richmond. For a decade it has also been the destination of choice for skiers as far south as Miami. The 11,000-acre resort borders a million acres of national forest, so its "wild and wonderful" West Virginia setting is not likely to be disturbed.

Formula for Success

    Snowshoe’s owner since 1997 has been the Intrawest Corporation, North America’s leading resort developer and operator. Since its phenomenal success with the rebuilding of British Columbia’s Whistler/Blackcomb in the 1980s, Intrawest’s formula has worked wonders at resorts such as Mont Tremblant, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Stratton, Panorama, and Solitude. Now it’s Snowshoe’s turn.

    The formula? Improved lifts, terrain, snowmaking and grooming are married to a village concept – a pedestrian-oriented resort center with condos, shops, restaurants, bars and entertainment centers. In this idyllic setting, activities are offered to fill every hour day or night.

Natural Attributes

Intrawest acquired a diamond in the rough, a popular resort with two ski areas – Snowshoe proper on the mountaintop and, a mile down the access road, Silver Creek, a small resort acquired by Snowshoe several years ago. The two areas offer skiers an infinite variety of glades, bowls, rim runs, chutes, mogul fields and wide, gentle cruising trails overlooking mountain ridges and valleys. Lodging at Silver Creek is in a high-rise complex of condos, restaurants and other services. On the mountaintop, lodging ranges from motel-style rooms to luxury condos.

Unlike other ski areas in the Mid-Atlantic region. . .