ZARDOGS MASnoFAQ
Mid
Atlantic Snow Resort FAQ
By the
time it takes to pack, get to the Airport, Security, and the
Runway,
You
could be skiing or boarding.!
General Considerations:
Washington Baltimore
Metro Area 4th Largest 8 Million People (4%
ski/board = 32,000 people)
Resource Reference and links
for discounts are
located at the end of this document.
ON THE WAY THERE:
Most towns are small on the way. Gas Stations
are located 7 to 10 miles apart.
Small towns police the speed limit and the fines
are doubled they are there 24 / 7.
Nice Scenery. Highways and Improved Secondary
roads are well maintained.
CROWDS:
1. Holiday Weekends are more crowded. Go early
in the am, or travel further from the large cities. We live in an area of 8
million plus people. This area includes: Washington Baltimore Frederick,
Northern VA, South Central PA, and some MD eastern shore.
2. Nights and weekdays are less crowded, same
for Sunday.
3. Food consumption tends to occur during the
noon hour. Take a nutrition bar and water. Play outside while others are in
eating. When the 1 pm times rolls around the main lifts will be crowded.
4. For a no crowd and pristine pick – go early
on a weekday that is not a school day off.
TRAILS:
1. You can always find a good trail. Try all of
the runs in order to find the sweet one.
2. People ski/ride like they drive. The left and
center of a trail will usually have the most traffic and less than ideal
conditions. Try the right hand side.
3. Conditions are dictated by temps, humidity,
grooming, and traffic.
4. Natural snow if left on its own will form
irregular bumps.
DO NOT BLOCK TRAILS:
Examples: Sitting across a trail with multiple
people, (suggest sitting one behind another, near the side of a trail).
Sitting below a crest, knoll, or drop off is not
a good idea.
RIGHT OF WAY:
Skier or Boarder in front of you always has the
right of way. Boarders have a natural blind spot when turning depending on their
stance.
Announce when overtaking, on your right / or /
left depending. Make eye contact if possible, watch their rhythm, they may not
be so consistent. If in doubt hit the brakes, take a breath.
ICE:
What about ICE. How do I tackle ICE.?
What is ICE? Ice differs from hard-packed snow.
The more traffic on a trail the more ice will form. The areas after the moguls
usually have ice forming where the snowboarders land. Icing will be more in the
middle and to the left of a trail. Stay to the right.
You can tackle ice. Look at ice skaters. An Ice
Skate is still 2 metal edges. Look at what they can do. The big key is dynamic
balance. Your edges on both skis and snowboards need good tuned edges. Another
thing is edge pressure. When I hit ice the natural instinct is to press down
more to get a bite, but if you test this you can see the angle will be less not
more. You need more angle to hold. Try to maintain a straighter course through
the ice. Going perpendicular will not help at all.
MEDICAL
What If I have a problem at the resort?
If it is first aid / injury related, go to the
Ski Patrol for assistance. If you see someone down ask if they need help. Any
person who works at the lifts or ski patrol can call on a radio for help. Be
helpful, smile, give someone a hand.
LEARNING
Why take lessons? Why do drills?
If I handed you a baseball and asked you to
throw a curve ball in a strike zone, could you do that without lessons and
drills? Most likely not!! Lessons teach you the correct way to ski or board. The
drills learned can be done the first few runs you make each time you go out. Did
you know most people on the slope have bad habits? If you signed up for lessons
take them!!! If not, take a class lesson once a year. Look at the ski / board
levels and determine what skills you lack. Then check out the instruction area
of the web page to find how to do drills.
TOO COLD
Its cold out, how can I stay warm.
Once you get wet, you will get cold. Take a
break go inside and warm up. Use poly based fabrics that wick away the water. If
you are a heat demon like me it will help to have vented jackets and pants. Hand
and foot warmers are a good idea and they can go into jacket pockets for
warmth. Put large hand warmers near you body core to keep you the warmest.
Helmets keep you warm.
PAD and HEAD
“WHAT you can’t see can help your head and
rear.”
Snowboarders, I recommend wrist guards and
kneepads in the beginning. If you are a jumper/ get air I recommend a helmet and
back pad. Helmets work. I have been saved from concussions. This does not mean
you can hit a solid object full out and expect the helmet to save you. They are
rated to 15 MPH.
SNOWFALL - Man Made Vs Natural
PA - Liberty, Whitetail, Roundtop avg 30 inches
snowfall. Must rely on snowmaking. BEST in Area.
PA - Blue Knob - 100 inches, snowmaking is not
the greatest. More plans coming to add infrastructure for snowmaking.
MD Wisp - 160 inches, very good snowmaking. WV
Timberline , Canaan 160 inches, ok snowmaking.
Snow is only one part of the equation. Grooming
equipment and operators make a difference. The newer snowmaking equipment
develops better crystals than year's back. Some of the latest equipment is quiet
and less obtrusive of vision. All resorts continue to upgrade their snowmaking
ability. All resorts have new grooming machines, this adds to the quality of the
trail. Computerized snowmaking is making a difference in coverage and quality.
This stuff is good enough for the Winter Olympics.
What to expect in VERTICAL & LENGTH from 1 to 4
hrs away
Vertical – 1st Ridge : Blue Ridge Mtn
Liberty Roundtop 600 ft vert, Bryce 500 ft Length – 1 mile or less
2nd Ridge: Whitetail 930 ft vert :
Length 1 mile or less
3rd Ridge: Blue Knob 1072 ft vert
Length up to 2 miles.
4th Ridge: Wisp, Timberline, Canaan
900 ft or less 1.5 mile length
5 to 6 hrs away Vertical is 1,500 feet at
Snowshoe WV or Windham in Catskills NY.
And longer trails to 2 miles in length.
CONDITIONS
Look at the resort Webcams. Look at there
weather / slope stat sheet.
Check skidome.org for weekly pick and snow
conditions rank
Check other forums and blogs
Rate it your self. Link to my guide
www.skidome.org/skirate
DISCOUNTS:
All resorts have discounts for groups.
Most resorts have discount plans. Some have
multi day discounts
Real discounts start at 4 (four) visits for
break even
4th and 5th Grade PA
programs
Some free days, late night
Learning packages
Children 5 and under free lift ticket with
paying adult
Specific Resort Considerations for Liberty Roundtop and Whitetail
1) Holiday Weekends are more crowded.
Roundtop is least crowded
ALL have 4 or 8 hour flex ticket so
you pay for time. This helps keep everything flowing.
2) When are Lift Lines shortest?
In general Holiday 3 day weekends are the worst
(MLK, Presidents) Day at Whitetail and Liberty. The weekend late night skis,
draws a large crowd. At Liberty the back side is faster. There are bathrooms
open on the back side at the South Pole. They have food there but not sure on
the times. But the idea once you are on the back stay there. Weekday nights are
usually not bad. Avoid doing lunch from 11:30 to 2:00 less people on the slope.
At Liberty stay on the back, Roundtop far left lifts, Whitetail get to the black
diamond runs during lunch time. On weekends early is a big plus. The kids are
still sleeping. It gets more crowded in the afternoon.
3) Which resort is better?
Each place has its own pluses and minuses
depending on a skier or boarder and whether you like to cruise or jump / halfpipe
etc.
Roundtop - less crowded, good snowmaking,
racing, halfpipe is usually open: Tubing. Beer/Wine license.
Liberty - backside separates the green runs,
good snowmaking, great set of medium trails. park, closest. Now a
new quad on front to replace the oldest lifts. Liquor license: Tubing.
Whitetail- Snowboard park, snowmaking big
improvements last 4 years, wider trails, two new trails, dedicated double lift
for park , highest vertical 930+ feet . tubing, No liquor license.
4) How long is the drive to Liberty, Whitetail,
and Roundtop.
From Owings Mills, MD: Liberty: 1 Hour Roundtop:
1 hr 15 mins
Whitetail: 1 hr 30 mins
From Washington DC (National Cathedral):
Liberty: 1 Hour 20 mins
5) WIND avoidance –
Liberty get on backside, wind tends to
come up the front side.
Roundtop, move over to the left looking
up at the mountain
Whitetail go to the far side Bold
Decision, Exhibition
6) Rental fleet.
All three resorts have state of the art skis,
snowboards, boots, binding.
Turn over every three years on the equipment.
7)
Combined Stats
- 325 acres
- 52 Trails
- 100% Snowmaking
- 100% Lighted
- Vertical up to 930 feet
- Racing, Jams, Parks, Tubing, live music,
themes
8) WI-FI Available in lodge
9) Group LESSON TIMES (always check ahead) - One
on one call for appointment
Lessons are class
lessons, based on your skill level.
Liberty – Lesson Times
+8 year old and up
Children Learning Center
Ski Packages are available for
children ages 4-10.
Snowboard Packages are available for children ages 6-10
Daily lesson times are: 10am, Noon,
2pm, 4:30pm,
Evening 5:45pm,
7pm.
Roundtop
Children 3+ Private or Ski with me
lesson
Children 4+
class lessons
Every Day: 10:00
am, Noon, 2:00 pm, 4:30 pm,
Evening
5:45 pm and
7:00 pm.
Whitetail
Children 4 to
7 and 8+ class lessons
Midweek/Non Peak -
10 am, (12pm peak), 2 pm, 3:30 pm,
Evening:
5:30 pm,
7:30 pm
RESOURCE REFERENCE:
www.skidome.org
www.dcski.com
www.skipa.com
www.skiwv.com
Coupons & Discounts
PA 4th/5th Grade Program -
PA $10 Learn 2 ski day (snowboard too) -
http://www.skipa.com/learn2skiday.htm
30$ learn package program -
PA 5$ off coupon –
Give your local resort a call if you have
questions.
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