I just skied Snowshoe on Thur & Fri, Feb 28 & 29. Drove 10 1/2 hours from St. Louis area (400 miles closer than Colorado & 1500 vertical sounded better than 500 in midwest) I've been curious to try Snowshoe for years. I read all the reviews here about the area & was thinking it would be a so-so trip. I read complaints about rude & poor staff & poor food, etc. I found all the employees, from check-in to ski rental to waiters, and even the dreaded lift ops to be very friendly & helpful. One review even complains about sore calves all week because the lift ops let the chairs hit them in the legs. Well, for heavens sake, learn to sit early or put your hand down & catch the chair!! I'm used to skiing in the west, and Snowshoe can't stand up to the big resorts out there, but I think it is a solid area, and I enjoyed my time there. The runs on the back side (Cupp & Shays) offer up solid vertical, and even though they would be blue runs out west, they are very good cruisers to gobble up lots of vertical feet on. With the express chair & most people staying on the front side, I could get 12,000 vert before early lunch! Thursday, all day, there was snowmaking on several slopes, which gives you face shots of a negative kind, but I understand the need to get the most snow made whenever possible. The front side has some nice runs also even tho the vertical is about 1/2. I read complaints about narrow runs. I love narrow runs, they have much more character. There were only a few runs like that, & if you feel more comfortable on wider runs, there are plenty of those also. The crowds weren't bad, altho I can see nightmare crowds on busy weekends, and there aren't enough services to support huge crowds! The on mt dining spots are tiny & there is probably not enough dining in the village then either. One problem that I see is that the ownership need to back off of more lodging & add more services & runs on the mountain to spread out the crowds. If Lower Shays is too steep to hold snow, grade it down where it can. Add a couple more options on the back side with Cupp & Shays. There is room for several runs & a couple more lifts on the front side also. Quit building lodging, you're already maxed out in that dept. Build on your mountain, it has a lot of potential!! I ate dinner at Ember & Foxfire Grille and loved them both! Great food & service, and the price was reasonable. Over all, I enjoyed my trip, and even tho I don't take short trips like this very often, I would come here again. ONLY MIDWEEK tho!!

We arrived on Thursday February 21st in time to check in, build a fire, get unloaded and get some sleep so we could be on the slopes first thing Friday morning. Our departure schedule for Saturday the 23rd (2 days 2 nights).

The drive up wasn't bad, we did prepare by bringing chains since snow/ice was forecasted. HWY 219 is windy & full of curves, but no worse than here in the mountains of E. Tenn. We didn't need chains however I could see that could've easily changed.

Checked in at 10pm at Top of the World, the mountains was unbelievably foggy so it was a slow navigation around the village. Checkin was easy, got our keys, off to find the Shamrock Complex where we reserved a 2 bedroom "Bronze" class accommodations. Fully equipped with a woodburning fireplace, it was "rustic" to say the least. It was adequate, and although somewhere else this would be easily overpriced, but here I think it was reasonable. We had 2 bedrooms, 2 baths a well equipped kitchen which saved us hundreds in dining out costs, and the fireplace was really great. A dryer in the unit really made it even better, so well worth the price. Not to mention that it was quite, unlike in the "village" center, and we had a private trail to the slopes at the end of the parking lot... very fun.

I really enjoyed skiing Snowshoe, the trails were fun & reminded me of the new england area on some level. The snow was good, recently had 6" of fresh powder fall, the slopes are wide, high speed detachable quads make for more skiing than riding, which is always good.

Saturday was really crowded at Snowshoe & only so so at Silver Creek. We visited both areas both days, Silver Creek by Shuttle, and both were nice. I didn't ski any of the available diamonds while I was there but I did enjoy all the blues they had. The western territory is beyond my skill set at this point, so no report on that one.

I have long wondered why they use a DEER as their logo, but it was only hours into my visit when I realized why. There were deer everywhere. We passed a group on our way through the Shamrock trail, where they observed us and we waited silently for them to do something. It was really nice, and then they were at our back porch at the unit. Really nice.

I did NOT visit the village, I have no interest in any of that stuff. We brought our own groceries and if we weren't skiing, we were sleeping or eating in front of the fire.

In regards to the 7 springs comment, I take a trip to 7 springs every year for the last few years. I live in ohio, so it's close, and it's bigger than ohio resorts. I found snowshoe trying to find another ski resort that i liked so I could have options, and now it has become a yearly trip as well. While 7 springs is a little easier to maneuver around, the crowds are just as bad, and the last two years there hasn't been good conditions when I've gone. Since I have to book a trip way in advance I have no way to control the weather for that weekend, but Snowshoe has consistently had plenty of snow every time we get rain. The village is very nicely setup, there's a nice selection of "real" food, which you don't necessarily get at 7 springs unless you're willing to pay around $30.(can only eat pizza and nachos so many times, lol.) As far as overall skiing though, was not much more crowded than any other resort I've been to, lift lines were long at the boathouse lift, but all others were fine, snow was good.

great slope system!
we (family of 5) stayed slopeside in the village, a little loud, could have used a bit more snow, but we know that is out of their control.
many thanks to the snowmakers and groomers! great work on keeping the slopes in great shape

My family and I have been going to Snowshoe mtn for over 15 years and have always enjoyed the skiing and resturants. We are going again on Feb. 17 - 22 and are staying at Shamrock! We are hoping for lots of fresh snow or at least cooler temps so they can make some. We have stayed at RimFire Lodge, Expidition Station and Shamrock condos. Although staying in the village is some what more convienent, there is nothing like stayin at Shamrock! Shamrock is one of the last places on the mountain where you can come home after a day or night of skiing and sit by a nice warm roaring woodburning fire! I love sitting around the fire and talking about the days runs.

Our experience with the village properties is that you are paying several hundred dollars more for the location and service level; however both fell very short in my eyes. When paying for service and hospitatily, you expect it!!! If not, it shouldn't be a big deal when you don't get it! Last year Feb. 07 we stayed at Rim Fire Lodge and the lodge was unfriendly and UN-inviting. The outside looked great, but the elevator floor panel had been riped from the wall. The interior was not what I would have expected as it was very used and ratty looking. They really hipped up on the underground parking; however they failed to tell us there where only 20 spaces for a lodge that housed 100s. I reported the elevator problem to the concieire, but 4 days later when we were leaving it was still broken. I would never stay here again!! NEVER! Unless they promised to let me look the joint over first! :)

As for Shamrock, if you stay on the bottom side you can walk/ski down a small trail to the PowederMonkey trail system. If you are not a good skiier I would suggest you walk down the trail. Shamrock condos provides our family with a "home away from home" feel and I have never asked for something that wasn't promptly provided. And again, we love a real woodburning fire! The wood houses are located centrally for the property and you can walk or ride the shuttle to the various spots on the mountain.

I agree the lift operators could be a bit more attentive, but I have never had a problem if I asked for assistance. I don't mind asking for help and acknowledging to someone when then need to improve on their customer service skills! That is their job (temp or not) and they should act accordingly when dealing with paying customers. I am not sure how management could improve this when the pool from which the resort pulls their help/staff is somewhat backwoods or uneducated. Maybe more pay and benefits? Not sure, but again I have always been treated fairly and with respect.

As for the skiing, we have always gone in Feb toward the last week and have always had good skiing and sometimes fresh powder! Over all we love this place as it provides the best of everything for adults and kids! Again, if you don't like learning to ski with many others, Silver Creek offers a less crowded experience when learning to ski. And the tubing hill is awesome! We took our first hill ride 2 years ago and are looking forward to it again this year.

Over all, Snowshoe is a great east coast ski resort with lots to offer! We wouldn't go anywhere else and have tried all of them in the southern half.