Snowshoe Mountain Resort Reviews

• Overall Rating 3
• Family Friendly 4
• Downhill Terrain 3
• Terrain Park
• Nightlife 4

Pros: Same Great Terrain

Cons: Unsafe, Inconsiderate Snow Making;

Recommended Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Recommended For: Single/Newlyweds, Families, Empty Nesters
Date Visited: Jan, 2009

3 out of 3 users found this review helpful.

Full review

I have a long relationship with Snowshoe, and we visit on the shoulder of nearly every holiday season. But our trip just after New Year's was disappointing this year. Fresh from a thaw, with intense cold, the resort needed to make the most of a snowmaking opportunity. But did they have to do it on key trails that were already well covered? There seemed nowhere to escape the guns, even as key slopes such as Widowmaker and Upper Shay's stood bare. We made a single run down our beloved Cupp's Run - the best hill south of New York, at least - and almost died. The snow was uneven, and visibility under guns honking on the steeps was downright dangerous. The hill is closed for 16 of every 24 hours. That seems enough time to lay down snow, when other, nearby slopes are naked - especially when the base on most of the hill was measured in yards. The grooming was also uneven and haphazard, adding to the danger of iced goggles. Moreover, nestled amid some of the most impoverished counties in the U.S., the resort nevertheless seemed to have sought out young, imported labor, presumably with H1B visas. I'll bet the local chamber and governments are pleased that all their economic development efforts have generated opportunities for young folks from Chile. The general impression I got at Snowshoe was that owner Intrawest is saving pennies wherever it can, cutting back on grooming and running a skeleton snowmaking crew that can't switch guns from one slope to another in the course of the day. They attitude seemed to be "build a huge whaleback" before moving on, leaving plenty to plow down on the hill in late March, when the real estate shoppers show up. I think it's great that Snowshoe is concerned about a long season, but it shouldn't come with such an impact on the comfort and safety of those who ski during prime time. I also think it's great to invite new folks to discover our country. I support the stated goals of H1B visas. But keeping wages low in a depressed area is not among them.