By Jim Kenney, DCSki Columnist

January 31, 2009 — I made a rare trip to Canaan Valley, WV over the weekend of January 24 and 25, 2009. It had been three years since my last visit. My wife and two teenage children accompanied me and we enjoyed two great days of skiing on a snowy Saturday and a bluebird Sunday. We used the Ski the Valley two-day pass to rack up quality slope time while sampling both nearby alpine resorts, bustling Timberline and venerable Canaan Valley.

There has been much progress in The Valley since my last visit, but the “almost heaven” lifestyle remains fully intact. Our base of operations for the weekend was a very nicely appointed two bedroom with loft condo arranged through Mountain Top Realty. We stayed at the Northwoods development located about 100 yards from the loading station of the Silver Queen triple chair at Timberline. Our unit was handsomely updated, spacious, and featured a location about as prime as it gets for snowriding visitors to the area.

Gladed terrain at Timberline. Photo provided by Jim Kenney.

My 18 year old son Vince was my constant ski partner on this trip. He and I missed first chair on Saturday at Timberline, but not by much. We made our initial ascent at 8:05 a.m. and were joined on the triple chair by a gung-ho Second Class Boy Scout from Urbana, MD. The little guy showed some promising bravado as he directed us to “follow me” for a warm-up run down Salamander, Timberline’s famed two mile beginner trail. I’d heard the longtime owner of Timberline, Dr. Frederick Reichle, really likes to cater to youth groups. Hmmm, in this sinking economy the Doc’s philosophy of bringing value skiing to the young through Scouting, church, and other budget minded groups is looking mighty clever and is the kind of approach that built this sport in the first place.

We soon left the scout with a buddy and hooked-up with a Valley institution, Bill “Smitty” Smith, executive director of the Tucker County Convention and Visitors Bureau. This guy carves his way down a black diamond run with the power and certainty of not just a great skier, but a teacher of great skiers (another of his many hats). Jessica Scowcroft, the Marketing and Public Relations Manager at Timberline, also joined us. She was a beautiful skier too. I’m always impressed when local ski management/officials are skilled snowriders because I know they’ll be advocating for the on-slope aspects many of us avid types care about most: snow conditions and terrain quality.

Recent cold and continued snow showers during Saturday elevated ski conditions at Timberline to peak midwinter form. T-Line, as it is known, seems to have amped-up it’s snowmaking capacity since my last visit. Bill and Jessica led us down a variety of well covered runs including easy Twister, intermediate Dew Drop, and black diamond Off The Wall. All the while, this enthusiastic pair peppered me with a wealth of local knowledge.

Around noon Vince and I took the short walk back to our condo for a hot family lunch. Then we were off on our own to continue the exploration of Timberline. Jessica had spoken of the strong interest in glade skiing at T-Line and we spent much of the afternoon testing every open run while peering into adjacent woods for ski lines. The tree skiing goods are there, but require patience, discretion, and help from Mother Nature. Marked tree runs like Glade Runner and Pearly Glades seem to be only the beginning of the possibilities ;-)

Saturday night we took advantage of more local knowledge and enjoyed a great seafood dinner at the Golden Anchor Restaurant on Route 32 about a mile south of the Canaan Valley Lodge. The owners of this classy restaurant and pub took a large, old barn and totally refurbished it. The interior features some beautifully refinished hickory timber bringing warmth and charm to the dining space. We started with a delicious appetizer of smoked trout dip and our entrees included scallops, red snapper, and blackened salmon. The seafood is flown-in fresh several times a week and wonderfully prepared in a dramatic setting with “almost heaven” mountain vistas.

Canaan Valley corduroy untouched at 10:30 a.m. on a mid-season Sunday. Photo provided by Jim Kenney.

Sunday was a sensational ski day; sunny, air temperatures in the teens, and serenely calm. Vince and I made the four mile drive over to Canaan Valley ski area to carve up fresh rolled morning corduroy. Canaan Valley ski area predates Timberline by about 15 years. It now represents the low key alternative with not quite so many black diamond trails, but with a classic layout that contains attractive natural undulation and openness. Since we already had our two-day Ski The Valley tickets we bypassed the main lodge and parked next to the beginner area for easy access to the trail network via an empty chair lift.

The crowds were very manageable at either resort all weekend, but traffic at Canaan Valley ski area was especially light. Because this is generally the case, it’s a great place for new skiers/snowboarders to test their wings. Let me tell you, however, that for intermediate-advanced skiers it can be a great mountain for high speed cruising on the likes of Gravity, Valley Vista, and Weiss Meadows slopes. There is also a narrow, old fashioned wooded trail called Spruce Run where old schoolers can “get their wedeln on.” The beginner area is fairly large, safely segregated from the main mountain, and served by a dedicated chair lift.

Beautiful Canaan Valley vistas. Photo provided by Jim Kenney.

Canaan Valley offers a well run snow tubing operation that was active on Sunday. We also saw folks trying airboarding on the adjacent beginner ski hill. I hadn’t seen it in action before and it looks more skill-driven than tubing. The airboard resembles an inflatable snow sled and can be steered to some extent by experienced operators.

My son and I made the ten minute drive back to our Northwoods condo for lunch. On the way we eyed Whitegrass Ski Touring Center sandwiched between the two alpine ski areas. The lure was strong in me to probe more deeply into this gorgeous, snow kissed high country. Many a back country skier spends a winter’s worth of weekends exploring the various 4,000-foot peaks in this part of West Virginia’s Cabin Mountain Range.

Pyramid-sized whales on The Drop at Timberline. Photo provided by Jim Kenney.

After lunch we spent our final few ski hours again schussing the lift-served terrain of Timberline. Vince conquered the pyramid size whales on The Drop. I had a measure of success on the small moguls below the lift shack at the top of Silver Streak trail. We used the singles line to keep our lift waits to a minute or two each afternoon at popular Timberline.

Timberline Terrain Park Action. Photo provided by Timberline Four Seasons Resort.

In the end we stumbled onto a cool little gladed area between Almost Heaven and Upper Dew Drop trails. Maybe it was a summer mountain bike path? Vince and I made three runs in there, each faster and more fun than the last. It was filled with chalky powder blown in from the live snowguns on nearby Dew Drop. After each of those tree runs we’d make a pass through the Lower Dew Drop Terrain Park where Vince would go for big air while I fumbled with my camera. Who’s got time to mess with pictures when there’s so much fun to be had Skiing the Valley!

• T-Line has a vertical drop of 1000’, CV’s is 850’.
• They both have approximately three dozen ski trails and night skiing.
• CV has the best green circle run - Timber Trail, with perfect low-intermediate pitch among a beautiful Red Spruce forest.
• T-Line has more challenging runs and glades, a bigger terrain park, and better talent on the mountain.
• CV has the best lift in the Valley, a fixed grip quad with a faster rope speed than either of the triples at T-Line.
• T-Line gets the edge for slopeside accommodations including the new Timberline Resort Hotel and Suites.
• CV has a really low crowd factor and offers snowtubing & airboarding.
• T-Line has better snowmaking, look for the big white whales.
• CV sells one-day lift tickets for about $5 less.
• Both had virtually all slopes open for my visit and are only about 4.5 road miles apart. Ski ‘em both!
• The folks at Mountain Top Realty will take good care of you wherever you decide to stay in the Valley.
• “Ski the Valley” pass is a two-day lift ticket allowing guests at either resort to ski both mountains when and how they want. The Value Season (opening through December 25, 2008 and March 9-22, 2009) weekday and weekend price for the Ski the Valley Pass is $53 and $60, respectively. During Prime Season, the cost is $65 during the week and $98 on the weekends. The Ski the Valley Pass may be purchased at either ski resort ticket window.