Although the mountains are not quite as tall, the good news is that you have many fine ski resorts within the Eastern United States, offering fun for your family, and Virginia has a lot of them. The reality is, the Mid-Atlantic area has plenty of ski resorts, many of which are four season resorts that include fun activities all year-long. To better acquaint you as to what all is available, here is some information on a few of the top ski resorts located in Virginia.

Wintergreen Ski Resort – Wintergreen, Virginia
Probably Virginia’s most varied ski resort; its situated within 11,000 acres of pristine forest within the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is located within Central Virginia only 1 hour 30 minutes from Richmond, Va. and approximately three hours from Washington, D.C. and North Carolina. Rising to an elevation of 3,515 feet, Wintergreen offers 26 slopes and trails, of which 14 are lighted for night skiing. The longest run is 1.4 miles, which has a vertical drop of 1,003 feet. The ski terrain mix includes approximately 23% beginner slopes, 35% intermediate, and 42% advanced/expert runs. On top of the ski runs, the resort includes 2 terrain parks and 2 tubing parks, so whether its skiing, snowboarding, or snow tubing which you enjoy most, there is a little something for all.

Massanutten Ski Resort – Massanutten, Virginia
This ski resort can be found about 10 miles east of Harrisonburg, VA, within the northwestern region of Virginia, on the tip of Massanutten Mountain with an elevation of 2,880 feet. Serving guests from Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley and the Washington D.C. area, Massanutten offers 8 ski lifts and 14 trails, and all of these are lighted for night skiing. The ski terrain mix is approximately 30% beginner runs, 35% intermediate, and 35% advanced runs, having a vertical drop of 1,110 feet. The resort includes 2 terrain parks for skiers and snowboarders and they also host Virginia’s first snow tubing park, which opened in 1998 and contains a 900 foot long tubing hill. In addition, there’s an ice skating facility at Massanutten, which accommodates close to 132 skaters at one time.

The Homestead Ski Area – Hot Springs, Virginia
Virginia’s first skiing resort, The Homestead has operated since 1959 and is particularly famous for its wide slopes along with a great learning area. Its located off of Interstate 81 and Route 64, and merely several miles from the West Virginia border in the Allegheny Mountains. For skiers and snowboarders, the summit is 3200 feet having a vertical drop of 700 feet. The resort offers 9 trails or runs and the terrain mix is 33% beginner runs, 33% intermediate, and 34% advanced runs, with night skiing on Saturday nights. The resort has a terrain park to offer additional challenge and excitement to both skiers and snowboarders. Off the slopes there’s still ample winter fun with ice skating, snow tubing and snowmobile tours. After the fun day of activities, relax by the fire in the Mountain Lodge to warm-up and share some of the highlights of your day with loved ones.

Bryce Ski Resort – Basye, Virginia
This ski resort is very nice for first time skiers or snowboarders and wins high marks for being a family friendly ski resort. It is located in the heart of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, tucked on a low-lying ridge between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains towards the West Virginia border. Bryce will be the closest Virginia ski resort to Washington D.C. and it is just A couple of hours away. The summit is 1750 feet having a vertical drop of 500 feet. You’ll find 8 ski runs or trails and the longest run is 3500 feet. If you are a parent or loved one who wants to watch your kids ski, then the mountain layout is great. All slopes funnel down to one central area at the base, so it’s simple to spot your children while enjoying a mug of coffee. The terrain mix is roughly 34% beginner runs, 33% intermediate and 33% advanced runs. The bottom slopes do a good job of accommodating beginners, nonetheless the upper slopes still offer challenging terrain for intermediate or advanced skiers and snowboarders. Tubing is extremely popular at this resort and their Ridge Runner’s Tubing Park offers 800 foot long snow tubing lanes to deliver fun for the whole family.

Whether it’s a quick weekend trip to the mountains to ski or snowboard, or an extended ski vacation, your family is certain to enjoy yourself. There is nothing like enjoying good quality family time amongst beautiful mountain scenery, where you can either discover how to ski or snowboard the first time or continue to challenge yourself and hone your skill. After having a day on the slopes there is nothing like enjoying a good meal and relaxing with family around a roaring fire to share stories about the day and mention both the good runs and the wipe-outs.

Hopefully this information about several of the ski resorts in Virginia is useful and gives you a better appreciation for the area. Especially for those of you who are in the Eastern United States, definitely consider Virginia when planning your upcoming ski vacation. Most important, make sure to plan family getaways like these each year. Our children grow up so quickly, and before we know it they are gone and out on their own, so make sure and create these special times and memories that last a lifetime. Have a good time and stay safe!

Rich Herman loves traveling with his family, and regularly shares vacatio

Many ski resorts in the USA are near regional airports allowing you to fly close to where you’re staying and skiing.

Aspen & Snowmass ski resorts have the shortest transfer times. You can fly directly into Aspen Pitkin airport right in the mountains from many cities around the US, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston & Chicago. From there it’s a very short 10-15 minutes drive or airport transfer to Aspen town, where Aspen Mountain (Ajax) is located and where the famous town of Aspen with its many shops, bars, restaurants & nightlife hums with activity. Snowmass is also only about 15 mins transfer from Aspen airport. Snowmass is the largest of the 4 Aspen mountains and where most of the ski in, ski out lodging is. Often airport transfers from Aspen Pitkin are included with an accommodation booking, making it super easy to get to your ski lodge quickly & conveniently.

Eagle Vail airport is another example of a regional airport near several ski towns. Beaver Creek si the nearest about 25 mins from Eagle Vail and Vail itself is about 40 mins from there. Beaver Creek is a hidden treasure of a resort and because most day visitors come from Denver, many of them stop at Vail and don’t go on the extra 10-15 mins to get to Beaver Creek. If you fly into Eagle Vail, Beaver Creek is the first ski area you get to and with less people is one to try. Vail ski resort is of course famous for having the largest amount of terrain in Colorado with its incredible back bowls, especially fabulous on a powder day, plus its front side groomed runs for more intermediate skiers & snowboarders.

Now Jackson Hole airport is close to its namesake ski resort of Jackson Hole, just 30 mins away by car or shuttle airport transfer. Jackson Hole ski resort is located in Teton Village and is well-known for its expert runs including “Corbet’s Couloir”. However lesser known is the number of blue, intermediate runs it possesses and every lift (except the tram) has access to at least one blue run, to give you some peace-of-mind. Guests who fly into Jackson Hole airport can also access the nearby ski areas of Snow King and Grand Targhee.

Salt Lake City is an international airport with daily flights from Paris & Amsterdam as well as many US cities including Los Angeles & San Francisco, particularly helpful for our Australian clients. From Salt Lake it’s a super quick 35 mins transfer to Park City ski resort, now the largest in the USA. Since Park City & Canyons ski areas were connected by the Quicksilver gondola, this ski area now just called Park City Mountain is huge and offers endless skiing & snowboarding opportunities even for people who are staying for two weeks or more.

Also nearby is Deer Valley Resort, just 45 mins from Salt Lake City airport. This ski only resort is named the number one ski resort in North America by ski magazine year after year and has a plethora of luxury ski in, ski out lodging. The short transfer makes Park City & Deer Valley ski resorts convenient choices, especially with the Town of Park City less than 5 mins away for your to enjoy with its historic Main Street, shops, bars & restaurants.

Salt Lake City also allows access to other Utah ski resorts including Brighton, Alta, Snowbird & more.

Denver International airport is home to at least 2 direct flights from London, wonderful for UK skiers who want to experience the delights of the powder skiing in America. British Airways & Norweigan Air both currently offer direct flights during ski season, with United flights being added towards the end of March / April for Easter. With this direct flight, it’s then easy to hop straight on a shuttle up to one of the Colorado resorts. Breckenridge & Winter Park are approximately 2 hours drive away or sometimes less, depending on snow conditions. Alternatively Vail & Beaver Creek are just over an hour away. Aspen & Steamboat can also be accessed from Denver, but a bit further around 4 hours transfer, so the regional airports can be more convenient.

These are some of the main ski resorts in America close to an airport with short transfers, making your journey quick & easy. Make the travel time short, check into your accommodation, jump into your skis & be on the slopes in no time, happy skiing!

Helen Gienke, Chalets USA.