The Shenandoah Valley is a four-season travel destination, and the area's natural scenic beauty always makes each one a distinct experience. So it goes for the Winter season.
Like when we talk about "cabin fever" here in the Valley, it's about the Shenandoah Valley being home to the Cabin Capital of Virginia.
Not that it's a bad thing to be sitting close to a roaring fire in some peaceful Blue Ridge hideaway where you gaze at the fireplace and forget that the center of the Free World is just two hours to the east. The quietude of the cabin tends to put worldly things in perspective. Although the temptation may be to linger by the fire, in this scenic, snow-covered part of Virginia, the outdoors beckons.
The Shenandoah Valley ski slopes were already open this year when the December storm dumped about 20 inches of snow. Now the region rocks with Winter sports and outdoor fun. It's an ideal place to spend a Winter vacation; a great alternative to airport hassles. The variety of things to see and do here during the cold months can be pleasantly surprising.
There are a number of full-service resorts dotting the general region that offer skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing. Two are conveniently located along the Interstate 81 corridor: Bryce Resort is located southwest of the junction of I-81 and I-66, and Massanutten Resort is just off I-81, east of Harrisonburg, Va.
Both resorts offer lighted ski runs, ski trails, snowboarding and snow tubing and both feature scheduled winter sports activities, such as regional ski association competition. (click on video to hear Bryce Resort's Horst Locher talk about why Valley resorts are popular)
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Bryce Resort is a family resort where the 500-foot vertical drop makes their six ski slopes less intimidating for newbie skiers. There are also two beginner slopes, all of which makes Bryce an ideal location for beginners to start, according to Horst Locher, Director of Skiing. There are also ski instruction programs that are tailored for kids, including the "Future Star" program offered for children aged six to ten.
"And then from around ten years, if they're really hot shots, those kids, we call them 'Ankle-Biter Future Stars,' then we put them into a racing program," Locher explained. There is also collegiate-level ski competition at the resort.
A trip down the slopes at Bryce is a scenic treat because the resort faces toward the imposing North Mountain range, part of a wall of Alleghenies that form a natural border with West Virginia. At the bottom of the slopes are a ski lodge and restaurant, a cafeteria and ski shop.
"The beauty is, especially for the younger kids," says Locher, "the parents don't have to worry about their children because they can watch everything, all the ski slopes, looking out from the ski lodge, where we have the fireplace going. The parents see that there is a fireplace, and they go the window to look for their little children."
On up Valley, Massanutten Resort also bills itself as a family destination. "We have something for every person in the family, whether its a two-year-old or a grandmother," says Massanutten Director of Business Operations, Kenny Hess, "We have something that they can do inside. We have something they can do outside."
Hess is talking about a complete indoor water park where, at a constant 84 degrees, it is possible to go surfing on the FlowRider®, splash down some rapids, or ride a number of body and tube slides.
Back up on the outdoor slopes, there is also tubing of the snow kind available where special "people-mover" conveyors make it easy to get to the top with tube in hand. "Snow tubing is sledding without having to walk up the hill," Hess explained.
Massanutten Resort has 14 slopes and trails and offers an overall vertical drop of 1,110 feet. The chair lifts reach a maximum elevation of 2,850 feet. Hess says that about two thirds of Massanutten visitors come from outside the Shenandoah Valley, many of whom favor the resorts accessibility. "It's four lane, basically, from door to door," he said.
There are formal ski instruction programs at Massanutten as well, including a two-hour Pathway program that provides split sessions so that beginners can practice on their own what they've learned in the first part, and then go back and complete the second session later in the day. Massanutten also hosts competitive events, such as Southern Alpine Racing Association programs.
What makes a Winter vacation in the Shenandoah Valley so easy is the tremendous variety of travel options that makes it possible to plan anything from a day trip to an extended stay. Of course, many other Valley attractions are available at all times of the year: Dining, shopping, antiques, museums and an ongoing calendar of cultural activities.
VisitShenandoah.org is a good, general source of online Shenandoah Valley travel information. Massanutten Resort is online at MassResort.com. More information about visiting Bryce Resort at BryceResort.com. For a Shenandoah Valley Radio™ interview with Horst Locher and Kenny Hess, click here.
Massanutten Resort has 14 slopes and trails and offers an overall vertical drop of 1,110 feet. The chair lifts reach a maximum elevation of 2,850 feet. Hess says that about two thirds of Massanutten visitors come from outside the Shenandoah Valley, many of whom favor the resorts accessibility. "It's four lane, basically, from door to door," he said.