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Massanutten Resort?

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brian1
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Posted: Sep 26, 2011 - 2:48 PM GMT

Does anyone have any Info in Massanutten Resort and Harrisonburg VA, how affordable the area is hows the skiing etc. Thinking of relocating mid south and still want to be close to some skiing. Any ifo would be great.
Thanks

tigerskier
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Posted: Sep 26, 2011 - 3:41 PM GMT

I had a few friends who went to UVA law who skied there occasionally. They grew up skiing the Northeast and said the snow was comparable to Pennsylvania and certainly nothing to write home about. That said, it's better than nothing.

newman
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Posted: Sep 26, 2011 - 8:55 PM GMT

Mass has 1100 vert. with great snowmaking. Fixed grip quads and 100 % lighting. Very crowded on weekends, like sold out crouds. Wintergreen is also in VA. It is 53 miles from Massanutten. A more challenge, and nicer views. Plus HS chairs. Snowshoe WV is 120 miles from Mass if you want the big mountain feel. Besides, its only a ten and a half hour drive to Killington.
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pagamony
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Posted: Sep 26, 2011 - 9:24 PM GMT

The nut is fairly affordable by ski area standards, but I would not base my relocation on it. I think the staff does well with with they have. The good thing is that there are several nearby ski areas and if you are thinking about Harrisonburg, for instance, then Canaan Valley and Snowshoe are not too far off either. There are several beautiful towns in that area and the overall weather is about perfect.

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brian1
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Posted: Sep 26, 2011 - 11:11 PM GMT

Quote:

The nut is fairly affordable by ski area standards, but I would not base my relocation on it. I think the staff does well with with they have. The good thing is that there are several nearby ski areas and if you are thinking about Harrisonburg, for instance, then Canaan Valley and Snowshoe are not too far off either. There are several beautiful towns in that area and the overall weather is about perfect.

Basically we are looking to move to a small city/larger town very close to skiing we need to go visit but we are trying to get others ideas of where to check out, I have skied Snowshoe and that was some years ago and it seemed really remote, again any input on towns etc would be great.

jimk
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Posted: Sep 27, 2011 - 12:32 AM GMT

Edited: Sep 27, 2011 - 12:32 AM GMT

Brian, I know a lot about Massanutten, have skied there about 30 or 40 times. What do you want to know? It has over 1000 feet of vertical within about 15 minutes from Harrisonburg, and gets a lot of students from JMU. That part of VA has fairly affordable real estate, nice four season climate, although not a lot of natural snow, only about 25" per year, but the ski area is well run and has good snowmaking system. Weekend tickets are in line with the other mid-atlantic ski areas. www.DCSki.com has a lot of info on Massanutten. see here: http://www.dcski.com/resorts/viewprofile.php?resort=massanutten

Good luck with relocation.

bousquet19
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Posted: Sep 27, 2011 - 2:50 AM GMT

Brian, I'd agree with what Pagamony, Newman, JimK and others have said about skiing at Massanutten and will add my two cents.

The 'Nut does a very good job with snowmaking. Getting access to the chair that serves the black diamond runs, though, requires battling the lines and stop-n-go pokiness of the novice quad that runs from the base lodge. (Those blacks would be blues in Vermont.) As a retiree, come midweek and avoid the weekend craziness. Nice parking and lodge. I prefer Wintergreen's terrain over Massanutten's but ski them both. I think Massanutten still offers a free pass once you hit the big 7-0.

I'm a New England transplant who's lived in, worked in, hiked from and skied from Winchester VA, an hour north of Harrisonburg, for almost 20 years. Although the mid-South can't compete with the NE's fall colors, the long, long spring here is tops. And you can ski here, but no way you'll find VT in VA ... unless you think VT stands for Virginia Tech, as people here in the Old Dominion State do.

Real estate costs in the Shenandoah Valley (Lexington VA north through Harrisonburg and Winchester to Harper's Ferry, WV) are definitely lower than places east across the Blue Ridge Mts such as Charlottesville or Fairfax, but all's relative. From a skier's viewpoint, the nice thing about living in Winchester is that Whitetail is just under an hour away, and Wgn, the 'Nut, Canaan Valley, Timberline, Blue Knob, Liberty, and Wisp are within 2-1/4 hours. Not the NEast, but not bad. If you like the arts, dining and the like, consider a university town such as Winchester (Shenandoah University), Harrisonburg (James Madison), Shepherdstown WV (Shepherd), Roanoke, or Charlottesville. The latter three are progressive islands in a conservative regional ocean, if that matters to you.

Best wishes in your search!

Woody

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