Shredding the slopes
Family-friendly ski resorts offer opportunities to relax and compete
Grind — For snowboarders, skiers and spectators, Snowflex offers convenience, but other resorts in Virginia ito visit are Bryce, Massanutten and Wintergreen. Photo credit: Courtney Russo
While Virginia may not offer snow all winter long, the state still offers options for students to ski, snowboard and enjoy winter weather on the slopes through ski resorts close to Lynchburg.
Bryce Resort in Jackson, Massanutten Resort in Rockingham County, and Wintergreen Resort in Wintergreen are all located in Virginia and offer skiing, snowboarding, and tubing options throughout the regular ski season going from late fall into late March and sometimes
early April.
“The location’s natural beauty has been preserved, and guests enjoy exceptional skiing and riding conditions in a family-friendly environment that is a great experience for everyone,” Vice President of Resort Operations for Wintergreen Resort Jay Roberts wrote on wintergreenresort.com.
From spectating to participating, skiers and snowboarders have the opportunity to hit the slopes while family and friends can stay and watch competitions or amateurs trying to sail down the snow-covered hills.
For weekends and holidays during ski season, Wintergreen Resort offers four-hour and eight-hour session lift tickets starting at $65 and Bryce Resort offers four-hour and eight-hour session lift tickets starting at $55. Massanutten Resort’s rate is $68 for eight-hour sessions on the weekends.
“Wintergreen caters to families looking for a relaxing getaway and also to the hardcore snowsports enthusiast,” Roberts wrote. “We attract families from all income brackets and have a good mix (of) couples, singles and students.”
For devoted boarders and skiers, each resort offers a number of Nation Standard Race (NASTAR) competitions this season. These competitions are designed for recreational skiers of all ages, genders, and ranges of ability to test their skills against the national NASTAR pacesetter, according to nastar.com. More than 95,000 NASTAR participants compete throughout the season to win platinum, gold, silver, and bronze medals in their age and gender groups.
Massanutten Resort, Wintergreen Resort and Bryce Resort are home to United States Ski Association and Southern Alpine Ski Association ski teams that compete each season.
Massanutten Resort will be hosting a Red Bull Rivals competition Saturday, Feb. 7, at the Massanutten Terrain Park. James Madison University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia snowboarding clubs will compete.
Another event to check out is The 2015 Winterfest end-of-the-year celebration, which will take place Saturday, March 14 at Bryce Resort. the event is a day-long party with refreshments, music, contests and skiing as the season comes to an end.
Additionally, Student Activities is hosting a trip to Wintergreen ski trip Feb. 5. Information regarding the trip can be found at liberty.edu/sa.
For more information regarding lodging and skiing packages, competitive skiing and other snow-related events, visit massresort.com, wintergreenresort.com or bryceresort.com.
HOWERTON is a feature reporter.