Winter sports enthusiasts range from children wobbling on ice skates to skiers flying down a black diamond slope as steep as a vertical jet climb.
Both those groups and everyone in between will find all the snow they need in the Shenandoah Valley. And there is no more popular place to seek your winter adrenaline rush than Massanutten Resort.
Resort staff are excited about the upcoming season. The slopes opened December 16th, and Sarah Elson, Director of Business Relations at Massanutten Resort was quick to mention special rates for that week. “Right now we are offering a 20% off Flash Deal for one bedroom condos with code ‘cheer16.’ It’s valid December 16th through the 23rd, with a minimum two-night stay.” (More winter vacation deals are listed here, or call 540.289.4952.)
Massanutten Resort, located near Harrisonburg, VA, is a scenic two-hour drive from northern Virginia. It gets between 20 and 30 inches of snow each season, supplemented by manmade snow when necessary. (And the 2017 Farmer’s Almanac calls for “above average precipitation” up and down the East Coast, especially in February.) Conditions can be checked anytime online.
Probably best known for skiing, with slopes termed “Easiest, More Difficult and Most Difficult,” the resort offers 14 trails in all. The longest—ParaDice—is 4,100 feet. But there is snowboarding, ice skating, and tubing as well, not to mention two ziplines (one just for kids.)
Snowboarding, often associated with fearless Millennials flirting with peril, can be enjoyed quite safely by any generation. Choose from Massanutten’s Easy Street Terrain Park for beginners, or the bumpier CMB Terrain Park for the more advanced.
The resort’s tubing hill offers up to 16 lanes, 900 feet long, with a vertical drop of 120 feet. Two conveyor lifts mean little or no waiting. Massanutten was recognized as “Best Snow Tubing” facility by Washingtonian magazine.
Ice skating takes place outside of Le Club Recreation Center. The rink is 4,250 square feet of slippery thrills, and can accommodate up 120 skaters at a time.
Professional instructors can teach you to ski, board, or ice skate and the resort even has a competition and development program for those wishing to push their skills in that direction.
Elson pointed out a number of new winter services and amenities, such as: nightly entertainment in the Ski Lodge, 300 sets of new equipment in the Rental Shop, a New Skier Drop-off area, a Pathway program for first-time skiers and boarders, various Winter Spa Specials, a New Year’s Eve party, plus a “Sugar Pepperment Scrub Massage.”
Once you are through schussing, boosting, and axel-jumping to your VO2 max, warm up and sample a wide selection of winter comfort food at the Base Camp Bar and Grill, featuring a new outdoor umbrella bar, on the lower level of the Ski Lodge.
Complete information about Massanutten Resort, plus online sales for tubing tickets, daily and seasonal ski passes, indoor waterpark tickets, lodging and more starts at Massanutten’s website.
Banner photo at top courtesy Massanutten Resort.