Timberline Mountain

Timberline Mountain is a ski mountain in West Virginia.

Description

Within the mid-Atlantic, it stands out for:

• Its size. With a vertical just short of 1,000 feet and its longest run around 1.8 miles, it's at the larger end of mid-Atlantic ski resorts.
• Its simple layout. Every run is accessible from the base-to-summit high-speed chairlift. With only 5 minutes to the top, it's easy to rack up laps (my record is 41 runs). It also makes it easy to ski with a mixed-experience group because everyone can ride the same lift up together and meet at the bottom of the lift. There is also a fixed-grip mid-mountain lift available right next to the high-speed lift.
• Weather and snowmaking. Timberline is located in Canaan Valley. Its higher base elevation leads to a decent amount of natural snow. Its current owners have also invested in extensive snowmaking upgrades. As a result, Timberline typically has the most terrain open in the area.
• Easy drive. From most directions, the roads to Timberline are not very mountainous. It can get snowy because of the high elevation, but you don't have to worry about sharp turns and steep cliffs.
• The town(s). While the mountain's address is in Davis, the town is about a 20-minute drive away. The town of Thomas is just a bit farther away. Both are cute, friendly towns with restaurants, shops and cafés.
• Reasonable prices. Skiing is never cheap, but Timberline doesn't feel like it's trying to take advantage of you. Food prices are higher than a restaurant would be, but not outrageous. There aren't that many options, but I'd rate the food they do have in the better half of ski mountain cafeteria food. Lift tickets are just under $100, but you can save a few dollars (applied to your RFID ski pass as a credit for future purchase) by arriving late, skiing mid-week, staying less than 4 hours, etc.
• Its independence. Timberline is only the second mountain owned by the Perfect family, after Perfect North in Indiana. It isn't on any coalition ski pass, so you will need to buy lift tickets, but the crowds have never seemed overwhelming. Weekends can have longer crowds, but with a high-speed 6-person lift servicing the entire mountain, it's still manageable.

Visiting

Lodging can be tricky because there are no large hotels nearby. Your main options are:

• If you're traveling with a group, there are a fair number of rental houses near the mountain.
• Small independent hotels, motels and inns. There is a 20-room hotel at the base of the mountain. In the town of Davis, the main options are Milo's Guesthouse (formerly Bright Morning Inn), The Billy Motel, and Alpine Lodge.
• Rooms and apartments for rent, mostly in Thomas.
• Canaan Valley Resort. This is the other ski resort in Canaan Valley, and they have a larger hotel.

External links

• Timberline Mountain
• Timberline Resort Profile on DCSki