Mid-Atlantic The Neverending Timberline, WV: Info, Weather, and Stoke

[MarkP]

We are looking at Tuesday for our first visit to T-line this year.

Day trip?
I was also thinking of a mid-week day trip -- hadn't setttled on the day yet...

I'm heading into WVa Monday and Tuesday. Looking to do SS and TL, will decide the order when I pull out in the morning.

I'll be wearing the same jacket, using a different pair of Nordicas.

 

[jimmy]

I’ll be around

 

[wgo]

Opensnow predicting around 4 inches of snow this weekend at timberline. Those 70 MPH gusts on Saturday, tho...

 

[Johnfmh]

Opensnow predicting around 4 inches of snow this weekend at timberline. Those 70 MPH gusts on Saturday, tho... View attachment 188526

Let’s hope but as we discussed earlier in the strand, Open Snow has not been very accurate with respect to Timberline Mountain. Weather Underground has been much closer to the mark. Be sure to change station and pick Timberline Mountain. Let’s hope they are wrong about 70 mile gusts—that would probably cause temporary lift closures for the 6.

BTW: Guns were blaring as I write this missive. It’s been a miracle that Timberline’s snowmaking system has managed to keep up with all the rain and warm spells. Hats off to Mountain Operations!

 

[wgo]

This one?

 

[RickH]

Actually, for those that use an IPhone use the apple weather app. If you enter Timberline Mountain WV it comes up. It's been pretty accurate. Not sure the source

 

[fishnski]

Reading yesterday's Wx blog at White grass I read where we are on track with the same Snowfall total of 22 inches so far as was the winter of 1948/49 where Canaan received it's least amount of snow ever of only 65 inches..modern times it's been more like 80 or so...not saying it will happen because Canaan vets know if/when it turns on it can pile up.....models are in agreement that after this weekends cold and snow event we thaw out until the 20th or soon after..looks to be a good shot of cold and long range models are showing cold into Feb but I don't trust any of them that far out.....what sucked was all that cold in Dec didn't yield much accumulation ....
....on a side note..if DC got 65..or modern time lean years with 80 or so inches of Snow .. the city would be shut down for weeks,!

 

[fishnski]

Opensnow predicting around 4 inches of snow this weekend at timberline. Those 70 MPH gusts on Saturday, tho... View attachment 188526

My money is on 5 to 6 by Sat afternoon....roll the dice!

 

[Cameron]

Actually, for those that use an IPhone use the apple weather app. If you enter Timberline Mountain WV it comes up. It's been pretty accurate. Not sure the source

They acquired Dark Sky which I found did a pretty good job with short to medium range forecasts. Now longer range forecast like 7-10 not so much.

 

[wgo]

3-6 inches by saturday morning per the the fearless forecast: https://whitegrass.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Fearless-Forecast-Jan-122023.txt

I am thinking that the cold and wind may serve to keep crowds down a little. Planning on heading out for the day Saturday so we will see. Sunday looks to be mid-30's bluebird - that will draw a crowd for sure.

 

[wgo]

Also thinking of taking the old-school rt 33 option from Charlottesville, to avoid the wind gusts that are sometimes present on corridor H when you cross the ridge with the windmills.

 

[scadgrad]

Also thinking of taking the old-school rt 33 option from Charlottesville, to avoid the wind gusts that are sometimes present on corridor H when you cross the ridge with the windmills.

Tried that route m'self back in Dec when we made our first trip over this season. Just a bit longer of a drive than heading up to Harrisonburg and going over, but it seemed a better route with almost no traffic and just an easier experience all the way around.

 

[dbostedo]

but it seemed a better route with almost no traffic

You've seen traffic on Corridor H? I never have. But I never drive it on Saturdays - maybe that's a big difference?

 

[wgo]

I have never seen traffic on corridor H. But the most white-knuckle experience I have ever had driving to TLM (including 15 years of using the rt 33 option) was the one time I encountered near zero visibility whiteout conditions on the 15 mile stretch of corridor H between the windmills and Davis

 

[RickH]

I have never seen traffic on corridor H. But the most white-knuckle experience I have ever had driving to TLM (including 15 years of using the rt 33 option) was the one time I encountered near zero visibility whiteout conditions on the 15 mile stretch of corridor H between the windmills and Davis

Spot on WGO, once you climb to Mount Storm you have that 17 mile stretch into Davis. The wind howls, pushes your car sideways and can be whiteout conditions. That is the worst part of the drive, and I've never seen traffic on 48. Now I'm from Northern Virginia, so what I think is traffic and what others think is traffic might be a lot different.

 

[dbostedo]

I have never seen traffic on corridor H. But the most white-knuckle experience I have ever had driving to TLM (including 15 years of using the rt 33 option) was the one time I encountered near zero visibility whiteout conditions on the 15 mile stretch of corridor H between the windmills and Davis

That's interesting, because I've had a bit of whiteout on Corridor H, and thought "it's a good thing I'm not on the little side roads" with their drops off and switch backs.

The most white knuckle drive I've had was driving up to Canaan at night in my old VW Jetta in whiteout conditions in probably 1999 I think. They got 10 inches of snow that evening/night that we drove through. I guess this would have been on rt 50? I remember waiting for someone to come down the switchbacks before I went up, because I didn't think we'd be able to avoid each other. And I remember just stopping several times to wait for the wind to die down a bit so I could see where the road went and didn't drive off an embankment or into a ditch. Took us a lot of extra time to get there, but we made it.

The next day was fun skiing, but I had no idea what to do with anything ungroomed.

 

[fishnski]

That's interesting, because I've had a bit of whiteout on Corridor H, and thought "it's a good thing I'm not on the little side roads" with their drops off and switch backs.

The most white knuckle drive I've had was driving up to Canaan at night in my old VW Jetta in whiteout conditions in probably 1999 I think. They got 10 inches of snow that evening/night that we drove through. I guess this would have been on rt 50? I remember waiting for someone to come down the switchbacks before I went up, because I didn't think we'd be able to avoid each other. And I remember just stopping several times to wait for the wind to die down a bit so I could see where the road went and didn't drive off an embankment or into a ditch. Took us a lot of extra time to get there, but we made it.

The next day was fun skiing, but I had no idea what to do with anything ungroomed.

I used to leave DC with whatever friends I could round up late Friday nights to head up to Davis to stay with friends there..
..We only had the twisty windy and narrow old 50 route to travel on and yeh..we experienced the Mount Storm Shock many times...Twisting up Scherr Mountain we would call it back then we would start to see the the first flurries 3/4 the way to the top and then whiteout....watch out for that Deer!!!!....been there done that!!!

......This storm setup is favoring the Southern Alpps this time and good for them...

..WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST SATURDAY
ABOVE 3500 FEET...

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST
SATURDAY BELOW 3500 FEET...

* WHAT...For the Winter Storm Warning, heavy snow expected. Total
snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches, with isolated areas across
the Smokies near the Tennessee border receiving 16-20 inches.
Winds gusting as high as 45 mph.

 

[wgo]

* WHAT...For the Winter Storm Warning, heavy snow expected. Total
snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches, with isolated areas across
the Smokies near the Tennessee border receiving 16-20 inches.
Winds gusting as high as 45 mph.

Roadtrip to Ober....jk, I will be at TLM on Saturday regardless of how much (or little) they get.

 

[pipestem]

personal ditto on the Storm mtn route - very gnarly experience! I guess it’s called Storm mountain for a reason. 33 is twisty but only been only an issue on the two passes.

otherwise our season is passing let’s hope this storm is a pattern or else !

 

[wgo]

Really nice conditions today. The couple of inches of new snow mixed with snowmaking made for a fun surface. There were a few spots along the sides where the snow was deeper. WL skiers right, near the old silver streak, had a heavy ungroomed surface that I thought skied well. OTW was groomed but still pretty fun - still hope to see some nice moguls there this season!