That long, cold — what do we do together as a family? — winter break is fast approaching. If a two-day visit to New York or Washington with all of the trappings is cost-prohibitive this year, and the kids are bored with the local attractions they’ve seen countless times on school trips, this just might be the time to think about the slopes.
Three ski resorts are located just a few hours from the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area, and they are up, running and snow-packed.
“We would like our guests to know that we are a first-class, family-friendly ski area that is close to home, yet far from anything ordinary,” said Matt See, marketing coordinator at Whitetail Resort in Pennsylvania.
Here, a 900-foot vertical drop welcomes the adventurer, and 19 trails cater to all levels of expertise. All but one is illuminated for night skiing.
“We have plenty of [novice] trails. In fact we just opened a new one,” See said. “Thirty-two percent of our trails are easier terrain, and we have several programs for beginners.”
Wisp, the Western Maryland resort in Garrett County, offers one of the longest skiing seasons in the Mid-Atlantic region, usually running from before Thanksgiving well into late March.
Wisp Resort 296 Marsh Hill Road McHenry, Md. Tel: 1-301-387-4911www.wispresort.com 3 hours from Baltimore and D.C.
Liberty Mountain Resort 78 Country Club Trail Carroll Valley, Pa. Tel: 1-717-642-8282 www.skiliberty.com 1 1/2 hours from Baltimore and D.C.
A beautiful lodge with 170 rooms welcomes vacationers, and in addition to skiing, activities at Wisp include snow-tubing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing. A new mountain coaster, a cross between an alpine slide and a roller coaster on rails, is only the second of its kind on the East Coast.
“Tubing and mountain coasting are great activities for everyone because they don’t require any equipment or particular skills,” said Lori Epp, Wisp’s director of marketing.
Liberty Mountain Resort in Carroll Valley, Pa., boasts a vertical drop of 620 feet on the front side and 550 feet on the backside. Sixteen trails are broken down by difficulty — 35 percent of them for beginners, 40 percent for intermediates and 25 percent for experts. Depending on the weather, the season runs from December to mid-March. Three terrain parks spread over 10 acres cater to varying ability levels.
Fifteen lanes at Liberty are dedicated to snow tubing with one carpet utilized as a kiddie tubing area. A full service sports shop is open during the season.
Don’t stress if there is a member of your group who isn’t a snow bunny. Numerous activities in the area include hiking the Appalachian Trail and Catoctin Mountain State Park. For history buffs, nearby Gettysburg offers tours, sightseeing and museums.
The resort’s motto, “A great place to take a snow day,” seems to sum up and define winter relief and family togetherness.
