Winterplace Ski Resort is a

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...

located in

Ghent, West Virginia Ghent is a census-designated place in Raleigh County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, its population was 457. History The community's name commemorates the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812. In 1949, plans ...

on Raleigh County's Flat Top Mountain. The southernmost ski resort in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, Winterplace is a popular attraction due to its proximity to

Interstate 77 Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...

. It operates in conjunction with ''The Resort at Glade Springs'', a four season golf resort and spa.

History

The first ski resort on Flat Top Mountain was established on the north slope of Bald Knob in 1958. Named Bald Knob Ski Slopes, the resort was the second commercial ski location in West Virginia, following the predecessors of Canaan Valley Ski Resort. It was founded by future

West Virginia governor The governor of West Virginia is the head of government of West VirginiaWV Constitution article VII, § 5. and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's West Virginia National Guard, military forces.WV Constitution article VII, § 12. Th ...

Hulett C. Smith Hulett Carlson Smith (October 21, 1918 – January 15, 2012) was an American politician who served as the List of governors of West Virginia, 27th Governor of West Virginia from 1965 to 1969. Biography The son of West Virginia Member of Congress ...

and businessman John McKay, and designed by former Army officer Robert K. Potter. Operating with four tow ropes and a double chair, the resort's longest trail extended 2,800 feet. It was marketed as the southernmost ski resort in the

Eastern United States The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...

. The resort closed in 1961; the site is now known as Old Winterplace. The current ski resort, sometimes known as New Winterplace, was established fifteen years later on Huff Knob, southeast of the former resort site; the two resort sites are separated by I-77.

The mountain

Winterplace is nearly equidistant between

Beckley, West Virginia Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It was founded on April 4, 1838. This city is the home of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology or West Virginia University, Beckley Campus. ...

to the north on

and

Princeton, West Virginia Princeton, is a city in and the county seat of Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The city is coined the "Heart of Mercer County" or the "Jewel of the South" in past decades. The population was 6,432 at the 2010 census with approximat ...

to the south. The resort's southern location and proximity to the north-south I-77 corridor draws visitors from

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

as well as local skiers from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and

. The Southern West Virginia visitor's bureau promotes the resort as "the most accessible, affordable ski resort in the

Southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

". The resort's top elevation is with a vertical descent of . It has of skiable area, 28 trails, a terrain park, and nine lifts. The average snowfall for the resort is . A fifty million gallon reservoir lake enables supplementary

snowmaking Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun", also known as a "snow cannon". Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This allows ski resorts to improve the reliabilit ...

at a rate of 7,000 gallons of water per minute. The resort's 16-lane

snow tubing Tubing, also known as inner tubing, bumper tubing, towed tubing, or kite tubing, is a recreational activity where an individual rides on top of an inner tube, either on water, snow, or through the air. The tubes themselves are also known as "donu ...

facility is cited as the largest in West Virginia. The resort's ski trails extend up the northern slope of Huff Knob, in the curve of I-77. The terrain in front of the resort complex is devoted to beginner skiing; three chair lifts climb midway up the ridge, providing access to mixed easier and intermediate trails, plus the resort's

terrain park A terrain park or snow park is an outdoor recreation area containing terrain that allows skiers, snowboarders and snowbikers to perform tricks. Terrain parks have their roots in skateparks and many of the features are common to both. From their ...

and snow tubing facility. Another set of two parallel chairs extends from the resort's mid-mountain lodge to the summit, accessing expert and intermediate terrain. A run of 1.25 miles is available by skiing from the mountain summit to the main base, but multiple chairlift rides are required for return; other trails are a fraction of that length.

The Resort at Glade Springs

The Resort at Glade Springs
is located eight miles north of Winterplace in

Daniels, West Virginia Daniels is a census-designated place (CDP) in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,881 at the 2010 census. Geography Daniels is located at (37.739752, -81.124609). According to the United States Census Bureau, the ...

, near the intersection of I-77 and

Interstate 64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange w ...

. It operates a

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

and three

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

s The Cobb Course and the Stonehaven Course have been rated among the top five courses in West Virginia by ''Golfweek Magazine''; the Cobb Course, designed by George Cobb, was rated West Virginia's best golf course in 1995. Glade Springs is also the home course for the WVU Tech men's and women's golf teams.WVU Tech Athletics - Athletic Facilities
/ref> Glade Springs also offers

horseback riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

and

whitewater Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

on the New River.

References

External links

Winterplace Ski Resort official site

The Resort at Glade Springs

WVExp.com description of Flat Top Mountain

{{coord, 37, 35, 24, N, 81, 06, 54, W, display=title Ski areas and resorts in West Virginia Buildings and structures in Raleigh County, West Virginia Tourist attractions in Raleigh County, West Virginia 1958 establishments in West Virginia West Virginia Tech Golden Bears