Wintergreen Resort Finally Gets the Ball Rolling

It has been a tumultuous start of the 2015- 2016 Ski and Snowboard season at Wintergreen Resort in Nelson County.

In fact, calling it the “2015-2016 season” is a bit misleading. The mountain did not even open until about a week into January, a far cry from the previous season, when it opened over Thanksgiving weekend. However, this year, with near record-breaking warm temperatures throughout the month of December, it appeared as if Wintergreen would never open for the denizens of central Virginia who enjoy seasonal winter sports.

PVCC student and Wintergreen season pass holder Jamal Scott expressed his frustration at the conditions thus far and his thankfulness for the blizzard central Virginia received.

“After spending $250 on a season pass in early December and not seeing any cold weather for pretty much the entire month, I was seriously regretting my decision. But it’s just been one of

those years. The snow we got last weekend was awesome, and I’m glad Wintergreen is up and running,” he said.

Wintergreen received over two feet and now is completely up and running. With a base of up to 80 inches in most places (Wintergreen uses an artificial snowmaking system called SnowPower, aside from natural snow), the resort has finally reached their goal. On Sunday, Jan. 24, Wintergreen saw its first “powder day” of the season, and was completely packed from sun up to sun down.

With a forecast of potential rain and warmer temperatures throughout the next two weeks, it is anyone’s guess how long the good conditions will last at Wintergreen.

For the casual skier or snowboarder, one or two weekends like the previous one are enough to satisfy their appetite for winter sports. However, for season pass holders and avid skiers and snowboarders, it is a daily ordeal to worry about how long the snow will stay on the mountain to be enjoyed.