{"id":29880,"date":"2022-03-14T21:26:30","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T01:26:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yurasko.net\/wfy\/?p=29880"},"modified":"2022-03-14T21:26:30","modified_gmt":"2022-03-15T01:26:30","slug":"skiing-march-13-2022-massanutten-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yurasko.net\/wfy\/2022\/03\/skiing-march-13-2022-massanutten-recap\/","title":{"rendered":"Skiing: March 13, 2022 Massanutten recap"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

McGAHEYSVILLE, Va. \u2014<\/strong> A late season winter storm prompted a fairly spontaneous trip to Central Virginia’s Massanutten Resort. Don’t hate winter, use it!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I left Alexandria before 7:30. Three hours later I picked up rentals. I picked up some breakfast in Woodstock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Late season rates, mid-season conditions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The previous evening, I ordered my half-day pass from Massanutten’s web sit<\/strong><\/a>e<\/strong><\/a>. $42 for four hours isn’t a bad rate. Massanutten uses RFID cards, so a quick scan of the printout delivered my pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting at about 11 a.m., I headed up the Easy Rider<\/strong> nee Lift 3. I took a few runs down \u25cf<\/mark>Easy Street<\/strong>, formerly known as Geronimo (insert Don & Mike being canceled joke). Also, \u25cf<\/mark>Nutten To It<\/strong> over to \u25a0<\/mark>Pacesetter<\/strong>‘s bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feeling stretched out it was up the Ridge Triple<\/strong> (Lift 5) and over to \u25a0<\/mark><\/strong>Showtime<\/strong> and \u25a0<\/mark><\/strong>Mass Transit<\/strong>. Showtime still had some hardpack; Mass Transit was icier. After several rides, I wondered if the Peak Quad<\/strong> (Lift 6) runs had better snow – they did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2666Diamond Jim<\/strong> and \u2666Paradice<\/strong> were a little softer, but not slushy. Both of these were more consistent as customary, not too busy. The is one of favorite views in the Mid-Atlantic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paradice is a little bit more of a cruiser than DJ; I probably skied that more. There was a manageable hard patch in the middle of the run. I had plenty of room most of the time and ran laps throughout the day. The breakdown was probably 2\/3s Paradice 1\/3 DJ. I took the less crowded run most of the time. I spent over 2 hours taking laps on these two slopes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As my lift ticket expiration neared, I switched back over to Showtime to squeeze in a few quick runs. The slope was showing the effects of a lot of traffic and direct sun. I even caught an edge near the top to my surprise. The RFID card set off a louder alert at the gate as if to say, “GAME OVER.” My day officially concluded on \u25cf<\/mark><\/strong>Southern Comfort<\/strong>. I took off my skis, headed up to my car parked nearby, broke out a tailgate chair and exchanged my boots for sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rentals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the suggestion of dcski.com forum<\/strong><\/a>, I rented skis at Powder Shack<\/strong><\/a> in McGaheysville along US 33. Including $5 for insurance, the skis came out to $26. One of the employees bragged that they had the cheapest rentals in Virginia; story checks out. That were perfectly cromulent for a half-day at Massanutten. The service was good; one staffer suggested they warm up my boots which I accepted. I’d rent from Powder Shack again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting there<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are a few ways to get to Massanutten \u2013 Google Maps suggests I-66 west to US 340 south, but I went the longer way taking I-66 west all the way to I-81 south and then down to US 33 east at Harrisonburg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n