Go Go Go Summer is one of our favorite times yet the air is cooling, some of the leaves are changing, the apples are getting red, and lots of thoughts are pointed toward winter and all the cold snowy fun |




Bela Fleck Tiny Desk Concert * Purchase Canaan Refuge Calendar * Snowiest place in the east! * New Dinner Theater in Elkins * Run For It/Sept 25




one of the big issues that was the impetus for the creation of the WV Highlands Conservancy in 1965. Dave Saville * WG comments on Fish Wildlife 15 year Plan



here's the quote from this macro-predictor: "cold and snowy along the Appalachian Mountains" Cheers, Casey * Blackwater Bikes on local TV * Live Music/ Events Mtn State Pub




Local Arts Calendar Events Online * Hiway Corridor H in the News * WG/WVU slide show * Local Rain Gauges * around 115 days til winter




Video about the trail runners, by Joel Wolpert * Gentle Adventures Wild/Wonderful Walks * The present is a gift and that's why they call it a present...Jimmy Cliff NPR desk concert
His Wifeby Andrew Hudgins from American Rendering: New and Selected Poems Lake Ontario, NY * Northeast Kingdom Sugar Farm * Keena's Little Ridge Farm in Maine * Osceola Tug Hill visit Marcellus Shale drilling THREATENS our Watershed! Mark Blumenstein * Ski Industry News * 16 days above 80 degrees and highest of year 85 so far in Canaan Hgts,WV
Canaan record snowfall by Todd *Retro VT Tele Fest * Vermont Ski Museum * Mammoth Ski Museum * XC SKi April Fools * Chippie Season * Snowshoeing at WG Elkins Intermtn * A Great Day at WG Elkins Intermtn * Local Land Conservation Bank * Sledding at Blackwater * Hikes Drive Winter Visits to Refuge/Chas. Gazette * WV Road Conditions Mtns Uncovered WVU Multimedia Project * Local tv covers WG cafe * Mo jump crashing..avi * * Cafe Dance Jam by Brooke * nearby Del Fest best lineup * Cory Chase* Herb's Ski Forecast * Sue Haywood returns to WG * Osceola Tug Hill XC * Davis 70's- 80's * WG/Mtn Trail Runners Snowshoe Race * Mtn State Marathon XC Race Results *WV Red Spruce/ Canaan Fir Seedlings For Sale* White Grass did not disappoint Ian @ Trail Voice * Bluebird Weekend WG Skiing by Todd the Monster * JoMo almost 720 freeheel lite * The WG Report * Mo 360 on XC gear * Winter On The Refuge * WV Public Radio WG/snow * White Grass U Tube Remix catching mostly air thru Todd * MountainMade online store * Blue Ridge Outdoors * Local history Behold the Land of Canaan *MtnMAde.com/Local artist * Story of Skiing in W V * Nick Waite's Winter WG blog entry
Estoria Chase way to go Cory and Sheena and Nanna Laurie * Bread and Puppet Theater * Freeland Road is 2 feet wider with a thick new fresh black ice 117 days of skiing 91 near perfect conditions on 251" natural snow with Easter Saturday's heat (80!) baking most of it all away... 2010 one of the best for us ever! Freaky STyle WG If you've ever skied WhiteGrass this video makes complete sense! The kind of place you might want to plan your entire winter around.
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"A mind that is stretched by a new experience
can never go back to its old dimensions." Oliver Wendell Holmes
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WV RESORT FEELS STATE FUNDING IS UNFAIR
The Sunday Brunch at the Fiddle was really great!!!! Since my wife and daugthers have gone vegetarian on me, I especially appreciated the Korean beef dish! Tom Renda
The latest stats for cross country skiing show some good news and information that solidly reinforces directions to useful marketing targets.We’ve known about the substantial female segment of xc skiing for years (52 percent of xc skiers) and to parlay the percentages many resorts and product suppliers have created products and services for women. Oprah, it’s time you paid homage to xc skiing!Like most of us, the age statistics of xc skiers continue to show an older skew. More than two thirds of the population is above 35 years old and less than 20 percent are below 24. With regard to other outdoor recreation, xc skiing is amazing with skiers aged 55-64 at 14.6 percent; 65-74 at 9.6 percent; and above 74 years old at 3.7 percent totaling nearly 28 percent of xc skiers aged beyond 55. And xc skiers are an accomplished bunch as 97 percent of the males and 88 percent of the females are college grads. These are significant factors to incorporate into services and marketing.Of course, if you followed the weather last winter you’ll remember the extensive snow covering the south Atlantic states. The industry showed an increase in xc ski equipment sales due to an increase in boot and binding sold as the southern region surged with a 285 percent increase. I always suggest putting stats in clear context so we must recognize that even though the south responded to the snow last winter, that region represents only about 2.7 percent of xc ski equipment sales in the US. But clearly there are many people in the south, who enjoyed new xc ski equipment and went xc skiing and snowshoeing last winter. Should we invest to inform southerners about cross country skiing at resorts every winter? How might we do that cost efficiently?Sales of xc ski gear overall increased 4.16 percent in dollars and 1.33 percent in units in 2009-2010 (last winter) according to SIA. This might not appear like a great report, but remember that the economy was not good. As mentioned above, the statistics were impacted by increases in boot and binding sales and the southern region’s surge in sales. The East and Midwest were slightly up last winter in sales, too. Roger Lohr XCSkiresorts
Television Is A Drug by Beth Fulton from Todd Alcott's poem, Television
Send me any new events you have for July, Aug, or early Sept. Jane Birdsong, Coordinator,Community Arts Calendar * Winter is coming...The days are getting shorter Ed Phelps
Two labs sliding down snowy hillsides * Rick Wunderman * Nate Calhoun kayaks upper B * Hailey will update her blog periodically
Chipster! I don't know how a person could live a more fullfilled life. You've made a difference in SO many people's lives. Certainly mine. Enjoy your day, however you create it." Laird Knight
George and I spent Easter Weekend in search of the last bits of snow for some skiing. With the help of Chip Chase, owner and proprietor of famed Whitegrass Cross Country Ski Resort and his sidekick Stro, we navigated the back woods of Canaan Valley atop Weiss Knob and had quite the adventure! We also managed to squeeze in a bit of mountain biking at both New Germany State Park and Deep Creek Lake State Park over some pretty crazy terrain, including snow, mud, and rocks. I have nicknamed this weekend "Keeping Up With George" and I have the cuts and bruised to prove it! And George considers this one of his tamer weekends! Had a blast and have the pics to prove it....enjoy :) Leah
just checked in on the whitegrass site and got a lump in my throat when i saw yall closed up and all the happy photos. man, i learned a lot this winter! about skiing and about myself. i love whitegrass, and all the people there, and the great energy that surrounds the place...i will look forward to next season! much love, keri wondergem * * * "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie
Jack Frost Ski Shoppers, Jackson, NH with Mt. Washington * Steve Barnett early tele pioneer near Mazama, WA mid 70's * Dickie Hall woodie ski jumpin' knicker air
Thanks for the great weekend! HSon www.shullphoto.com / Appalachian Aerial Images
it was pretty awesome, drifts were over 6-8' in places I would have imagined the pipeline facing the Sods N facing would have been an epic ski down Darin Crew, Baltimore
Whitegrass here are some cookies made with eggs butter and LOVE as a big thanks you for sending me my lost mittens Jen
The Whitegrass Adventure Tour was over-the-top, thanks to the leadership of Stro and Adam, plus the remarkable February snows that we have been getting. If you can continue to arrange with the Telemark gods to have the same fine snow in future years, I will ski the Whitegrass Adventure Tour until I die! Yours, Patrick McGarey
Never been to whitegrass, heard about it, checked it out on the web, wow! you have some community of people down there! I think If I ever decided to open a cross-country ski area it would be modeled after your place. Whitegrass is an inspiration to the sport of skiing. I'm from the Catskill area of NY and we are a bit sparse on snow this year. It looks like you are being blessed with the white stuff. My friends and I have to get down to your neck of the woods! Kinaed.com I skied Whitegrass Feb 2nd-4th with buddy Skip Coulter who has been talking up your place for years. Enjoyed it as best ski-touring experience I have had. Skip explained the "snow farming" system and it reminded me of a poem I wrote years ago in Limerick style (although not ribald): Snow fences on farms near the road Help a snow-burdened wind to unload; By sifting and sighing, Without even trying, They harvest what winter has sowed. Keep up the good work-play. (Ideally it's all the same) Namaste. Dave Opilo Whitegrass is the home of West Virginia cross-country skiing and one of the best places for backcountry fun on the entire East Coast. Chip and Mikey will ensure you have the gear you need, and lessons are available all day for beginners and experts alike. Try your hand (and knees) at Telemark skiing, wind up through the trees to fabulous views from the top of Bald Knob, or stay low in the snow farm where the drifts are high and are guaranteed to last all season. Relax and warm up after your exertions with a bowl of Laurie’s fabulous chili at the cafe then go out and do it all again. A-Frame of Mind Thank you for taking the time to meet with the New Germany crew. We enjoyed seeing your grooming equipment and getting tips on techniques and appropriate conditions. We also got some new ideas for snow reporting and website design. We even took a look at your signs and shelters while we enjoyed skiing that afternoon. Melissa New Germany State Park, MD & Allegany Expeditions, Cumberland, MD
"This was my first time at Whitegrass and it made quite a first impression! I walked into a building packed full of character…huge woodstove burning in the corner, live fiddle and banjo, room packed full of energetic outdoors folk, jovial staff, wonderful scents of soups infusing the scene---I’ll definitely be back." Dr. Steve Godshall It's gonna be like Santa, but even better-a group of 7 WYEP-ers are coming to get our ski on! Kathi (our local npr station) Smiles all thru the lodge and apres' celebrations and vibes of daily bounty are as much a reason as the playing in snow. Passing it on down & all around, ya know? What a special place,thanks for everything. peace, Tomi
. 13. It's how many cups o' Joe you would need to drink in order to even come close to matching the energy level of one Canaan Valley hermit snow gnome many call Chipper. Hypno
reasons to buy xc gear from us....we fit the boots and skis to your needs provide free advice buy new or used trade ups anytime and we have done the research on what works for this area and we are the long time small town local experts. We carry about every boot type to help custom fit your foot and have womens as well as mens specific fits. Plus we need your business! Rossi Evo Trail w/Alpina nnn bc and Leki Aluminum pole outfit slightly used for $385
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After hearing people rave about the place for years, I finally enjoyed a meal at Canaan's White Grass Cafe earlier this month - and, wow, was it worth the wait. On the grounds of White Grass, a cross-country skiing center with a decidedly international vibe, the cafe offers one of the most unique dining experiences I've enjoyed in some time. Ted/WV Food Guy Chip Chase founded White Grass in 1979. No one in the ski world before or since has had a better time on skis or doing anything related to snow (Ive been buzzin since I was born!). That zest is totally communicable. White Grass is a blast, in a lot of ways a throwback to the 1960s, with much more wool than lycra. You'll find easy trails and gnarly trails amidst a lot of snow, gentle streamsides, hardwoods, conifers, and a big meadow by the lodge. You'll see everyone from kids being pulled in pulks to folks in their 70s, all wearing huge smiles. Jonathan "Chip, you are my hero!! You don't take life too seriously, you throw an excellent party, and we are facing youtube fame together! I really love that video, Becky and I agreed that was a most organic jam in a beautiful place on a perfect day. See you soon...yay! Rachel Eddy Here's the link to the White Grass article in Get Out! michelle * Best food ever. Thanks for the recipes Laurie and Chip! Margaret and Hansi, Minnesota / Hansi's Blog Take a walk down memory lane with ski writer Randy Johnson’s look at the history of cross country skiing in the Boone, NC area. Also check out his Web site for a video cross country ski lesson in Blowing Rock and a video look at Roan Mountain Nordic in the 1980s. At 140" +/-average snowfall in CANAAN we almost double Erie! ERIE, PA. 88 * BUFFALO, NY 93 * TALKEETNA, AK 115 * MARQUETTE, MI 141 * MT. WASHINGTON, NH 260
Most important muscle in skiing is the one in your cheek that makes your lips shape into a smile. Dickie Hall |
Kid's
Free Trade In XC Gear $250
Kid's Free Tele Trade In Gear $575 |
Our Community Living Room The Purple Fiddle * Doerfels Live mpeg |
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lightningboards.com |
Our
senior Senator, Robert C. Byrd, is fond of noting that: “West
Virginia is one of the most beautiful and unique places. It is the
most southern of the northern and the most northern of the southern;
the most eastern of the western and the most western of the eastern.
It is where the East says good morning to the West, and where Yankee
Doodle and Dixie kiss each other good night!” Indeed, West
Virginia is a most beautiful and unique place. And with the introduction
of our legislation, “Wild Monongahela: A National Legacy for
West Virginia’s Special Places, we are striving to keep it
that way” Hon. Nick Joe Rahall introducing the new WV Wilderness
Bill |
Canaan Valley Nat'l Wildlife Refuge HC 70, Bx 200 Davis, WV 26260 304-866-3858 |
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Ullr is the Norse god of skiers, and Skade is his wife. According to mythology, Skade was a mortal granted the right to marry a god, and being partial to the mountains, she chose Ullr. |
When winter is a no-show in the mid-Atlantic region, count on West Virginia's Dolly Sods Wilderness, four hours west of Washington, D.C., for a healthy dose of the real thing. Perched on a 4,000-foot tableland in the Allegheny Mountains, the Sods averages more than 12 feet of snow each year. Wind permitting, follow the Breathed Mountain and Big Stonecoal trails into the high plains, with their decidedly Western feel. White Grass is known for some of the best and most extensive cross-country skiing on the East Coast, with a natural foods cafe that attracts nearly as many fans. All 31 miles of the center's varied trails, half of which are groomed, are open following the weekend storm. A one-day trail fee is $12 for adults; rentals are $12 on weekdays and $15 for weekends and holidays.(Wash Post)Total # of Trails: 44 with 50KM, 30 KM machine groomed Beginner 30% Intermediate 55% Advanced 15% Top Elev.: 4436 Base Elev.3250 Vertical Drop:1200' Terrain Features pretty challenging constantly varying open hardwood glades, pastures, mountaintops, old ski area runs, railroad grades. |
Local
Wild Weather Facts ****Our
Best Local Weather Site Local snowfall table enclosed : Early Canaan Ski story Life is good...and especially good in CV. Dave Lesher |
this is the most thoughtful place from the bird feeders, the shelters, prayer flags, nature posters...the whole thing * Black wooly worms do not lie! Paul * mid atlantic inferiority complex is getting snowed over * anybody can ski when the weather is nice...Dave Markgraf * Loving the wv island of march paradise * I don't know what you're doing in 20 years yet I want to either volunteer or work here * when you go from snowboarding to xc skiing you increase your edge factor by 400% Jamie * Hope you survive this winter. It has to have been about a three month buzzz zzzzz zzzzz. Ged Smith *WG IS AN ICON BOTH OF BLISSFUL NOSTALGIA AND BRIGHT POSSIBILITY Greg Dailey * You'll look up and wonder why you were cutting so high this spring Micky * We have a new annual vacation...WG Chris * short people make snow deeper Brent * there's glide out there...it's just real slow Tony Barnes * Best public place on the planet Cory B * started out alone and was immediatly skiing with eight friends Mark Anderson * never seen so many people with smiles on their faces Jon Thompson * White Grass Ski It If You Want Tony Barnes *need to move WG closer to Michigan it's a brutal drive Dave from Detriot * Lady's Man at Wg...Another day, another foot of snow, another shot of Morgan Chase with a couple of lovelys. Jon Yoder * no friends on powder day unless they have your sandwiches Adam Chase * I was here 50" ago Curtis *I've been snowboarding for a few years....will you have me back? Will * Hey - you stole all of our snow!!!...Congratulations. Must be great there, say hi to Dickie for me. Steve Hindman, Stevens Pass,WA * I wanna go down without goin' up Aaron * the most fun ever had without a motor Robbie * WG is like a secret fishin' hole, only tell the good good friends. Tom and Julie * Stonecaol Flats looked like an early episode of Star Trek Jamie Mulligan * Don't hit as many trees goin' up Jamie Chenowith * Saw Lester come up Falls Overlook with the big groomer and thought I was at Canaan Brad Moore * This is one of the most therapeutic places in the world Nelson * Of course there's no control, its nordic skiing Ryan * It's a rain shadow on all four sides...Tom Breach * The most legal fun you can have Jeff Hazel * Maybe we won't see the ground 'til April Ed Rader * My annual winter testament of faith is getting my WG season pass Carl * Skiing in the snow is way better than riding in the rain Joey Riddle * If tele made sense they'd do it in Europe * Next time the skiing is this good just put a big star with fireworks on the web page Tom * The only problem is that the webcam is showing me all the great snow that I am missing. It makes me sad to be sitting here in my office watching those flags whip around in the snowy wind. We'll be making a run for the mountains very soon, I am sure.talk to ya later, marc * This year we offered ULLR a pair of skis that belonged to a friend we lost a while back to cancer. He was a fanatic skier and absolutely would have approved. ULLR must have liked them- 30' plus in the PA Laurel Highlands in the last 8 days and its still bombing! Steve Waugaman * I've got a Whitegrass hangover.......only problem is......I know the only cure is to come back for more!!!!!Love and miss you guys! ter * I remember you from a visit in the early 80's and I was very pleased that White Grass had the same character two decades later. Jim Barnes * Enjoy The SNow...What the hell am I doing in the office….counting the hours until I get up there! Paul S. Magness *Andrew from Brisbane, Australia said....Chip, you've converted me to an uphill skier * what happened to the snowfarm...did it disappear? Robert J. *looks like fairyland out there * Wg is always good, just usually not this good * if it wasn't for televised sports the rivers and trails would be way too crowded * no one cares if you tele mad river glen sticker * I love Canaan...I bought a Subaru * Heading out there this weekend, and the next, and the next, and the next....as long as you got this snow.... keep on skiing in the free world! Kevin Jones * Roll out the white carpet for him... I'll bet you are enjoying all the crystal water. Jim Snyder * The allure of the high allegheny mountains still is strong for me. Best from an old admirer -- there simply is no place like White Grass, even here in New England. I have great memories of hikes in Colorado, but some of my most clear and vivid memories are of skiing Dolly Sods and of White Grass and the fantastic group of people you gathered there. Trent Batson * Fern Gully is now a super highway for the soul Robbie the groomer * Hard to ski with an umbrella Asher * I can't wait to see the other 95% of the WG trails * The best in Scottish conditions Jeff * I matched a personal record....only a four fall run down Fern Gully Harley * better go ski may melt tomorrow Randy French* So utterly, entirely, completely, intensity, anticipating Whitegrass to glide on! Alan Grubb * why can't skis just be part of your body? Chris Brown * I got him a new pair of xc skis for his 70th birthday! Sue Dovell * I never met an alpine skier that used to tele* My 9 yr old daughter LOVED Whitegrass and xc skiing and said, “Mommy, it feels like I’ve known all the Whitegrass people all my life!” She can’t WAIT to come back! Lynn Grasso * where the warm and welcoming atmosphere inside was the perfect end to a great day Beth * What could we bring to contribute to the shot ski? Jim Stewart * Nowhere else does the groomer bring fire and moonshine Rick Van Noy * Here’s a few of our favorite internet radio links: www.wwoz.org * www.mvyradio.com & www.wunc.org Connie* Brew Pub Live Music * xc snowboarding parody...martin * chaga mushroom ...great info about it * First Frost Pool 10/ 6 winners Kurt & Jim Baczuk / First Snow 10/17 Pete Kepner / Total Snowfall Guesstimations from 135" to 300" *Laurie is baking cakes, cookies, and other yummies for Trail Mix * 37,000 new acres of protected W.V land * Davis River Front * Davis River Front's blog * wvhighlandsartists * What to Bring XC Ski * Curtis LugeZip (3/5).mpg * ChipNattyTurns * CurtisQuickies.mpg *ChipRedOak(3/4)* GeohopsCanMon.mpg * Opensezame*ChipCanMon3/2* LugeRunGisela. (3/2) * FlowBYxc. (3/2) * Skihiking and Foolery * PackPowWill* Chip and JoJo Dance WG/Facebook * Trailblazer 'CV has its own mystique'* Upper SpringerGeo.mpg * SeeAMouse.* Morgan360canoe*TwistySkiing* Goodstuffjumpin * WG testimonial.mpg * Local boy gone BIG City - http://nick-waite.blogspot.com/ * Vermont’s Mad River Rocket Sleds*WG Web Cam History mode * Snowfarming * Ski Jouring in WV * Granny Gear schedules 3 big 24 Hour bike races next year * Freeland Road Bubbling springs Video * Denali Nato.wma *MaryAnn the mapmaker has a site * WG skiers meet VA fiddlers by Todd * Snurfer Poaches Mad River SKi Area * skibuilders.com * 10 great places to peacefully glide cross-country USA TODAY * Lost Ski Areas * Hyno Coffee * Tucker County Trails * The ultimate ski Showdown Utube by xcskizone * if you like check this one * xc ski zone.com * Off Piste * The ChipperCHase Article.pdf
"skiing is not a matter of life and death, it’s more important than that"
| The pure spirit of skiing and the good life is alive and well and living at Whitegrass. I know of no other place where skiers gather and get closer to that wonderful spiritual aspect of skiing and fellowship. That special place in all nords that makes us want to go outside put on our skis and have fun. Whitegrass is quite simply my favorite ski area in North America. Ski Hard, Play Fair, Have Fun, Dickie Hall (NATO) Nothing finer than standing on this great planet / chip |