First Of Dec Easy To Open With Snow

Skiers, groomers, season passers, and trail sweepers all converged to help create a wonderful first weekend here, thank you ski fans and HERE WE GO AGAIN!

Dave Saville is the hero of the wreath workshop * Sarah just hadta buy a new hat from WG * Trail Mix gang caught at the door * Long time friends and ex staffer Andy Willis here for T'Day

Todd putting his 10th mtns to the first ski test * bring the kids and strap um on * Jason is our first skater of 09-10, it's either Vancouver or WG

Wonderful friends and skiers back * trail crews went to NATO breakfast bowl and sawmill nipping and tucking.. * Chip returns to the Aspen backcountry after the Jack Frost

There will be some sort of Blue Moon NYE Nite Ski at the end of the month * "LEAVE YOUR DOGS AT HOME" SEZ MELLON COLLIE * All 3 Chase boys here this weekend!

White Grass U Tube Remix catching mostly air thru Todd * the new look and function of the MountainMade online store * Fall Refuge birwalks * Mon Forest Expanding

Welcome back Whitegrass !!! Chuckie and I skied MRG Saturday !!! I was thinking of that fine nordic spirit bridge between the Mad River Valley and Whitegrass! .Dickie

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour. **** William Blake

ski anything that slides Nov 28, 2009

Local little Canaan map * looks like about a 30% chance of a colder and drier winter. Dennis Mennerich * The latest from-Accu-Weather

Local history Behold the Land of Canaan * CVI MT Bike trails * MtnMAde.com/Local artists * Chip's in a mushroom blog * Local CVI Trail News* Winter is bringing us all together

Folks that want to lead a winter refuge educational snowshoe walk, pick a subject that would fit, 1-2 hours long with a free lunch and $50 travel fee if needed. Expand the Gateway To The Refuge

Trail Clearing Days will continue this Saturday for the finale * Todd, Morgan, and the gang up above Roundtop Saturday...pics by Todd * Ecosystem Spruce Planting Restoration by D. Saville

WG recorded 96 skiable days with about 188" snow last winter. Hats off to all for helping us keep the doors open and trails used.

Brew Pub Live Music * xc snowboarding parody...martin * First Frost Pool Oct 6 winners Kurt Litzau & Jim Baczuk / First Snow 10/17 Pete Kepner / Total Snowfall Guesstimations from 135" to near 300"

Endless WV DNR wetland info* Planting For Deer Resistance * Friends Of Cheat Access * Matt's Halloween pics * Canaan/WG Wikipedia * WVLliving Magazine * TMI @ Spruce Knob

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

Davis Consignment Shop * MaryAnn the mapmaker has a new 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 * Season passers recieve 10% discount at Highland Prospects * Hyno Coffee * Tucker County Trails* Chipper Chase in Off Piste * The ChipperCHase Article.pdf

The ultimate ski Showdown Utube by xcskizone * if you like check this one * xc ski zone.com

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."

All my life, right and wrong tangled, playing with the moon, ridiculing the wind, listening to the birds…Many years wasted seeing the mountain covered with snow. This winter I realize snow makes the mountain - Dogen Zenji

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

Send "A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." Oliver Wendell Holmes

http://www.furnacemountain.com/Furnace Mtn (One of our barn dance favorites 'round here)

Sid Diamond here T'day weekend

Dave do- everything Saville sent these wonderful pics of Sunday's Wreath Workshop

Carrie sends Love

Here is my money for my season pass. Thank you for making winter a season to forward to. Snow! Kathy Bine, Fairfax, Va

Today’s trip to the top of the ridge Bill Love in Montana

"She just doesn't want to admit that she hangs out with beginners... metal edges... phooey. Now I am ready! Let it snow let it snow let it snow" -paula

i love that regina spektor got mentioned in the daily report. she's crazy good. Amazing weekend fueled by the collective energy and majesty of canaan valley and your little mecca of good vibes. i will be out next weekend, with another friend in tow. are you guys doing any work on friday? Spencer Lee (yes, Robert and friends are coming as well)

SEVEN SPRINGS SIGNS LEASE TO OPERATE LAUREL MT.Seven Springs Mountain Resort, PA, has signed a 10-year lease to operate the dormant state-owned Laurel Mountain ski area, although it won't reopen this year and possibly not next year either, according to published reports. Seven Springs officials first want to build snowmaking ponds and change some ski runs and trails before it reopens the ski area in Laurel Mountain State Park, about 50 miles east of Pittsburgh. The two areas are about 25 miles apart. Last year, Seven Springs bought Laurel Mountain's ski area assets including a lodge, chairlifts, snowmaking and other equipment. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources owns Laurel Mountain and has ommitted $6.5 million to improvements Seven Springs plans there.

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

so sorry to hear about Jack. He was a great neighbor. Can't wait to get back out for a new season - SKIP

Heartachin' for WG. Dying to get back this year, maybe a couple of times. Will bring the boys (Joe, 13 is the speedy skater in the photo). I'm as much of a nord maniac as I've ever been: 50 outings last year, and I'm hungry to improve my Mountain State 25K time after shedding a dozen pounds a few years ago. Big hug, Chip. Sorry about Jack :-(, but I hope to see you all real soon. John Clarke in Northern Cali

FOLGR...friends of the lower greenbrier

I'm proud and happy to be a part of the wonderful community you have created around a special place and a winter sport loved by so many. Let the good times begin once again! Dave Saville

You have no idea how exciting it is to hear from you!!yeay!and just so you know, i'm flying back to the states (with no return plane ticket to guatemala) mid December. My sister is expecting a baby, and i hope to be present for her home-birth.And come january, I'm planning a good long trip up to canaan valley and white grass!! yeay.i can't wait to see you all.take care.LET IT SNOW.i hope it dumps on you all this year.mucho amor, besos y abrazos. ali.

But I know that I am always there in spirit and that I will occassionally be in your thoughts as you are gliding through the Breakfast Bowl, thanking me for being the sacrificial lamb so that you can have record breaking powder days. I will certainly be thinking of all of you as I connect through the whitegrass web-site and daydream while looking at my jar of "white grass" sitting on my desk. (Thanks Todd!) For those of you who collaborated on the unbelievably generous going away gifts, I am extremely touched by your support. Your gift will make it so much easier to get home for a couple of visits. Not that I would need incentive for that, but having the gas to do so certainly helps those visits to happen. Looking forward to being home for the holidays!Ski you on the slopes!! Peace,natalie Marietta, GA

nice website. am wondering whether you would mind locating www.northlakecabin.com within your available lodging section? We are wv owned and family managed and are trying to increase our rentals. Thanks for any help! tom barton 3045464953 it's at the very top of Northpoint, at the end of the road. It's a great location for skiing right out the door into the National Forest, and we're marketing it to cross country skiers. Here's the link to our house: * www.northlakecabin.com * NP 114 Fazenda (703) 318-7998 Top OF NOrthpoint Rental

Long time pal and wg staffer has dropped the prices to a sweet place...dryforker@gmail.com

photos@shullphoto.com

Was recently over WG for an aerial shoot up at Mt. Storm and grabbed a few pix of WG for you while heading home over Canaan. I have attached a preliminary sample jpeg here, but can shoot you a few more once I have gone thru all the files to cull the wheat from the chaff. It was early in the AM and I was shooting into the low light so the results are kinda ho-hum. Sure wish I could be there at sunset someday and get some really cool pix with the light at my back as it illuminates Cabin Mtn. Also attached here is a screen-res jpeg of the portrait image that BlueRidge Outdoors just licensed to run in the next issue. Thought you might like it. I have high hopes of getting up there several times this winter to increase my winter stock image collection. See ya then! Enjoy - Hson Shullphoto & Appalachian Aerial Images Fayetteville, WV & Asheville, NC 304-640-4974 / photos@shullphoto.com

Sundays adventure on Cabin Mountain - didn't quite make it to the top of Weiss Knob Absolutely beautiful in the National Nordic Got out on our Karhu short sticks (carvers) First time out in the snow with our new dog Tucker, who is now officially a ski dog - he likes the white grass Still smiling - Mike, Christi and Tucker Dog (Cole couldn't make this trip)

MRad

I still get those homesick pangs for Wild Wonderful West Virginia with you hillbillies and all the great memories. Jill Shoemaker Owens

Season Passers are already spreading their faith...Gatewoods * Joeys nearby Bike Shop

"I just use ol' natural gravity..." a downhill skier explaining the difference with xc

"have seen nothing but black worms this fall…..good sign I hope!" Paul S. Magness * Sods Trail Map fr MoTown's Adventure's Edge * Hansi's blog WG visit

...and watch this video. Short and beautifully done. Elizabeth Gilespie (Clue...snowboarding in leaves) * This is from my friend Justin, a HS English teacher and poet in rural VT. Junkboarding ... Mine is waxed and ready. Denis

by Bert * How is everybody? I have both of Laurie's cookbooks now. She was part of my inspiration to study holistic nutrition. Crystal

chipper- thanks so much for the love! i'm at home working on writing music for a new album. hopefully i'll be back at the purple fiddle in the spring or summer of next year with a pile of new songs until next time, be well, and enjoy the mountains! abby washburn

JR's Canaan Valley wedding pics Late 70's in Canaan by Tool

Hope you're having a great summer. Elizabeth and I were on a PCT backpacking trip and my thoughts were wandering all over the place and I started thinking about this band that I thought you might really like them. They just played a Floyd Fest and they play pretty often in our area. They would be awesome to see at the Purple Fiddle. http:toubabkrewe * http://www.youtube.com * Hope to see you soon for some trail work and deep snow! Kelly

Not too early to start appeasing Ullr, right? :-) Sarah...White Grass is in the middle of Accu Weather's snowiest winter 09-10 Winter Forecast / Could the "Year Without True Summer" Mean the Coldest and Snowiest Winter in Over Five Years from New York City to Washington, D.C.? Ski resorts could have a great year with plenty of powder for skiers.The areas that will be hit hardest this winter by cold, snowy weather will be from New England through the Appalachians and mid-Atlantic, including North Carolina. Keep in mind, if El Nino strengthens into the winter the cold air will have a much tougher time getting down into the Ohio Valley and eastern U.S. Brett from ACCU

Us on g. earth sent by Mark Blumenstein .fond memories from a short winter Marc and Kara

I am at Palmer Station (Anvers Island off the Antarctic Peninsula). I wanted to let you know that even though the skiing was pretty good on the glacier yesterday (May 31) I miss White Grass. Lisa Crockett, Athens, Ohio)

Nils Larsen mastering his Altai ski techniques Powder Creek BC Rare Merlin catch at Dolly Sods

To Whitegrass with lots of Love, the cover photo reminds me of Springer skiing. Thanks you for all that you do!! Hosting the ultimate winter playground of WV, keeping everybody warm and full of good food. Offering limitless inspiration to all who visit. I LOVE WHITEGRASS!! Corey Bonasso

On my way to work. Anne Wanted to help to extend your season. Where do you want it? TeleBruce

WG is the heart and soul of all things freeheel and your support of the Karhu brand is invaluable to the snowsports industry! Thanks for spreading the Karhu love. Hope to see you and Laurie soon. Cheers! -Doug

. Bob Jordan a great spirit * I edited a trailer  of "Sweet Joy" for You Tube---(Adam Chase skiing backwards for starters)...Cheers, Wendy

This is a wonderfully off the grid place where skiing (no matter how well or poorly), food, and friends are the whole thing. The terrain is amazing offering easy greens to well above my talent level blacks. There are some extraordinary telemarkers weaving patterns down the face and a whole lot more skinny skis and red cheeks just going with flow. The rustic lodge is really a shed with the most tantalizing smells in the world coming out from a modern, if crowded kitchen. It's hard to find a place to sit and the energy and buzz are just amazing. If you want to leave the mall and find the back country...or enjoy some set tracks through gorgeous countryside, come on out. Being how it is WV and conditions are subject to change check out the site. White Grass is an unparalled full on EXPERIENCE for all the senses.

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 " * Chip UTube clogging

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.

Todd searches and finds the healthy Birch tree chaga mushroom ...great info about it.

We are staying open until the fat lady sings and we have never ever closed if there is natural snow to ski. Tomorrow is our 114th straight day and we project another month easy! That will equal 144, great if it hit 150! 42" lay frozen in the high country this afternoon in powder conditions. Full moon skiing this March 15th. Our nordic trails have been graced with the best snows and cold we have ever wildly imagined. Region by region we are the surely the seasonal winners. Too dry out west, too cold in New England and just right in the Alleghenies. Sometimes the elevator-sometimes the shaft. chip chase 3/12/2003

Most important muscle in skiing is the one in your cheek that makes your lips shape into a smile. Dickie Hall

WG You Tube Video

Weiss Knob Ski Area * Harrison Shull's WG SlideSHow

Kid's Free Trade In XC Gear $175 Kid's Free Tele Trade In Gear $575

Our Community Living Room The Purple Fiddle * Doerfels Live mpeg

Davis River Front

lightningboards.com woodenskis.com* Work in progress. Check it out Colleen* Early ski days in Davis Wendel Allen My gallery is Dolly Sods Views. Mary Ann * Chase Kids Couloir Article.pdf * Zanny Nordic Website xczone.Davis National Highlights USA Today * Amazing Snow From Mr. Dave * Pocahontas County has average mean elevation of 3219'"...cross-country skiing through that utterly magical snow encrusted pine forest this past winter was enough to make a grown person weep with awe." Susan Moundsville, WV

Wild and Wonderful Walks Company

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

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
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Davis 3SE, West Virginia (Canaan Valley 3N) 39-05-52N 79-25-53W Elev 3698 ft. Dave Lesher * Highlands New Weather Forecast Zone * Canaan Snow Data * Winter 06-07Dave the Weatherman’s Office Window Daily Photo

Local snowfall table enclosed : Early Canaan Ski story Life is good...and especially good in CV. Dave Lesher

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video To Waste Time With HomeSpun Video: YOUTUBe Videos White Grass XC by Crede * Dickie Hall * Kids Fun * Freakystylie WG * Ruthie's Ski Hash Movie * Morganizing SNow.avi by Anne Jones *suespringer2/3 * chipskisunset* tommyspringertele * Groundhogskiers * WildPoniesski * robbazookarun.mpg * saunahollowdrift.mpg* Kelly Dunn MarchVaTeleSki *Low Snow WG* Herringbone* Jacob!./ MoBackFlip.* DoublePoler* chipmakingdeal.audio* SuperCalaFrag.MPG * ColetteSpeaks* MorganJibT'day * WG JAM SESSIONmpg* Gandalfs skater * SweetUphillmpgBoundary Downhill Posse11/18/08 * SnowedOutaSchool Chris Barnes * Hey Brad whatchya like about WG? * Morgan Anita's 10/28/08 * Robb Baldy10/28 *Morgan jibskate 4/14/08 857 KB (604 KB version) * Crazy skiing wmv 4/14 2651 KB * Skate up flip out down 4/14 2655 KB MorganFlippin' round * GeoBelloWG * SlipSlidin'Away * Chase Boys Flipping Out * Morgan One With Snow Baldy Chutes in mush on nnnbc 3/3 HDmpeg * Nite360 3/3 HDmpeg * March 2 08 Robert Powder Cory Chase XC 12/18/07 * sunday jan6th flips * low snow dreggs * afternoon in a mild winter * Jan Three Lets Go Ski * Nite Groom with the Cream * Maintain Control? * Creative Wasting Of Times * Nat and Matt * WG Trails Jan 08 April 17 * Someone has to ski it.* First Day O Spring Jumps * Chip Baldy Chutes in touring gear * BigBackFlip * SpringSkiing Trails* PSIARandy * MorganJibSKateTrails * March First xc. * MorganHop. * Mr. Chip Gets A Day Off * HotTub Huckin' * Curtis Like Snake * WindyDaysof EarlyJanuary * Winners WVSO * SomeSkiersOf WG * Life of a groomer mpeg * * MorganJumpsPow1/17/07.mpeg SnowfarmCruisin’.mpeg * MorganJibskate Home * Happy SKier.mpeg * Chip On the SNowfarm1/11.mpeg * SPringer Skiing* Goes up Comes Down * Brad Moore Deep Snows * Snowcat Groom * SueSkate* Two Horse Open Sleigh * Early Season WG 06 *CoryNo-PoleSpinner * MorganMovesAprilsnows * ChipTeleSlopeXC* Flipping Out* DriftbusterTourCanaan * WhoNeedsDeepSNow * Jibskate Wreckers * Oh The Wind And Rain * Rainy Day Ski Spinners * MadRiverTeleBumps * JibskateFlippers * MorganTow3mile2/21 * FastWayToBaldy * WindblownBaldyXC * JakeBirchesGarden2/19 * LiftlineGroupies* MorgandriftKing * XC MarathonStart ** XCRaceStriders * MorganTearsSawmill ** MorganSueAntics ** MorganSpringerCrash * MAXslicesSpRINGER2/7/06 *ChipTeleLuge2/1/06 * BenMeetsPipeline * DrewSkireport.mpeg * *Dancin' DickHall NATO * LowSNow DickieHall * ArboMarks * Sue on getting Up** DickieMeetsNat'lNordic * KidsSnowfarmAnticsjan28 * GroomingSuperBowl.** Trail Skiin' with Chip 1/19/06 * chip ski * Chip On The Farm * Michael Loves Mtn State* ChipskisNAt'lNord * Almost-a-360 *CharlieTeleMarksNATOBreakfastBowl* BelowBaldyTele(1/7) * CHIP Nat'l Nordic * Chipskijan10 * Morgan Climbs Drop Zone(8/21/06) * Tony Climbs Unknown * MellyDog Picks Berries mpeg * Bear Crossing in Pendelton County * MorganTraverse.* BadJump * TreeSlide * Ride The Fence * Sue Haywood XC Downhilling New Years ** Follow Sue Tele Sauna Hollow ** Jump tele jack frost * Kids interview *Morgan and I shot a xc ski video * MorganNoBinding.mpeg

"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

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