Canaan Valley, nestled in the higher ranges of the Allegheny Mountains, is home to abundant scenery, wildlife, and recreational opportunities. Ecologists and conservationists describe Canaan Valley as “a bit of Canada gone astray.” With an average elevation of 3,200 feet across its rolling vast floor, Canaan is the highest large valley east of the Mississippi River. It’s also home to big storms, bigger snows, and the larger-than-life legends of Canaan Valley skiing.
Skiers at Canaan Valley Ski Resort
Early Explorations and Settlement
Settlement by Henry Fansler and his family first came to Canaan Valley proper in 1748. Initial expeditions and surveyors of Lord Fairfax trickled through a few years before and after, with failed attempts at extended stays, as history goes.
The Dawn of Skiing in Canaan Valley
A funny thing happened in the late 40’s, when pilots flying over Canaan Valley noticed snow pockets sticking around until May. The pilots happened to be skiers as well. In late spring of 1950, members of the Ski Club of Washington, DC heard news of massive snow drifts nestled in undulating meadows. A member of the club, a pilot, had spotted them while flying over the Canaan Valley region. In February 1951, Ski Club members Hal Leich and Gorman Young embarked on a road trip to discover Canaan Valley skiing for themselves.
Leich used the pilot’s reports and studied topographical maps. He pinpointed the high-elevation slopes of Cabin Mountain in Canaan Valley as the likely location he’d spotted from the air. As expected, the pair arrived in Canaan Valley and immediately found a large drift behind a farm house. They asked owners Hobe and Irene Mauzy if they could try skiing their property. The four became close friends and installed a rope-tow on the Mauzy farm. In doing so, they established Driftland, an unofficial ski area for club members.
Read also: Exploring Davis Ski Resort
Skiers in line for the rope-tow at the Cabin Mountain Ski Area.
The First Ski Areas
News spread rapidly in the nation’s capital of a promised land of skiing and reliable snow just four hours away in the West Virginia mountains. Cabin Mountain Ski Area officially opened in 1954 as the first private ski area south of the Mason-Dixon Line. The area featured two rope-tows that accessed 300 vertical feet and 40 skiable acres. Lift tickets were $1 for members and $1.50 for non-members. The National Ski Patrol established a ski patrol-this marked West Virginia’s first professional ski patrollers.
Soon after Cabin Mountain Ski Area powered up its rope-tows, Weiss Knob Ski Area opened in 1955. This was the first commercial ski area south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Weiss Knob’s original slopes were part of what is now The Meadows area of Canaan Valley Ski Resort. The brainchild of Bob and Anita Barton, Weiss Knob Ski Area topped out at 3,900 feet and featured a T-bar surface lift and three rope-tows.
The Bartons ran the area until they were forced to close in 1959. The state of West Virginia acquired the land to create what would become Canaan Valley Resort State Park. But Weiss Knob Ski Area came roaring back the following winter. The area provided a decade’s worth of mountainous memories until the Bartons, driven out of business by the fancy new Canaan Valley Ski Resort, closed the doors for good in 1970.
All that remains of the Weiss Knob Lift Shack that housed the rope-tow.
Canaan Valley Resort State Park
The state of West Virginia spent nearly 13 years acquiring land to fulfill its grandiose vision of a full-fledged ski resort and luxurious mountain lodge in the snowy land of Canaan. In 1971, Canaan Valley Ski Resort opened, offering 49 trails served by the valley’s first chairlifts. At the time, the resort’s terrain-which featured just one beginner trail-was considered mostly intermediate to advanced. As skiing technology and the skiers themselves improved, Canaan’s terrain became more user-friendly.
Established in 1971 and located in the highest valley east of the Mississippi, Canaan Valley State Park is situated on 6,000 acres and contains the second-largest inland wetland area in the United States. With a base elevation of 3,100 feet, it is no wonder that in 1950 members of the Washington Ski Club leased 60 acres and developed the first commercial ski area south of the Mason-Dixon Line. The park offers family oriented activities year round in a tranquil and scenic setting. Exceptional facilities for wedding receptions and group gatherings are available.
Timberline Mountain
Just a few miles northeast of Canaan Valley Ski Resort, the terrain of Cabin Mountain is taller and steeper. In the early 1980’s, real estate developer David Downs began developing downhill ski trails there, naming the area Mt. Timberline. Seeing the potential to develop a larger ski resort, Dr. Frederick Reichle and his family purchased hundreds of acres on Cabin Mountain creating Timberline Four Seasons Resort. Timberline opened in January 1987, ultimately featuring 36 trails and 91 skiable acres. Three chairlifts took skiers to various spots on the large knob. The tallest reached 4,268 feet and offers Canaan Valley’s largest vertical drop of 1,100 feet.
Timberline enjoyed massive success into the early 2000s. It was widely regarded as having some of the steepest terrain in the mid-Atlantic region. The good times, however, started waning as the resort’s aging infrastructure slowly declined. Ultimately, financing fell through and Timberline’s owners experienced a continuous tangle of legal and financial trouble. Canaan Valley skiers were devastated. They wondered if the resort’s legendary terrain would ever be open for skiing again.
Rebranded as Timberline Mountain, the new owners and their team didn’t skip a beat. They tore down the rusted lifts by the spring of 2020. In their place rose two brand-new lifts, including a six-person high-speed detachable lift-the first of its kind in West Virginia. The Timberline Mountain team also invested heavily in upgrading the aging snowmaking system.
Newly renovated by new ownership and reopening for the 2020-2021 season, Timberline Mountain features 1,000 feet of vertical drop and terrain that appeals to a wide variety of skiers and snowboarders. Ride to the top of the mountain in the brand-new Doppelmayr 6-passenger lift (the first of its kind in WV). The ski resort has also added a four-passenger mid-mountain chairlift that services beginner and intermediate terrain and offers easy access to two terrain parks and trail-side lodging.
Timberline Mountain preparing for opening week, December 2020.
White Grass Ski Touring Center
In the late 70’s three friends, Chip Chase, Winslow Ayers and Tom Preston were skiing and chanced upon an abandoned ski lodge. The lodge had been part of Weiss Knob, a ski area begun in 1959, but abandoned ten years later. They acquired the property and opened White Grass Ski Touring Center, an expansive Nordic style facility. One of the coolest places you will ever experience, White Grass is an amazing assortment of all things winter. The original lodge building is filled with everything you’ll need to take on the challenges of cross country, skating, snowshoeing, telemarking or backcountry. The whole foods café serves up amazing homemade soups, sandwiches and desserts in a down-home atmosphere that is so laid back you’ll just have to experience it.
In 1980, cross-country skier Chip Chase was running White Grass, a Nordic ski touring center near White Grass Knob on Shenandoah Mountain in Virginia. Following the whispers of big snows in West Virginia’s highlands, Chase ventured into Canaan Valley to see what all the buzz was about. He came across the dilapidated ruins of Weiss Knob Ski Area and struck a handshake deal with the landowner. Chase moved his operation across the border to West Virginia. White Grass Ski Touring Center opened for the winter 1981-1982 season.
With no lifts or rope-tows, White Grass was-and still is-all about human-powered recreation on Cabin Mountain’s extreme terrain. White Grass Ski Touring Center opened for the winter 1981-1982 season. “People still have a concept that cross-country skiing is flat, but the White Grass cross-country style is more backcountry skiing, especially with the way we’ve developed the ski trail system and kept it interesting through the years,” Chase said.
It’s not uncommon for adventurous skiers to buy a one-way lift ticket at Canaan. They ski from Weiss Knob to Bald Knob then drop down into the tangled network of cross-country trails and cap off the day with a meal at the White Grass Cafe.
White Grass is considered a true gem of West Virginia, as well as the Nordic skiing world. The rustic lodge, warming huts scattered across the mountain and seemingly endless nooks of high-quality backcountry skiing offer a unique vibe.
Happy skiers touring on the summit of Bald Knob at White Grass.
Telemark Skiing
One particularly unique aspect of Canaan Valley skiing culture is the proliferation of Telemark skiing, an elegant style of skiing that combines elements of Nordic and Alpine skiing, where the skier’s heel isn’t locked into the ski. Telemark skiing is relatively uncommon across the country today, however, the Telemark turn is alive and well in Canaan Valley.
Through White Grass, Chase and his merry band of freeheelers brought Telemark skiing to Canaan Valley. “We brought the technique and the gear; we had that extra spirit and talent and focus,” Chase said. “I think the fact that White Grass was such a close and active part of the community legitimized Tele-skiing.
Chip Chase executing a perfect Telemark Turn at Canaan Valley Resort in the early 1980s.
Table: Canaan Valley Ski Areas
| Ski Area | Year Opened | Vertical Drop | Skiable Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabin Mountain Ski Area | 1954 | 300 feet | 40 |
| Weiss Knob Ski Area | 1955 | N/A | N/A |
| Canaan Valley Ski Resort | 1971 | N/A | N/A |
| Timberline Mountain | 1987 | 1,100 feet | 91 |
| White Grass Ski Touring Center | 1981 | N/A | N/A |
Snow Sports Museum of West Virginia
Some 60 years after Leich and Young set out to find Driftland, a dedicated and passionate group of Canaan Valley ski lovers set out to preserve it. In February 2018, Canaan skiers John Lutz and Kim Williams established the Snow Sports Museum of West Virginia (SSMWV) just over Canaan Mountain in the adventure town of Davis.
Lutz arrived in Canaan Valley in the early 1970s, jumping boots-first into the ski scene. He was ski school director at Canaan Valley Ski Resort. that allowed skiers on Telemark gear to teach alpine skiing lessons. Lutz spoke highly of the acceptance and friendliness he felt from Tucker County residents as the fledgling ski scene grew. Now serving as liaison to the WV Ski Areas Association, Lutz is a local Canaan legend, well-known for his contributions to the valley’s ski scene over the decades.
Members of the Snow Sports Museum of West Virginia at the ribbon cutting ceremony held in 2018.
Despite the establishment, growth, and competition of ski resorts in Canaan Valley, over the decades not much has changed in this relatively rural and undeveloped area. With the three ski resorts-Canaan Valley Ski Resort, White Grass Ski, and Timberline Mountain-still defining the scene, it looks like skiers have a bright future in Canaan Valley.
As Canaan Valley regulars continue to influence and write the region’s history, a new cast of snowy characters is bound to arrive and change the game once again.
Our area calls out to so many: mountain bikers, hikers, hunters, fishermen, white water enthusiasts, skiers, nature lovers, golfers, weekend warriors or those who simply need to rest. There is something here for everyone.