What I’ve learned is that if you live in Charlottesville you have to have an opinion on two things: 1) how you feel about Tony Bennett’s Pack Line defense and 2) whether you think Massanutten or Wintergreen is better for a day trip family ski adventure.
And the answer to question one had better be good, or you could get yourself in a lot of trouble at cocktail parties.
Massanutten and Wintergreen are fairly equal in distance and drive from the Charlottesville area. Both are small ski resorts in the mountains, but they have very different vibes.
Massanutten is close to Harrisonburg, which means a lot of James Madison University students will pop over to ski/snowboard. The place buzzes with energy and youthful snowboarders go whizzing by, clearly not old enough yet to be worried about things like “ACLs” or “knees.” Ah, to be young again…
Also, Massanutten really focuses on being a year-round destination and resort. While Wintergreen has a fairly isolated and rugged feel, Massanutten has found ways to make any time of the year full of activity for visitors. There is golf, a waterpark (indoor and outdoor), mountain biking terrain, an escape room, ice skating, shopping, a spa, an adventure park with ziplines, snow tubing, summer tubing and more. They have really transitioned and built themselves into a four-seasons family-recreation resort. And our kids wanted to do it all!
But if you are just going to ski for the day, you may be more interested in ease of access.
As I said in the Wintergreen article, skiing in Virginia is not going to be the most “epic” skiing ever. The runs are short and fairly easy, with ratings very different from what you would see out West. Given the smaller nature of the ski area, too, expect to find crowds on popular weekends. Snow here is going to mostly be manmade, and being prepared to go at the last minute when conditions are good is a real benefit to living here.
But perhaps the biggest difference between Massanutten and Wintergreen is the location of the parking lots and resort itself. Wintergreen is at the top; Massanutten is at the bottom.
For whatever reason, when a ski resort places amenities, access and rentals all at the bottom of the mountain instead of at the top, it makes parking and hitting the slopes from the car a bit more convenient. There is more space, I suppose, for ample parking slope side when not constrained by things like “topography” and “mountains.” This is a general observation, of course, and not science. But worth noting as you work to haul your family to the slopes.
We found that Massanutten is such an easy place to take kids to ski. Because the terrain is fairly tame and the mountain small, it is easy to either divide and conquer different terrain or to find each other if someone heads in a different direction (either purposefully or on accident).
There are also some nice spots to sit outside at the base of the slopes and enjoy the mountain air, some food, and a cold beverage.
Massanutten offers lessons and even skiing and snowboarding teams that train and race. Maybe our area will produce the next Mikaela Shiffrin? Dreams…
Also, in case you are wondering, it’s not just you: the Massanutten website can be fairly challenging to navigate (it takes some time to find rentals, lift tickets, etc.) but stick with it. Because the fun in the snow is worth it!
Please know that there are affiliate links included in this post. This means that, at no cost to you, if you click, Raising Charlottesville gets a small compensation. It helps keep us going. For more, read our disclaimers. Thanks for supporting us!
Learn more about skiing Massanutten:
- Official website
- Trail map
- While Massanutten doesn’t seem to offer a discount for locals, they do have a half-day pass option, which we have found very useful.
- Massanutten does rent equipment, but remember that Freestyle here in town has rental options.
- If you want to purchase your own equipment, the annual Tent Sale by Freestyle is PHENOMENAL! Don’t miss it. They usually do this end of October/early November. They announce all sales via their Facebook page consistently.
Raising Charlottesville is a website dedicated to highlighting fun & local activities for families living in the Charlottesville, VA area.