SNOWSHOE - WEST VIRGINAI'S MOUNTAIN TOP SKI RESORT
SNOWSHOE - WEST VIRGINIA’S MOUNTAIN TOP SKI RESORT
January’s Snow typically ushers in West Virginia’s snow skiing season – usually lasting into March. At last count, West Virginia's has five ski resorts including:
- Snowshoe Resort
- Timberline Resort
- Canaan Valley Resort
- Ogelbay Resort
- Winterplace Resort
Information on each of these ski resorts can be found at the following link: https://www.skiresort.info/ski-resorts/west-virginia/
Snowshoe (Mountain Top) Resort is West Virginia's biggest ski resort and one of my favorite ski destinations in the state. It has the highest total elevation of all the states’ resorts. Its 14 lifts service 60 trails and 257 acres of skiable terrain with some runs approaching 1,500 feet of vertical drop - including the steepest and longest slopes in the entire eastern United States south of New England. The resort is built on top of the mountain (European style as I’ve heard it described), that is, the ski village – including restaurants, shops, bars and lodges – are all on top of the mountain showcasing the alpine scenery and beautiful views in all directions. The resort’s central avenue is pedestrian only, creating a unique feel and charm, and most lodges are walking distance to one of the resorts ski lifts. As a mountain top resort, It seems that it is almost always winter on top of Snowshoe Mountain – even when there is no snow in surrounding areas.
Snowshoe Mountain Ski Trail Map (image copyright of Snowshoe Mountain Resort).
Included below are some of my winter images taken at West Virginia's beautiful Snowshoe Mountain Resort:
The Boathouse Bar & Grill at the base of the mountain on Shavers Lake by the Ballhooter Ski Lift - (a good place to sit out a run or two - when you can no longer keep up with your kids).
Skis in the snow by Shavers Lake.
Snowshoe Mountain Sunset
I love photographing sunrises and sunsets – it’s a special time to be outdoors and enjoy natures beauty! I usually shoot sunrise / sunset images using the HDR settings on my camera (Canon 5DMark4). This is a bracketed setting where 3 (or more) images are taken sequentially at different exposure setting and then blended or combined into one image to better capture the large dynamic range between the brightest and darkest parts of the image. This can be done in the camera or in post processing. A tripod is essential to keep the camera steady as longer exposures are typically needed when photographing sunrises and sunsets with bracketing. It is also important to use a remote shutter release or a timed shutter release - (I normally use a 2 second delay timed release) to reduce the camera shake resulting from pressing the camera’s shutter button. These days, post processing is almost essential in producing nice results - through sharpening, noise reduction, white balance, color saturation and other image exposure adjustments. I use Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, and Topaz software for post processing.
Sunrise on Snowshoe Mountain.
I hope you have enjoyed these Snowshoe images. These and other Snowshoe images are available on my website: www.KullmanVisualArts.com in the Snowshoe Gallery (Click here). The image above, ‘Sunrise on Snowshoe Mountain’ is also available as a free digital download - suitable size for a small print or screensaver - at the attached Dropbox link: (Click Here).
A FINAL NOTE: In my periodic email newsletters, my aim is to share with you some of my artwork (usually including a free downloadable image), to provide information on some fun travel destinations, and also to include some photography or painting tips. Please feel free to share this email with others. Also, if you so desire, there is a link at the bottom of each email where you can opt out of receiving any of my future emails. As always, thank you and best wishes, Greg
Greg Kullman
Kullman Visual Arts
Greg@KullmanVisualArts.com
www.KullmanVisualArts.com