We’re in the middle of the thrills, spills and chills of the 2022 Winter Olympics and if you’re itching to channel your inner Chloe Kim (snowboarding), Nathan Chen (ice skating) or Jesse Diggins (crosscountry skiing) you’re in luck.

With five downhill ski resorts and some of the premiere cross-country meccas – in WhiteGrass and Elk River Touring – West Virginia is the first best skiing if you’re coming up from the South. And the West Virginia winter wonderland of sports also has room in the inn for ice skating, hockey, sledding (about as close to bobsled as you can get here), and even curling.

Here’s a look at a few places to try out some Winter Olympic sports here in West Virginia. Remember, the ski season typically lasts through mid March so the clock is ticking for downhill and cross country action.

Morgantown Curling Club

Started in 2018, the Morgantown Curling Club hosts Learn to Curl sessions for newcomers. Not surprisingly, both the February and March sessions are full but you can check out their FB page and their website to get notified for other opportunities to participate in the popular winter sport of curling. Go online at https://morgantowncurlingc.wixsite.com/mysite or call 304-844-8707.

Figure Skating Performances at Canaan

Head over to the Canaan Resort Ice Rink as they have two-hour ice skating sessions. Cost is $7, $5 for juniors and seniors and $3 for ice skate rentals. You can find out more at https://www.canaanresort.com/ski-winter-activities/ice-skating/

They will be hosting two performances by the Charleston Figure Skating Club. From 7 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 4 and noon to 1 p.m., Saturday, March 5. Meet and skate with the performers after the shows. Email recreation manager, David Vance at [email protected] for more info.

Hockey and Ice Skating at South Charleston Memorial Ice Arena

Located at the Shops at Trace Fork, the Memorial Ice Arena of South Charleston has adult and youth hockey leagues, a figure skating club, as well as general public ice skating sessions including group skates and rates.
Figure skating hours are 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays, 9-11 a.m. Saturdays, and 6-8 p.m. Sundays. Call Pam Swanson for details on hockey 304-993-2816.

Conveniently located at the Shops of Trace Fork, along Corridor G (U.S. Route 119 S) Call 744-4ICE for more information.

Uphill Skiing at Silver Creek

Over at Silver Creek, which is always a great place to escape the main Snowshoe crowds, during night skiing, is now also opening some of its slopes to Uphill Skiing (tele, cross country and back-country skiing) for folks who want to earn those turns. Lift tickets are only $20. Click here to learn more https://www.snowshoemtn.com/things-to-do/activities/uphill-skiing

Expanded Tubing At Canaan

WV has three great tubing parks. At Winterplace, Silver Creek (at Snowshoe Mountain), and at Canaan Resort, in addition to sledding at Blackwater Falls State Park. At Canaan Resort, which is celebrating its 50th year during the 2021-2022 season, they’ve expanded the snow tubing area to now have 17 lanes, added a second magic carpet lift, and are offering some of the longest tubing lanes in the Mid-Atlantic at 1,200 feet long. Go online at https://www.canaanresort.com/ski-winter-activities/snow-tubing/ to find out more about snow tubing, and be sure to check out some of the other cool winter activities there from snowshoe rentals and ice skating.

Watch and Try Ski Racing at Timberline

If the Olympics has got you jonesing to see some live ski racing you can head to Timberline Mountain on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 26-27, when Timberline Mountain is hosting the 2022 SARA (Southern Alpine Racing Association) Master’s Championships. Go online at https://saraski.org/ to find out more about SARA, the youth ski racing league affiliated with US Ski & Snowboard. Host mountains are located throughout VA, WV, and NC (members are welcome from any state).

Timberline Mountain is also home to the Timberline Race Team for kids 7 to 18. To learn and compete in slalom and giant slalom racing. There’s a new skier assessment at 3 p.m. Feb. 28. Go online at https://www.timberlineraceteam.org.

Get Your Race On @ Snowshoe

The Berming Man Slalom Snowboard Race is set for Saturday, Feb. 26. Expect crazy costumes, steep banks, high speed and good times. And on March 5-6, for the first time in a decade, Snowshoe Mountain welcomes back the USASA boarder and skier cross races. And last but not least, the always wild pond skim championships to be held Saturday, March 19. Go online at https://www.snowshoemtn.com/things-to-do/events for more info.

Sled Run – and Crosscountry Ski – at Blackwater Falls

OK you’ve got to go to the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York to Lake Placid for the closest bobsled run, but you can pile friends onto the sleds at Blackwater Falls State Park in Davis (Canaan Valley) and race your friends down the slopes.
The Blackwater Falls Sled Run is open now through March 6, 2022 weather permitting. It is open Wednesday through Sundays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. There is a 7-9 p.m. night session on Fridays and Saturdays only and holiday Sundays (MLK and Presidents’ Day).

Cost is $24 weekdays, $28 holidays and weekends for those ages six and up. The sled run is free for kids ages five and under but they must ride with an adult. Guests should arrive about 20 minutes early to attend a safety briefing before the sledding session.
For folks who visit in the day time and do not want to sled, but want to explore (if there is natural snow), the Sled Run area is surrounded by trails and the hut rents out cross-country skis (only $16) and snowshoes to explore the more than 20 miles of hiking trails. Note that just a stone’s throw from the sled run is the trail that leads you to the very scenic and famed Blackwater Falls panoramic overlook, Lindy Point.

It’s All Downhill From Here

You can work on your downhill or alpine skiing all around the Mountain State as well West Virginia has five downhill ski resorts that line the spine of the Appalachian Mountains:Timberline Mountain and Canaan Resort in Canaan Valley), Snowshoe Mountain in Pocahontas County, Winterplace (just south of Beckley), and Oglebay Resort in Wheeling. All have a considerable amount of beginner terrain for folks just learning to ski, while Timberline, Canaan and Snowshoe have the greatest number of advanced trails. Since Saturdays are the busiest days in season, try to visit mid-week or at least a Friday or Sunday to avoid the largest crowds. Winterplace is known for one of the longest ski days in the Southeast with 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. hours and night skiing that has all of its 27 trails lit. Night skiing can also be found at Silver Creek (adjacent to Snowshoe Mountain Resort). Go online at the West Virginia Ski Areas Association at https://www.westvirginiaski.com to get links to all of the resorts.

Get Big Air

You can work on your freestyle tricks as most of West Virginia’s ski resorts have terrain parks for skiers and snowboarders to catch some air. Snowshoe Mountain has the greatest concentration of terrain parks at The Basin and at Silver Creek. Progression and Evolution terrain parks are located at The Basin while Silver Creek (alway a good call to miss mid-day crowds), is home to three terrain parks: Robertson’s Run, Mountaineer and Timberjack.

There’s also terrain parks at Timberline Mountain (Snowsquall and ThunderSnow Terrain Parks), at Winterplace (off of Panorama), Canaan (Allegheny Alley).

Get That Crosscountry Burn On

Recognized as one of the best crosscountry destinations in the Mid-Atlantic, the iconic White Grass is located at 643 Weiss Knob Ski Road, Davis, WV. White Grass is open 9 a.m. to dark daily December through March (natural snow permitting). Located at the former Weiss Knob Ski Area (that dates to 1959), White Grass has more than 50 kilometers of maintained trails from 3,200 (at the cozy red lodge) up to Weiss Knob, which at 4,463 feet is Tucker County’s highest point. Rentals are $25 daily for crosscountry gear; $18 for snowshoes; $35 for backcountry; $40 for telemark; season pass is $140. Daily area use fee is $22. Go online at www.whitegrass.com or call 304-866-4114. In Canaan Valley, there is also cross country skiing and rentals at

Blackwater Falls State Park, which has 10 miles of cross country trails as well as a popular sled run. Go online at https://wvstateparks.com/park/blackwater-falls-state-park/
Nearby Canaan Resort has 35 kilometers of ungroomed trails for cross country skiing and snowshoeing. Go online at https://www.canaanresort.com/ski-winter-activities/cross-country-skiing-snowshoeing/

Canaan also hosts the third annual Sunrise Scramble uphill ski race at 8 a.m. Sunday, March 6. Register at https://raceroster.com/events/2022/57628/3rd-annual-sunrise-scramble-2022?fbclid=IwAR1C-vL qsZjd4SOYDygowZpouucUpMS0oikzHBkNgihlD569w0MdViODOyU

Elk River Inn and Restaurant ( elkriverwv.com /304-572-3771) is located only five miles south of WV-66 (the Snowshoe turnoff) at 34037 Seneca Trail, Slatyfork, WV. Elk River is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily (natural snow permitting). Equipment rates are $25 per day (skis,boots and poles), $15 for kids 12 and under. Snowshoes are $25 per day and the area use fee is $5. Elk River also has pull sleds for carrying small children.

There are five kilometers of trails adjacent to Elk River Inn and the national forest. Trails are packed by snowmobile. There is an additional 25K of trails at the Highland Scenic Highway. Elk River has maps and detailed information about these and other area cross country skiing opportunities. Go online at www.elkriverwv.com/cross-country-skiing/ or call 304-572-3771 or 304-376-9519.