SNOWSHOE, West Virginia — Snowshoe Mountain marked the official start of winter this weekend with new natural snow and very, very cold temperatures. Those temperatures, which hovered below freezing early Monday morning, have allowed Snowshoe’s expert snowmaking team to make piles and piles of snow over the last day or so. Cold temperatures should remain in the region through Christmas Day, and conditions on the mountain’s more than 50 open slopes should be amazing for the Holiday.

Sunday night an inch of fresh snow fell on the West Virginia resort, bringing the mountain’s season total to 90″. The resort annually receives an average of 180″ of snowfall, and last year didn’t reach the 90″ mark until the start of February. This season’s snowfall allowed Snowshoe to open five days earlier than planned in mid-November, and the resort has been able to take advantage of the snow and cold temperatures and open terrain at an astonishing rate. The mountain already has more than 50 open slopes, and its signature slope, Cupp Run, had one of its earliest openings ever on December 5th. With more cold weather in the forecast for this week, Snowshoe could open as many as five new trails, with a possibility of being 100% open for the New Year.

With Christmas right around the corner, Snowshoe’s Village is a festive place to be. Lights, Santa and roaming carolers all signal the approaching Holidays. On Friday, Santa made his grand arrival to the mountaintop, helping Snowshoe celebrate its official 35th birthday. Today, Santa will take to the slopes, making some turns with guests. This week’s festivities will also include pictures with Santa, Christmas craft sessions, Holiday parties, movie viewings and of course plenty of celebrations to ring in the New Year next week.

Snowshoe is getting just what it asked for this Holiday Season, as more natural snow and plenty of cold temperatures should remain in the region for the coming days. If you haven’t made your Holiday plans yet, there is still limited availability for New Year’s Eve. What better way to ring in 2009 than making turns with friends and family on the region’s most open terrain? Call 877-441-4FUN or visit snowshoemtn.com.