Navigating A Busy Time At Snowshoe

*Most of this info comes from first-hand experiences, either from us or friends on the different Snowshoe Visitor facebook pages. 

There are a handful of weeks/weekends during the season that the mountain is at or near max capacity, and maybe this just happens to be when you can get everyone rounded up and get to the ‘Shoe. Fear not! Yes, it’s going to be busy, but there are ways to avoid the largest crowds during your stay. 

TLDR- it’s all about your attitude. 

Attitude:

The best tip is just to KNOW that it’s going to be busy and just roll with it. You’re surrounded by like-minded powder lovers, all seeking out the perfect run and a little bliss on the mountain. Enjoy it!

Also, be patient with everyone. Kids, newbies, loud people : ) 

Gear:

• Reserve ahead of time and pick up the night before, if possible 
• Make sure you wear weather appropriate gear. It won't help with the crowd, but it will help with your attitude

On the Slopes

• Be out at rope drop, or as close as possible. The further into the day you get, the busier the slopes will be. 
• Ski the Basin first thing, utilizing Ballhooter as early as possible. Then transition to Powder Monkey or Soaring Eagle Express. 
• SilverCreek* is great all day and night! 
  • *Its worth noting here that a lot of people don’t realize it’s included in your lift ticket, or just don’t care to give SilverCreek a try. This is a mistake. But also, shhhhh, it’s the best kept secret. 

Sustenance 

• The summary here: eat outside of the Village. There’s so much else to try! 
• Non-Village dining:
  • South Mountain (Hoots, 10 Prime)
  • SilverCreek (First Run, Locker Room, Bears Den, Old Spruce)
  • Western/Powder Monkey (Appalachian Kitchen, Touques, The Pizza Slice, photo above!)
  • And that’s not even all of them!
• Bring your own food and cook
• Take a quick trip down to Linwood Market to get some local food and treats
• Get groceries from Snowshoe Grocery Delivery 

Transportation

• Utilize the shuttle… but strategically. Let’s say you ski the basin all day and then it’s 4pm and you’re ready to ride the shuttle back to your unit. Guess what? Everyone else who is on the mountain is also trying to use the shuttles then too. 
• Don’t use the shuttles to leave the village from 3pm-6pm (and maybe even a bit before and a bit after that) 
• This is a controversial one, BUT: if I knew that we would be in the village until late on a very busy day and HAD to take a shuttle back to wherever we were staying, I would probably pay for parking in the Top of the World lot, ride on the slopes over to Top of the World, and drive back to our unit. Especially with younger kids. I think that would be worth paying the parking fee for the day. 

WiFi

• It’s worth noting that there is ONE WiFi provider for the whole mountain. (But there are rumblings of Starlink being opened for our area!)
• The average speed offered by CityNet is 25mgbs. If you’re used to a gig, this might as well be dial up. And when the mountain is full and everyone is trying to pull from this little bit of bandwidth… well, it’s slow.
• Depending on the service provider you have, most people can get some service in the village. Worth checking!
• If you are in desperate need of faster WiFi, or maybe need to work, you can head down to Linwood and use the WiFi at the library. There’s some nice seating and areas to work, just check the hours before you head down there. 

Okay! That's it! What did we forget? What are your tips for avoiding the crowds on busy weekends at Snowshoe?