I blew off Snowshow for a LONG time. I use to hate winter with ever fiber of my being. After having a little February baby I realized I just needed something to look forward to when the after Christmas blues hit. I may have blown off Snowshoe, but Snowshoe ended up blowing my frickin mind. A ski resort in summer though? Seems like an oxymoron. The reality is it offers just as much for a summer soul as it does for a snow bunny!

Off Season… Or Is It?

I think it goes without saying that a ski resort’s peak season is going to be in the dead of winter. The name Snowshoe evokes visions of ski lifts, snow tubes, and all the cold weather things. While it does kicks ass at all the is winter, DO NOT count it out for your West Virginia summer! What loosened the death grip weekends at Summersville Lake has on me you ask? An event called Treasure on the Mountain.

Treasure on the Mountain

It never really occurred to me to go to Snowshoe in the summer until I heard about Treasure on the Mountain. It’s a raffle event with some BIG prizes. Only 5000 tickets are sold, so your chance to win anything from a Go Pro camera to a Ford Bronco are definitely better than hitting the power ball!

Tickets are $125. That includes your admission to the event, access to SO MUCH FOOD once inside, and two numbers for the raffle that announces a winner every 👏🏼 five 👏🏼 minutes 👏🏼! Even though I did everything I could to manifest myself as the $30k prize winner, the universe bestowed that upon someone else. The universe didn’t deem me the winner of anything but a good time, and what a good time it was!

Even though I’m a newbie at Treasure on the Mountain, I have a few tips.

• Beer is NOT included with your ticket and you can not bring your own in. The beer line was one of the longest, seemingly slowest moving lines I have ever seen. If your making a weekend out of your trip book a room in the village within walking distance of the event. We stayed at Mountain Lodge and it was PERFECT. We were able to make a loop, grab our food, and go back to our condo. We got to eat our food and drink our own dranks without missing the action.
• Booking a near by room will keep you from having to pack around a canopy and chairs. We brought both just in case we needed them but was so relieved our room was close enough that we didn’t have to deal with that. To me, Mountain Lodge and Expedition Station looked to be the best options.
• Bring in a large bag for your food. The food is insane, y’all. You will run out of hands real fast. Vendors can and will run out of food within the first hour. Get your bag, get to the hot spots, and grab the food! I missed out on a few great things because I was moving at a glacial pace, trying to eat as I went to free up my hands and getting full after two tacos. I can not stress this enough, BRING A BAG!
• Download the app! It will send you a notification every five minutes on who the big winner is! This frees you up to explore the village, chill in your room, or even enjoy the event from home!
• Get your ticket before they sell out. I’m pretty sure based off of my raffle number that I was the first person to buy a ticket. What can I say? That’s how type A’s roll. You don’t have to get a ticket months in advance like me, but don’t expect to get one the day of the event.

I wish I would have taken more pictures. I was too busy living in the moment instead of documenting it. I think that says a lot!

The Top of the World – Summer Edition

From what I gather Snowshoe is an upside down ski resort, boasting it’s village at the top of the mountain. This is apparently unique amongst ski resorts where you’ll typically find your town at the base. I am far from well traveled, but Snowshoe’s village has to be one of the coolest places on Earth!

The first time I walked the cobble stone street my heart was flooded with excitement. I was like “THIS is here?” – “A place like THIS is in West Virginia?”. I’ve sorely under estimated our state.

The Village, aka The Top of the World, is such a mood! It’s got that Stars Hollow vibe with a hint of small town Germany. It’s like a scene from a movie during winter with fire pits blazing and skiers meandering.

It gave me the same feels in the summer. It was a cool evening. Families and friends wondered about. A poodle mix dog stole the show chasing his ball, going from group to group, uniting everyone in a perfect evening. I assumed it would be a desolate ghost town in the without the pull of ski season. Per usual, home girl was wrong.

It was just the right amount of bustle. Enough people to make you feel like your part of something, but not as crowded as the winter. We easily got into any restaurant we wanted with little to no wait. The weather was an escape from the blazing humidity we experienced weeks before hand.

The Food

Snowshoe has some good ass food! You could say your options are limited considering you are so far away from literally anything: a chain restaurant, a hotel, a grocery store, civilization in general. There’s still a lot to choose from though. The isolation gives that food a little somethin somethin if you ask me. You’ll find anything from bar food to high end meals on the mountain. I’ve hit up very little of the food scene at Snowshoe. I will get there though, slowly but surely, one hot wing at a time!

Foxfire Grille

After menu browsing I was SO excited to eat at Foxfire. The menu had my mouth watering days before my trip. We decided to eat on Friday night around seven. Foxfire was a short walk from Mountain Lodge. There was about a 20 minute wait but it was WORTH it! The food did not disappoint. We were served some big ole portions of juicy, crispy, deep friend awesomeness. The service was great, especially for a packed to gills restaurant!

The Junction

We rolled into The Junction on Sunday morning after checkout at Mountain Lodge. We caught them at a time between breakfast and lunch when the restaurant is temporarily closed. They were cool about it. They informed us of the switch, had us wait a few minutes while they talked to chef, and let us have a seat while they transitioned into lunch time.

We were the only people there. It was WILD. The last time I was there a few winters ago the place was PACKED. It wasn’t better, just different.

We kept it light with an appetizer and some smaller bites. The food was just as bomb as it was the last time I was there. I suggest the venison chili! You rarely see deer on a menu, so you have to compare it to what ya husband be killing and cooking back home! I’m going to try to replicate it actually.

The Village Scoop

The Village Scoop is new to the mountain. It’s so cute I could die. I would have loved to have Wright with me, and I look forward to taking him here. Anywhere with a “kids corner” wins every single time!

I got the lemon crunch ice cream. It set off all the reward receptors in my brain. I’m interested to see how an ice cream shop in a ski town will do in the winter time. Oddly enough, I will get the craving for ice cream on the coldest of days. I know I’m not alone. No matter the weather when your in Snow Show, check it out! You won’t be mad about it!

So… Summer in Snowshoe. Is it worth it?

YAS! It was such a unique experience compared to my winter trips. I just went for one event but there so much uncharted territory!

I’m not a biker, but seeing the bikers ride down the mountain and their bikes travel back up the ski lift made me want to be one. As Wright gets older I’m definitely going to entertain the idea of that adventure. We can be athletic!

But wait… there’s more! There’s hiking, there’s a lake with giant inflatables, there’s events all summer long. There’s whole slew of summer things I’ve yet to discover. The beauty of Snowshoe alone is worth the drive. You are guaranteed that find that and then some! If you are thinking about it, just do it. Go!