My eyes skim over the wooden paneling on the bar, then drift toward the matching the wood-slatted ceiling. There’s a shotski on the wall, the T.V. muted to an extreme sports channel showcasing cross-country ski racing in the Alps. Save for the jukebox in the corner which rarely ever gets any attention and the pair of gentleman occasionally picking up their guitars to play country music covers, there’s no music. Just the sound of glasses clinking and people laughing.
I’m at Timbers Pub and Fireside Grill at Timberline Four Seasons Resort in West Virginia and I couldn’t be happier — feet propped up, cider in hand, the fatigue of a hard day’s worth of skiing melting away with every sip. Who cares that the black pleather seat I’m perched on is split open at the seams, or that the lodge, and every aspect of Timberline, seems set back in time? I didn’t come to West Virginia for a luxury-Vail experience — I came here to ski.
My friends often joke about Timberline and the amenities, calling it T-slime instead of T-line. They’re locals, though. They grew up with these slopes in their backyard. They’ve been evacuated from the lift when it periodically breaks down, they’ve had to ski through snow blowers on bluebird days, but they still come back every season. Why? Because if there’s one thing Timberline has better than any other resort, it’s a dedicated community of rippers.
Rail jams at nearby resorts barely bring a turnout while Timberline terrain comps are always packed. The resort’s annual Snowy Luau and Mardi Gras events rage late into the evening and trickle into the wee hours of the morning, a sure sign of a good time.
But there’s no denying it — Timberline is in desperate need of an upgrade. Within the past couple of years, its neighbor, Canaan Valley Resort, underwent a major facelift, complete with a newly renovated 160-room lodge, hot tubs, saunas, you name it. It’s hard to compete with that, and still, my friends prefer T-slime any day.
In hopes of tapping into that tried and true loyalty, Timberline is launching the world’s first-ever snowfunding program. It’s like crowdfunding for snow (among other things). Discounted lift tickets, season passes for cheap, rental prices you can’t find anywhere else…you get the picture. Timberline wants to pay homage to its dedicated fans while raising money community-style so that the resort and its family will get the much-needed lift, lodge, and snowmaking upgrades it rightly deserves.
Support Timberline and help it morph from T-slime to T-divine. Learn more about the snowfunding program here and then get out there and hit the slopes this weekend!
