Snowshoe, West Virginia
{{promotional|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name = Snowshoe, West Virginia
| settlement_type = Unincorporated community
| motto = Forever Wild
| image_skyline = The Village at Snowshoe.jpg
| imagesize = 250px
| image_caption = The Village at Snowshoe Mountain
| image_flag = Flag of Snowshoe, West Virginia.svg
| image_seal =
| image_map =
| mapsize =
| map_caption =
|pushpin_map = West Virginia
|pushpin_map_alt =
|pushpin_map_caption = Location of Snowshoe, West Virginia
|pushpin_mapsize =
|pushpin_label_position = right
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_type2 = County
| subdivision_name = United States
| subdivision_name1 = West Virginia
| subdivision_name2 = Pocahontas
| government_type =
| leader_title =
| leader_name =
| established_title = Founded
| established_date = 1974
| population_as_of = 2000
| population_total = 163 [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=86000US26209&_geoContext=01000US%7C86000US26209&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=&_zip=26209]
| timezone = EST
| utc_offset = -5
| timezone_DST = EDT
| utc_offset_DST = -4
| coordinates = {{coord|38|24|35|N|80|0|51|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_m = 1478
| elevation_ft = 4848
| postal_code_type = ZIP Code
| postal_code = 26209
| area_code = 304
| blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
| blank1_info = 1557891{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=United States Geological Survey|date=2007-10-25}}
| website = [http://snowshoemtn.com/ snowshoemtn.com]
| area_code_type = Area code
| blank1_name_sec1 = Exchange
| blank1_info_sec1 = 572
}}
Snowshoe is an unincorporated community in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States, centering on the Snowshoe Mountain ski resort. It is situated in the Allegheny Mountains at a bowl shaped convergence of two high mountain ridges — Cheat and Back Allegheny Mountains — at the head of the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River. Snowshoe is site of the second highest point in the state and the peak elevation for Cheat Mountain, at Thorny Flat, which reaches {{convert|4848|ft|m|0}} above sea level.
Snowshoe has several commercial areas, with the most prominent being The Village at Snowshoe, located at the summit of the mountain (rather than at its base). While the area is still best known for winter activities, today the resort has extensive mountain biking trails, a popular golf course, wedding and convention areas, a number of summer outdoor activities, and also hosts a Grand National Cross Country racing event. About 480,000 skiers visit the area each year, primarily from West Virginia and the larger cities of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
Snowshoe Mountain's large property includes several developed resort areas, a conservation area, and expansive backcountry that covers {{convert|10,950|acres|km2|2}} in total. Ski slopes make up {{convert|244|acres|km2|2}} of the resort, which include the Snowshoe Basin, Western Territory, and Silver Creek areas.
History
The area, then indistinct from Slatyfork, had been logged from about 1905 to 1960, after which it was abandoned. Thomas "Doc" Brigham discovered the mountain and believed it would be a good location to build a new ski resort. Brigham, a dentist from North Carolina, had previously opened the Sugar Mountain and Beech Mountain ski areas. Snowshoe Mountain opened to skiing on December 13, 1974.
Climate
With a mean temperature of {{convert|22.1|°F|°C|lk=on}} (as seen in the climate box below) in January and {{convert|62.6|°F|°C}} in July, Snowshoe can be considerably cooler than nearby areas at lower elevations. The average winter season is just slightly more than 130 days each year, while the spring, summer, and fall seasons typically include a series of sports, recreation, and cultural events.
Snowshoe has a humid continental climate (Dfb).
The resort's altitude at almost a mile high provides for weather conditions that more closely resemble the rigorous winters of Northern New England than the milder climate of the Upland South. The massive horseshoe formed by the Cheat Mountain Range creates its own micro-climate, frequently affected by orographic lift of mid-level Great Lake moisture-laden fronts, resulting in massive snowfalls. Snowshoe averages over 13 feet of natural snow per year.
{{weather box
| location = Snowshoe, West Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1975–present)
| single line = y
| Jan record high F = 57
| Feb record high F = 63
| Mar record high F = 76
| Apr record high F = 79
| May record high F = 82
| Jun record high F = 82
| Jul record high F = 87
| Aug record high F = 85
| Sep record high F = 79
| Oct record high F = 77
| Nov record high F = 72
| Dec record high F = 64
| year record high F = 87
|Jan avg record high F = 50.8
|Feb avg record high F = 51.8
|Mar avg record high F = 60.2
|Apr avg record high F = 70.3
|May avg record high F = 74.1
|Jun avg record high F = 76.9
|Jul avg record high F = 77.8
|Aug avg record high F = 76.8
|Sep avg record high F = 74.8
|Oct avg record high F = 68.5
|Nov avg record high F = 60.1
|Dec avg record high F = 52.2
|year avg record high F = 79.1
| Jan high F = 29.8
| Feb high F = 31.8
| Mar high F = 38.9
| Apr high F = 51.0
| May high F = 59.7
| Jun high F = 66.6
| Jul high F = 69.8
| Aug high F = 68.8
| Sep high F = 63.5
| Oct high F = 53.3
| Nov high F = 42.0
| Dec high F = 34.1
| year high F = 50.8
| Jan mean F = 22.1
| Feb mean F = 23.9
| Mar mean F = 30.8
| Apr mean F = 42.0
| May mean F = 51.4
| Jun mean F = 59.0
| Jul mean F = 62.6
| Aug mean F = 61.7
| Sep mean F = 56.3
| Oct mean F = 45.7
| Nov mean F = 34.6
| Dec mean F = 27.0
| year mean F = 43.1
| Jan low F = 14.3
| Feb low F = 15.9
| Mar low F = 22.8
| Apr low F = 33.0
| May low F = 43.2
| Jun low F = 51.3
| Jul low F = 55.4
| Aug low F = 54.6
| Sep low F = 49.1
| Oct low F = 38.1
| Nov low F = 27.2
| Dec low F = 19.8
| year low F = 35.4
|Jan avg record low F = -7.6
|Feb avg record low F = -4.0
|Mar avg record low F = 3.3
|Apr avg record low F = 15.0
|May avg record low F = 28.5
|Jun avg record low F = 40.4
|Jul avg record low F = 47.8
|Aug avg record low F = 46.9
|Sep avg record low F = 35.8
|Oct avg record low F = 22.1
|Nov avg record low F = 9.6
|Dec avg record low F = 0.8
|year avg record low F = -10.3
| Jan record low F = -36
| Feb record low F = -20
| Mar record low F = -8
| Apr record low F = 1
| May record low F = 16
| Jun record low F = 29
| Jul record low F = 36
| Aug record low F = 33
| Sep record low F = 25
| Oct record low F = 11
| Nov record low F = -4
| Dec record low F = -26
| year record low F = -36
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 6.06
| Feb precipitation inch = 4.95
| Mar precipitation inch = 5.97
| Apr precipitation inch = 5.17
| May precipitation inch = 5.84
| Jun precipitation inch = 5.71
| Jul precipitation inch = 4.87
| Aug precipitation inch = 4.76
| Sep precipitation inch = 4.42
| Oct precipitation inch = 4.10
| Nov precipitation inch = 4.47
| Dec precipitation inch = 6.22
| year precipitation inch = 62.54
| Jan snow inch = 35.5
| Feb snow inch = 31.4
| Mar snow inch = 27.2
| Apr snow inch = 8.5
| May snow inch = 0.8
| Jun snow inch = 0.0
| Jul snow inch = 0.0
| Aug snow inch = 0.0
| Sep snow inch = 0.0
| Oct snow inch = 2.8
| Nov snow inch = 9.7
| Dec snow inch = 28.8
| year snow inch = 144.7
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 23.6
| Feb precipitation days = 19.4
| Mar precipitation days = 19.8
| Apr precipitation days = 17.2
| May precipitation days = 18.4
| Jun precipitation days = 17.7
| Jul precipitation days = 17.6
| Aug precipitation days = 17.3
| Sep precipitation days = 14.8
| Oct precipitation days = 15.1
| Nov precipitation days = 16.4
| Dec precipitation days = 21.0
| year precipitation days = 218.3
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jan snow days = 12.3
| Feb snow days = 10.7
| Mar snow days = 8.4
| Apr snow days = 3.3
| May snow days = 0.7
| Jun snow days = 0.0
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 1.4
| Nov snow days = 4.7
| Dec snow days = 9.3
| year snow days = 50.8
|source 1 = NOAA{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=rlx
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = June 13, 2021}}{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00468308&format=pdf
| title = Station: Snowshoe, WV
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = June 13, 2021}}
}}
Popular culture
- Snowshoe as well as the Top of the World Ski Resort is a location in the game Fallout 76{{cite news |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/fallout-76/locations|title=Fallout 76 locations - all the map markers confirmed across post-apocalyptic West Virginia|first1=Jordan|last1=Forward|publisher=PC GamesN|date=October 8, 2018|access-date=August 9, 2024}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{official website}}
{{Pocahontas County, West Virginia}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Unincorporated communities in Pocahontas County, West Virginia