Read skier and snowboarder-submitted reviews on Timberline Mountain that rank the ski resort and mountain town on a scale of one to five stars for attributes such as terrain, nightlife and family friendliness. See how Timberline Mountain stacks up in the reviews, on and off the slopes, from skiing and family activities to the après scene. Read up on pros, cons and other comments in reviews left by fellow skiers and riders. Don't forget to submit your own Timberline Mountain review! Scroll to the bottom of this page to let other travelers know about your skiing and resort experience.
Reviews for Timberline Mountain
Total (3.0)
A ski resort's overall star rating displayed here is not calculated based on a simple average but takes several factors, including the age of a review, into account.
2025: If you're grading on a curve against nearby ski resorts in the mid-Atlantic, the Line under new management is now a solid 4+ or 5 star. If you're grading against places in the Rockies, its a 3 star experience, but they're doing the best they can with the terrain and weather available in WV.
Timberline offers about 1K vertical served by a high speed six-pack. Lifties are pretty good at efficiently loading it. On max holiday crowd times you can expect a 4-10 minute wait which is not terrible. Once at the top there are a pair of double black steeps, a pair of blacks, a few blues and a single green. If natural snowfall allows some glades are theoretically open, but the brush is pretty overgrown and you better bring your rock skis. There are no wide open bowls or endless steeps like you'll find out west, but for the mid-Atlantic this is excellent. The scenic views from the peak (especially "almost heaven") are pleasant.
Snow making is also on-point. The new owners have invested and it shows. Timberline regularly has more terrain open than anyone else in the region.
The lodge is a bit small/crowded on holiday peak times but serviceable. There's decent food and beer on tap, and occasional live music. Navigating between multiple floors is a bit of a pain. Management does provide a microwave for brown-baggers which is awesome.
On the value front, Timberline is competitively priced with solid discounts if you commit to a multi-day trip. They are not on Epic/Ikon but do offer a season pass that is a similar value so long as you don't plan on a big Rocky Mountain or New England trip. If you live in the Midwest, there is a pass that offers access to Perfect North and Timberline which is a no-brainer -- ski Perfect North when home then do a big trip or two out to Timberline.
Overall, timberline is a great skier's mountain in WV. Again grading on a regional curve its a 5 star experience. That said, where could there be improvements?
- Terrain: One double black, black, and blue should be left ungroomed to be moguled out. This would allow more variety in the terrain and opportunities to practice new skills.
- Beginner Areas: In the morning, ski school starts at the carpet and on the small 4-pack lift. By the afternoon many newer skiers have migrated to the six pack. This causes loading/unloading delays and starts to clog the blues from the peak as well as the single green. Both double blacks dump out onto that green so it can be a bit hairy picking your way back to the lift. Improving the variety and quality of the terrain accessible from the mid-mountain lift could spread out the traffic flow.
- Night Skiing: Right now only the mid mountain is accessible from the slow four pack. There is not much good terrain accessible from there, and what is accessible all feels very much the same. Letting 1-2 of those runs get moguled out, or adding a small "mini park" would add both variety and learning opportunities to spread crowds out. In a perfect world, they'd light up "white lightning" and allow night skiing from the peak but I understand spinning up the 6 pack would cost more and may not be feasible.
- Lodge: There's not much to be done to address the lodge layout at this point -- the stairs are what they are. Adding more restrooms and maybe a coffee/hot-cocoa stand or yurt at slope level is about all that could be done. Some cubbies to allow people to stash bags might cut down on clutter and "table camping" (some people leave a bag at a table and imagine it reserves it for their personal use all day whether they are there or not).
- Parking: The parking lot is tight and often slick with little gravel thrown down. You need AWD, studded tires, or chains. There are generous overflow lots.
- Access: There's not much of an apres ski scene at Timberline. A shuttle for reasonable cost between Timberline, Canaan Valley Resort/State Park, and Davis would potentially be interesting. It would also cut down on the parking lot jam.
- Pass: It'd be interesting to see Timberline on Indy pass but I have no idea if the economics would support that.
- Lifts: The current lifts are good and represent a wise investment by the new owners. In a perfect world, another lift that accesses the peak (either from the base or mid-mountain) would be awesome. Sometimes that 6 pack gets pretty busy, and I have some concerns about a single lift potentially breaking down and potentially ruining a ski day. In a fantasy world, a new lift that goes from the bottom of the mid mountain crossroad to the peak would allow continuous laps of the top half of the mountain and relieve congestion at the base, and also be accessible via the current quad.
Mark Caple
Love the resort ski there all time thank you perfect north for saving it.
rbposey
Please visit their website for updated information. timberlinemountain.com Located in the Monongahela National Forest along with Canaan Valley and Snowshoe. Timberline went bankrupt and was not open last year. Purchased by Perfect North Slopes from Indiana. 2 new lifts, tremendous snowmaking upgrades. Restored lodge! Looks like all new rental equipment. Reminds me of skiing in New England. I live 30 minutes from Liberty and Whitetail and much prefer skiing in WV.
lname
Also. Check out Whitegrass while you're down here.
lname
Outstanding place. Lines can get a little longer than normal as the lifties are not forcing people to fill up the chairs because of COVID. Grooming has been very spot on. Canaan Valley has been getting a goooood amount of snow this year. Bring your own beer and have a cold one right next to the lift being that you can park basically right there.
First, On the Snow data is often absurd and totally erroneous. Said this area was open 97 days last year and in fact it was CLOSED. Duh. Second, you show zero recent snowfall. As of mid day 2/1/2021 they had 15" of new snow. You people are utterly useless. Third, this GREAT newly renovated ski area has a 6 person high speed chair to the top that averages under 3 people in each chair. Completely unmanaged largest single investment in WV ski history. There is no operator either limiting people per chair NOR trying to keep chairs mostly filled. Staggering stupidity. Blaming this circumstance on Covid 19 is simply FALSE. Frankly a lie. Sad to see them start this way. Unjustifiable big long lift lines.
lname
Pros: Reasonable Tickets. A new FAST lift with decently short lines for a Sunday. Some of the best groomers I've ever been on. Some nice steep stuff! I parked basically at the lift with my pass already loaded for the scanner, no need to go in to the lodge (which is completely remodeled) Very friendly (yet very stern about facial coverings) staff. I'll mention the snow again, master groomer work, and plenty of snow, outstanding conditions.
Cons: People will hear about it......
Luke
Once Timberline re-opened I had to see for myself how the changes were coming. New ownership has me blown away. You can now get to the top from the base in 3 minutes, and granted, there was fresh 3-4 in of natural snow, bump runs were not like thudding through mashed potatoes. And there was enough snow for tree skiing. The ticket cost up front seems high, but midweek the cost includes 15 bucks for food and drink on the mountain.
Good intermediate terrain, apres ski is mostly found in Davis, WV. There's no onsite resort village like Snowshoe (then again, you don't get the shoe crowds and $100 lift tickets)
James McWalters
New management has added 6 man high speed chair. At over 4,200 elevation snow is fairly reliable. Not a fancy place, but great for serious skiers. Lots of steep terrain.
Ben Witt
Looks like things are on the up. Timberline was purchased by Perfect North Slopes out of Indiana with the intent of rehabbing the slopes and reopening for the 2020-2021 season. Perfect North is a very well ran Resort wit top of the industry snowmaking and management. A bright future is ahead!!!
Rate this Resort
Share your experience at resort Timberline Mountain to help other skiers.
