Wintergreen Resort

Wintergreen Resort is a four-season mountain resort on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, located in Nelson County, Virginia and near the towns of Wintergreen and Nellysford. The resort is also in close proximity to the cities of Lynchburg, Waynesboro, and Charlottesville, and within a three-hour drive of Washington, D.C.[1] It opened in 1975 and is currently owned and managed by Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. Unlike most other ski resorts, Wintergreen is a "Mountain Top" resort in which all of the amenities are built on the peaks and ridges, rather than at the traditional base.

For other places with the same name, see Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (company) and Spring Green, Wisconsin.
Wintergreen Resort
The Peak of Eagle's Swoop
The Peak of Eagle's Swoop
LocationWintergreen, Nelson County, Virginia, USA
Nearest major cityCharlottesville
Coordinates37°55′48″N 78°56′30″W
Vertical1,003 ft (306 m)
Top elevation3,515 ft (1,071 m)
Base elevation2,512 ft (766 m)
Skiable area129 acres (52 ha)
Runs26 total
23% beginner
35% intermediate
42% advanced
Longest runTyro 1.4 mi (2.3 km)
Lift system5 total (2 High-speed six pack chairs, 1 quad chair, 1 triple chair, 1 double chair)
Lift capacity11,200 per hour
Terrain parks1
Snowfall35 in (890 mm)
Snowmaking100%
Night skiing54%
Websitewintergreenresort.com

History
Top of the Highlands in January 2006, Wintergreen Resort

Development

In 1969, a 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) tract of land known as The Big Survey, located in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains and home to a wide variety of forestry, timberland, and wildlife, was purchased by a group of investors.[2] Within a few years, Cabot, Cabot & Forbes of Boston purchased The Big Survey, and the planning of the Wintergreen community began. The Sea Pines Company soon joined the group to plan and market the area and a new community.

By 1975, the resort had a large ski area, consisting of eight slopes and three chairlifts, which opened with much fanfare and Virginia Governor Mills E. Godwin in attendance. The resort's first restaurant, The Copper Mine, was open to the public only during the winter months. The original welcoming center, the Wintergreen Country Store, was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. In later years, additional ski runs were added in cleared areas to the west and east of the original development and resort village.

Growth

In 1976 Melba Investors, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bankers Trust of New York, acquired Wintergreen from Cabot, Cabot & Forbes, and Lewis F. Payne, Jr. founded Wintergreen Development, Inc. to operate the resort and serve as the developer and managing agent.

Within a year, the resort could beckon summer vacationers and residents with the completion of the new Ellis Maples-designed Devils Knob golf course (June 1977) and the opening of the mountain tennis center (June 1978). In January 1978, Wintergreen hosted its first Winter Special Olympics. There was also an ongoing flora transplantation project, which began to save native plant species, and use them in the resort's landscaping.[3]

Soon after, The Mountain Inn and Conference Center was completed (December 1980), allowing the resort, now owned and managed by Wintergreen Partners, Inc., (being separate and apart from the Wintergreen Property Owners Association). WPI aggressively worked to host conferences and meetings, expanding the resort's initial target market.

Present

In 2012, Wintergreen Resort was bought for $16.5 million by James C. Justice II, the owner of The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia.[4] Following the acquisition, Justice began several construction projects valued at a total of $12 million, including restaurant upgrades, a multimillion-dollar water tank and new snow guns to facilitate the resort's 100% snowmaking coverage, as well as improvements to existing recreational facilities.[5]

Three years later, in February 2015, the property was sold yet again, this time to EPR Properties of Missouri, a REIT. This time, however, financial details were not disclosed to the public. As part of the sale, the resort was renamed "Wintergreen Pacific LLC." (though continued to do business as Wintergreen Resort) and would be operated by Pacific Group Resorts, Inc., under a long-term lease. Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. obtained ownership in 2021.[6]

Amenities
  • 45 holes of golf[7]
  • seasonal skiing/snowboarding, and also snowtubing with a length of 900-foot (270 m)
  • 22 tennis courts with an award-winning academy[8]
  • a full-service spa
  • 40,000 square feet (4,000 m2) of meeting and event space
  • lodging
  • three full-service, dine-in restaurants
  • multiple convenience stores and cafeterias

Resort configuration

Elevation
  • Base: 2,512 ft (766 m)
  • Summit: 3,515 ft (1,071 m)
  • Vertical rise: 1,003 ft (306 m)

Trails
  • Skiable area: 129 acres (52 ha)
  • Trails: 26 total (23% beginner, 35% intermediate, 42% advanced/expert)
  • Longest run: Tyro - 1.4 mi (2.3 km)
  • Average annual snowfall: 35 in (890 mm)
  • Terrain Parks: 1

Chairlifts
  • 5 total
    • 2 high-speed (detachable) six packs
      • Blue Ridge Express
      • Highlands Express
    • 1 fixed grip quad
      • Big Acorn
    • 1 triple chairlift
      • Logger's Alley
    • 1 double chairlift
      • Potato Patch

Weather

Most of the resort and surrounding mountaintop attractions range from 2,500 to 4,000 feet in elevation and therefore average considerably cooler than the nearby Valley or Piedmont cities such as Staunton, Charlottesville, and Lynchburg. Temperatures on average fall about 4 °F for every thousand feet of elevation making Wintergreen's summit typically 10-15 degrees colder than the valley towns. This allows for ample winter snowmaking and increased natural snowfall. However, due to its location well east of the highest ridge of the Appalachians, it receives only about 35 inches a year of natural snow versus some 175 inches in prime spots 100 miles (161 km) to the west. Despite lack of heavy, consistent snowfall, Wintergreen is much closer and more convenient to the major population centers on the east coast, such as Washington, D.C. and Richmond.

References
  1. Shosteck, Robert (2004) Weekend Getaways Around Washington, D.C. Gretna, LA: Pelican Pub. Page 53
  2. Warsch, Barry (2006) "Downhill in Dixie" Skiing Heritage Journal Vol 18 #3:31
  3. Hitz, Mary Buford (2016) For Love of the Land: A History of the Wintergreen Community Lynchburg: Blackwell Press ISBN 9781938205248
  4. "Greenbrier Owner Acquires VA's Wintergreen Resort" Lodging Hospitality, 2012 Cleveland: Bell & Howell Information and Learning ISSN: 0148-0766
  5. Johnson, Randy (2019) Southern Snow: The New Guide to Winter Sports from Maryland to the Southern Appalachians University of North Carolina Press ISBN 9781469654201
  6. Webb, Andrew (2021) Wintergreen Resort under new ownership NBC29 TV
  7. McCord, Robert R. (1996) The Best Public Golf Courses in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Mexico NY: Random House pg 669 ISBN 9780679769033
  8. Francesconi, Peter (1990) "Travel: Virginia Is for Tennis Lovers" Tennis Vol 25 #11:S120
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