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March Radness delivers big-time

No, I'm not talking basketball. Let's get real: ball sports pale in comparison with snowsports. With all fairness, the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament is one of the world's greatest competitive spectacles, and I did watch the WVU Mountaineers' heartbreaking loss to Maryland in the first round (that late possession call was bull). But when there's snow on the ground, one must ask oneself: Why sit idly inside and watch people play sports when you can go be the star of your own adventure film? But I digress...

White Grass knows what's up! Photo by Dylan Jones

March *finally* delivered a hefty dump of snow, satisfying the collective itch of snow-starved powder hounds around the state. From March 11 all the way to March 15, Ullr, our revered Norwegian god of snow, bestowed upon us 19 inches of glorious frozen precipitation (weather nerds, check out this robust 20-year data set of snowfall on Canaan Heights from our friend and volunteer NOAA meteorologist Dave Lesher). Those who were able to drop everything and take full advantage were greeted with the best powder skiing of the year. We rallied with some of our favorite folks and hit the rugged backcountry above the White Grass Ski Touring Center for an all-day, all-time outing.

Snow flying outside the White Grass lodge the evening of March 14. GIF by Dylan Jones

Nikki and I co-opted one of the White Grass warming huts in a subversive effort to rebrand it as a satellite center for spreading adventurous stoke. Photo by Gabe DeWitt

Into the great white mystic. Photo by Dylan Jones

Our great friend and regular mag photographer Gabe DeWitt after a particularly spectacular and slippery spill into deep snow. Photo by Dylan Jones

Nikki cleaning up fresh turns on a bluebird powder day. Photo by Dylan Jones

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Wintery racing done right

The weekend of March 11–12 was chock-full of wintery racing, and boy-oh-boy did the organizers luck out with a fresh coating of snow to bolster the racers' stoke.

63rd Governor's Cup Ski Race

On March 11, Timberline Mountain hosted the 63rd Governor's Cup Ski Race, an annual ski, snowboard, and telemark ski race organized by the Alpine Festival Association. Despite the ski season's lack of snow, this year's rendition of the Govvy Cup was the largest ever with 222 skiers and riders showing up to hit the course.

I decided to join in on the fun and sign up for the snowboard giant slalom, marking my first-ever snowboard race. No, dear reader, I did not win—not even close. I consider myself to be a fairly skilled snowboarder, but was smacked upside the head with a healthy dose of reality that shredding solid ice betwixt tight slalom gates is a far cry from carving good snow on an open slope.

In the zone on my second run. Photo by Hannah Snyder Media

I slid out in the third turn of my first run, slamming me arse on the ice and creating a nice bruise in the process. I was able to get back on course and make the next gate, though, saving the run. I felt like I did much better on my second run, only to check my time and see that I finished 18th overall with a combined time of 1 min, 43 seconds. For reference, the overall winner had a blazingly fast combined time of 1 min, 17 seconds. Regardless of my humbling performance, I had a great time racing with all my fellow riders and look forward to trying again next season.

Afterward, Nikki and I joined forces to photograph the skiers on the giant slalom course, followed by the slopestyle comp in the terrain park.

A skier edges hard at the top of the course. Photo by Nikki Forrester

Ian Beckner, owner of Driftland Ski & Sport in Davis, tucks his way into the next gate. Photo by Nikki Forrester

Local snowboard instructor Max Withrow with a steezy grab. Photo by Nikki Forrester

Mountain State Fat Bike Champs

The following day, White Grass hosted the fourth-annual Mountain State Fat Bike Champs. Forty-some fat bikers rolled along fresh snow to make for a stoke-filled race. Highland Outdoors was proud to be the title sponsor of the race, which is a great local event organized by our friend and trailbuilder Zach Adams. We skied up the course to join our homies from the Blackwater Bicycle Association at their classic bacon-fueled aid station.

The BBA bacon-n-beer aid station. Photo by Dylan Jones

Bacon makes the world go 'round. Photo by Dylan Jones

A rider enters the downhill section. Photo by Dylan Jones

The course's rowdy descent made for some exciting turns. Photo by Dylan Jones

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Mark your calendars for events galore

We're proud to sponsor a slew of events this year. We ramped up our 2023 sponsorship budget because we believe in building community and using the magazine as a platform to spread awareness of these amazing events. Up next on the roster are the Dirty Double, the first race of the West Virginia Gravel Series; and the Canaan Valley Half Marathon, the first race of the Wild & Wonderful Race Series. We're also mega-proud to once again be the VIP party presenting sponsor of the Cheat River Festival on May 5–6, where we'll have our mobile command station set up with mags, merch, and merry vibes.

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Our Spring 2023 issue is out on shelves now

Despite a two-day delay in the delivery of the spring mag due to the treacherous roads (which we took advantage of, naturally, to go skiing), we were able to complete our distribution route on-time. Go grab a fresh copy at one of our 170 distribution locations, featuring new spots in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania!

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Grab a bevvy and join me for a webi-gnar

But seriously, all puns aside, I'm honored to be a featured speaker for the West Virginia Land Trust's spring webinar series. Join me on April 13 from 6–7 p.m. for an organic (free-range, kale-fed, artesian) discussion about the mag, why and how we choose to cover our stories, and the future of outdoor recreation in West Virginia. Register here and join me in the virtual world with your favorite bevvy!

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You know the drill—subscribing is the best way to support Highland Outdoors. If you love the mag and want it to continue, please consider joining our 370+ subscribers (thank you!) to get each issue delivered right to your door—and to continue reading it in the future.

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Stay tuned for our next installment in early April, which will likely feature some fresh spring greens, and, if we're ultra-lucky, more snowy photos 😃

Enjoy, and thanks for reading #westvirginiasoutdoormagazine!

Dylan Jones

Editor-in-Chief

Highland Outdoors