A secret ski heaven in the mid-Atlantic

Kristen here, an Axios Local bureau chief and DMV resident. I put my then-preschooler on skis four years ago, alternating weekends between Whitetail, Liberty and Timberline. I soon gave up on the Pennsylvania mountains, which are close to home, yes, but clogged and often snowless.

• Here's why Timberline's my go-to.

Zoom in: The Canaan Valley is about three hours from D.C., in the Alleghenies. It's 3,100 feet above sea level at the lowest point, 4,450 feet at the highest. National Weather Service gurus have dubbed its climate its "cash crop," and its topographical placement a "bowl-like frost hollow."

• It dumps 150-170 inches of snow a year. It's a great place to make snow, too.

State of play: Six years ago, Timberline was bankrupt and a mess. A family by the name of Perfect bought it, then plowed millions into upgrades including a high-speed six-chair that zips you to the top in six minutes or less.

• Longtime owners of a resort in Indiana, the Perfects are hailed throughout the industry for their snowmaking expertise and general operations prowess, which is notable given the corporatization of the industry at large and the travails that have come with it.
• At Timberline, the lifties blast a boombox. The ski school is tops. Tree skiing on big powder days is tradition.

By the numbers:

• 1,000 feet of vertical
• Two chairs, two terrain parks, one magic carpet

The vibe: Canaan draws the workout-hard, play-hard crowd. People come in from Pittsburgh and eastern Ohio, Baltimore and Annapolis, Richmond and the DMV.

• In the summer, everyone's mountain biking, trail running or hiking, then grabbing beers in town.
• There are three places to ski in winter: Timberline or Canaan Valley Resort State Park for alpine and Whitegrass for Nordic. Backcountry skiers skin and schuss around all three venues. Fat biking is a thing, too. (And sledding. And tubing.)

How to plan your trip

Holiday weekends at Timberline are getting busy.

• For ski school, you're better off on a non-holiday weekend.

Get oriented: Davis and Thomas are Canaan's two towns. Davis has more restaurants; Thomas has Americana charm and more of an artsy vibe.

• "The valley" is the area about 9 miles south of Davis, around Timberline and the Canaan state park. There are fewer services here, but Timberline runs the Mountain Owl, an upmarket bodega, and the BFS gas station on Rte. 32 stocks lots of local beer and staples.

Where to stay: Three-night minimums are common at rental houses managed by Best of Canaan and other agencies (generally the best way to find a house).

• You can score large, affordable rooms last-minute at the resort at Canaan state park and Blackwater Falls State Park.
• Other options: The Billy, Timberline Hotel (on-mountain), Inn at Canaan, Black Bear Resort.

What's new: Valley View Cabin Resort opened in December. These are upscale one- and two-bedroom compact houses with hot tubs along Timberline Road.

• An adjacent spa is scheduled to open later this year.

Pro tip: If a rental agency says four-wheel drive or chains are required for a house in winter, follow the directions. We get away with snow tires on an Outback, but there are a few roads we won't attempt without chains when the weather is wild.

Off the slopes: Insiders do lunch at Whitegrass' cafe (winter-only) for the killer soups and hippie-meets-hillbilly energy.

• Try the local beer at Stumptown in Davis or Mountain State in Thomas. Both towns have awesome coffee shops.
• Thomas has a bunch of galleries. My daughter and I like to talk up an artist when we see one working on site.
• We love The Adventure Guild game store and Macy Lou's Gourmet Apple Company.
• Everybody's favorite haunt is The Purple Fiddle, a divey live-music institution with two shows a day on weekends that brings nationally touring acts to this little slice of Appalachia.

The bottom line: The outdoor fun is endless, and no one around you can get enough of it. As they say: almost heaven.