Wintergreen Resort Goes ‘low’ With Its Winter Packages — Rates Start At Just $69/person

WINTERGREEN, Va. (Nov. 17, 2009) – Forget Old Man Winter … bring on Cold Man Winter. That’s the promising winter outlook Wintergreen Resort is receiving from its trusted weather forecasting group. To celebrate optimistic prognostications of low temperatures and heavy snows, all adding up to big-time fun, Wintergreen Resort is rolling back its winter stay-and-ski package rates to, fittingly, as low as they can go.

Here’s just one example of what this easily accessible family resort, voted “best snow skiing spot” by the readers of the Washington Post’s Express and located high atop Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, is offering to help make this winter an easy one on the pocketbook. Its “Winter Escape Package,” where short lift lines are in high supply, starts at $69 per person, per night. The package is valid daily from opening day through December 24 and again, from March 7 to the close of the season. The package is also valid midweek, Sunday through Thursday night stays, Jan. 3 through March 2, 2010 during non-holiday periods. While accommodations range from studios up to seven-bedroom condominiums and homes, the rates will not exceed $89/person per night.

For travelers limited to weekend excursions, Wintergreen Resort has a value-conscious package for them as well. Its “Weekend Getaway” package starts at just $130 per person per night and is valid for Friday and Saturday night stays beginning Jan. 1, 2010. Certain weekends are not eligible for the package and a two-night minimum stay is required.

This winter, Wintergreen Resort is unveiling a new flex ticketing plan that will give guests the freedom to choose when they want to begin their day on the slopes. Four- and eight-hour, extended and night flex lift tickets will be available for sale to those who want to ski or snowboard. Sessions start when guests make the purchase of their lift tickets, and for those who still need to rent equipment, 30 minutes of time will be added to the pass.

Then there’s the resort’s popular “Guaranteed Learn to Ski & Ride” program, which makes a guarantee to first-time skiers and snowboarders that they’ll be turning and stopping after a single lesson with the professional staff.

Moreover, the resort has partnered with HEAD Sports to make Wintergreen the signature HEAD rental shop in the southeast. New additions and upgrades for 2009-10 include a complete replacement of all adult and junior snowboards, boots and bindings and a new fleet of junior alpine skis, boots and bindings. The resort’s rental shop is now paperless and rentals are processed electronically. Pre-registering online for rentals is free and will help put skiers and snowboarders on the slopes faster. Guests can conveniently pick up rentals for the next day starting at 6 p.m. the night before.

Considering the colder-than-normal forecast, and Wintergreen Resort’s $6 million investment in state-of-the-art snowmaking equipment, the slopes are being readied for a projected Dec. 12 opening. Hours of operation this ski season will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on non-holiday Mondays, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.

For skiers and snowboarders, Wintergreen offers 26 slopes on 129 skiable acres with high-speed chairlifts. The resort features the region’s most extensive beginner-to-expert terrain. Fourteen slopes are lighted for night skiing and the resort’s longest run is 1.4 miles. Two terrain parks and the region’s top snow tubing park accent the winter recreational offerings.

For those who need a break from skiing and riding, Discovery Ridge offers family fun for everyone. Ridgely’s Fun Park is for small children who want to play in the snow, expanded this year so the children have their own gentle tubing hill. The Plunge is Virginia’s largest tubing park with tubular thrills for everyone. The Dome is the place to be for indoor activities including interactive games, foosball, air hockey, pool table and more. Rounding out Discovery Ridge and new this year is The Zip, a 900-foot high zip line promising flying exhilaration.

For complete details on the upcoming ski season – winter packages, lessons, lift tickets, rental equipment, the skinny on the winter forecast and much more – visit www.wintergreenresort.com or call 800/266-2444 for lodging rates and packages; 434-325-2100 for winter snow sports information.

About Wintergreen Resort: Wintergreen Resort is an 11,000-acre, four-season resort located in the Blue Ridge Mountains southwest of Charlottesville, Va. This beautiful hideaway is the ultimate vacation and conference spot, nearly 300 condominium-style accommodations; 45 holes of championship golf; snow skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing; an award-winning tennis program; a full-service, destination spa; 40,000 square feet of meeting and event space; and savory dining options. The resort is located adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway in beautiful central Virginia near Charlottesville, just 90 minutes from Richmond, Va., three hours from Washington, D.C. and Raleigh, N.C., five and a half hours from Philadelphia, and eight hours from Atlanta. For more information, guests can call (434) 325-2200 or visit the resort’s web site at www.wintergreenresort.com.