By Ellie Grace Grinnan

The top of the slopes. 

Are you looking for a day trip or weekend getaway? Well, roughly two hours from Collegiate School lies a safe haven engulfed by the Blue Ridge Mountains in Rockfish Valley, Virginia. 

The Wintergreen Resort is a main destination for many Richmonders looking for an opportunity to ski or enjoy the mountains. I have spent many days and nights on those snow-covered mountains with my family and friends. For me, the resort serves as an escape from the busy world of everyday life. I can recall amusing memories, like my sister dropping her pole off the ski lift, teaching my friends to ski, and night skiing with my dad.

The Wintergreen Resort spans roughly 10,000 acres along the Blue Ridge Mountains. Before the 1730s, native tribes, particularly the Monacan Indians, were farming and living on the land near Wintergreen. But in the 1730s, once the James River valley was inhabited, many European settlers found their new homes in the Rockfish Valley area. People were drawn to the rich soil and land in the valley, leading to the development of mostly farming communities. In the 1800s, the main community in the area was known as the Slaughters, named after the founder of the post office, but when the post office’s name was switched to Wintergreen, the town’s name also changed.

The slopes from the ski lift.

The resort emerged in the early 1970s, developed by multiple different companies, and since then has grown. Wintergreen has continued to expand by adding a spa in 1984 and the Stoney Creek Golf Course in 1988. Wintergreen is most notably known for its skiing, attracting roughly 130,000 skiers per year.

Wintergreen has slopes for all levels, ranging from beginner greens to expert blacks, plus terrain parks, giving the place “a lot of variety,” according to Landon Burke (‘26). After a recent ski trip, Burke commented on how “there were many kids and adults there with different abilities,” demonstrating that Wintergreen is inclusive to all ages and skills. The slopes are an exciting, eventful, and comfortable place. Wintergreen is also the resort where I learned to ski. Wintergreen has staff that offer lessons, so do not allow lack of skill to be the reason you do not check out the slopes. When spending time at Wintergreen, it is not uncommon to see people you know, as many people either go up for the day, spend the night, or have a second home or condo up there.

Sunset over the mountains. 

Jasper Jones (‘27), who has grown up going to her second home in Wintergreen, reflected on some of her fondest childhood memories that took place there. Jones frequently looks forward to watching the sunsets with her family and being in awe at how beautiful “the blue mountains look against the pink sky.”

If you are going to Wintergreen to ski or snowboard with friends or a large group, I recommend leaving Richmond around 8 a.m. to arrive at the slopes around 10:30 a.m. This will allow you to maximize your time skiing or snowboarding and also watch the sunset. But, if you get there later than 10:30, you’ll still have plenty of time, because the slopes don’t close until 9 p.m. on the weekends. I also recommend getting the eight-hour day pass, which is $89 Monday through Thursday and $109 on the weekends. They also regularly have sales during snow days or special weekends. For example, over the recent snow days, when many local schools and districts were closed, the eight-hour pass was only $39 dollars.

A brown cow in the field.

Along with skiing, Wintergreen also offers many other activities throughout the year. Some of the most popular ones include tubing, golfing, tennis, pickleball, swimming, fly fishing, hiking, and horseback riding. When I was at Wintergreen this January, the place was bustling with skiers, snowboarders, and tubers, all with smiling faces. Wintergreen makes renting equipment a stress-free process, with online paperwork that can be completed before you arrive, which ensures for a quick and easy pick up.

Wintergreen is also known for their two main golf courses, with 45 holes in total. They host tournaments for their members and guests, keeping their golf courses busy. With an average temperature resting around 76 degrees, the resort attracts many golfers to the mountains. Tennis and pickleball are also fantastic summer day activities, as pickleball is one of the new obsessions for many Richmonders. 

Another activity that is essential to the Wintergreen experience is the hiking trails, especially in the fall, as you are surrounded by many shades of red, yellow, and orange. Wintergreen has more than 30 miles of trails, ranging from easy to difficult, so there is no excuse to not participate in hiking. Another available activity is the horseback riding camps the resort offers through the Rodes Family Farm Camp. In the summer, children ages from 7 to 13 gather together for education, trail rides, and taking care of horses.

The mountains in the fall.

This past January made me appreciate this wonderful escape in the Blue Ridge Mountains even more. The two-hour drive ,filled with some songs and rounds of the alphabet game, flew by, and the whole day was full of laughter and memories I will look back on forever.

All photos by Faith Wood.