This is a great place to stay for a lot of reasons, but there also some aspects of this property—and Snowshoe as a whole that you need to be aware of.

We took a three bedroom, two bathroom condo in the Soaring Eagle complex. It was very nicely furnished, and eight of us were quite comfortable. There are three outdoor jacuzzis attached to the property, which is nice after a day of skiing. There is also the great room near the front desk to hang out in. It is 3-4 stories high, paneled in wood, with a large wood-burning fireplace, flat screen tv, and a wine bar that opens after 5.

The location can’t be beat. It is right at the top of the mountain, so you can literally ski out from the complex. You don’t even have to take the lift. You are at the top of the mountain, so you just put on your skis and GO. We had advanced and beginning skiers in our group, and this was fine for everyone. There is a black run going straight down the hill, but there is also a green run traversing the hill. So everyone’s happy. The rental facilities are directly across from the complex, and rental equipment can be returned at any location on the mountain. There is night skiing in the Silver Creek area until 9 pm. You would need to take a (free) shuttle to get there.

When you stay at the Soaring Eagle, you park your car in the underground *locked* complex. In fact, the whole idea of the Soaring Eagle is security, capital S. You are given card keys to use, and you will need them to access:

--the door into the property
--the elevator
--your hallway, if you are on the ground floor
--the locker room area
--your room
--the Jacuzzis

In other words, you’ll be using these keys all the time. And for whatever reason, these cards are constantly malfunctioning. I recommend that when you check in, you get one for each member of your party, and then a few extras. We had members of our party out skiing whose cards stopped working, so they couldn’t get back into the condo at lunch. Well, why didn’t they just use their cell phones? Glad you asked!!!

Snowshoe is in a National Quiet Zone, because it contains the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. There is *no* cell phone reception—not even with AT & T (other posters have mentioned this, but it isn’t true—eight of us had AT & T and no one got reception. I got a glimmer once and sent a text, but it failed to send.)

I recommend that if you have a group that you want to stay in contact with, you use walkie talkies.

That means there is also no wi-fi. Now, personally, I see this as a positive. If I take my darling children skiing, the last thing I want them to be doing is texting friends and staring at screens. A break from the internet is a good and healthy thing. Be aware though, that you can request cables from the front desk (free) and hook up your computer for internet if you need it. Sigh.

A word about the staff. They were incredibly helpful. There was literally not enough they could do for us. Extra keys? No problem! You haven’t checked in? Let me open up the garage—I’ll run right down. We asked for extra towels and trash bags, and a hefty bag full of them were delivered to our door within the hour. We also asked for a potholder, as there wasn’t one in the condo, and it was there very quickly. The staff are responsive, quick, and helpful.

A word about groceries. Soaring Eagle no longer has a grocery (this is as of 2012). They used to, but the restaurant changed ownership, and they closed the grocery. The closest place to buy groceries is 30 minutes away. And they don’t sell wine or beer there. So, BYOB.

All in all a good stay—one I would repeat.