DAVIS, W.Va. — Timberline Four Seasons Resort, in the heart of Canaan Valley in West Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains, has joined with Destination Crowd Capital, based in Washington, D.C., to launch the world’s first snowfunding campaign at http://www.snowfunding.com.
The campaign’s goal is to use crowdfunding to raise money to fund snowmaking, resort improvements, and sustainability initiatives. For their support, campaign backers will receive greatly discounted lift tickets and lodging packages.
“Timberline is really one of the best-kept secrets on the East Coast. We receive almost 180 inches of snow annually, spread across 10 miles of ski runs, including the two mile long Salamander Run,” said Fred Herz, co-owner of Timberline. “Our mountain rewards skiers with a long season, days of knee-deep powder, a thousand foot vertical drop, and truly varied and challenging terrain. With our snowfunding campaign, we can make this an even more special destination with snow that is as close to perfection as we can make it, well groomed ski runs and a family atmosphere.”
“Timberline has been a part of my family for over 30 years, one of the last family-owned resorts in the east,” said Herz. “We may not be as well-known as some of the other resorts near D.C.,” he explained. “But with the expanded Corridor H highway, we are now effectively an hour closer to DC.”
As Corridor H attracts more visitors and Timberline continues to serve its longstanding loyal customers, the resort is expanding its capacity. More gladed skiing areas are opening, a tubing park is planned, the lodge is being upgraded, and state-of-the-art energy and water efficient snow guns are being added. To help make this happen, Herz turned to Destination Crowd Capital’s snowfunding campaigning (http://www.snowfunding.com) – crowdfunding in support of the sustainability and improvements of the resort.
Scott Wayne, co-founder of Destination Crowd Capital, said, “Timberline is a special place.“
“With its incredible natural and man-made snow, impressive ski runs, and a strong sustainability story that connects it to communities throughout the region, Timberline is an ideal destination for the launch of the world’s first snowfunding.com campaign,” Wayne said.
The region’s serious skiers have long rated Timberline as a premier destination. It was voted by the Mountain News Corporation’s OnTheSnow website as having the best down-hill terrain in the Mid-Atlantic, and Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine’s readers voted Salamander Run as the best ski run in the Blue Ridge.
Timberline also has a strong sustainability story:
— The resort directly generates over 500 jobs – 10 percent of all winter jobs in West Virginia;
— The resort buys supplies from over 100 businesses, many of which are in the region;
— The resort provides substantially discounted prices for local residents, veterans, first responders, youth and other groups;
— Through partnerships with organizations such as the Scouts, thousands of youth become life-long ski enthusiasts;
— Surrounded on all sides by national and state park land, Timberline has been helping to ensure that these areas remain protected by being one of the region’s largest land contributors (approximately 1,000 acres) to the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
DCC helps destinations, businesses, and organizations use crowdfunding to raise capital. It leverages the power of crowdfunding to help businesses validate products, strengthen their customer base, raise capital, conduct market research, and establish grass-roots marketing.
DCC (http://www.destinationcrowdcapital.com). was co-founded in Washington, DC, by Wayne, an international destination development expert, and Scott Popma, a former partner at intellectual property boutique firm Finnegan Henderson and an expert on crowd funding.
