Many of the trail names used at Snowshoe are based on vocabulary from the industry that preceded skiing on Snowshoe Mountain, LOGGING. Logging was the dominant industry in the area during the early 1900s and Cheat Mountain (later renamed Snowshoe Mountain) was once home to the largest red spruce forest south of Maine and was extensively timbered by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company.

When Snowshoe Mountain was first developed in 1972/1973, Jean-Claude Killy was hired as the resort’s special advisor, tasked with designing a long steep trail on the western facing slopes, later to be named Cupp Run. If you don’t recognize the name Jean-Claude Killy, ask your parents, or if you’re young enough, ask your grandparents. Skiers and non-skiers alike from the late 60s would know the name, Jean-Claude Killy. He was the Michael Jordan of ski racing in those years. So who exactly is Jean-Claude Killy?