Second homes: Cool climate brings buyers to Snowshoe, W. Va.

— -- Many second-home owners head south for the winter, but in Snowshoe, they come for the cold. It's by far the South's largest ski resort. Its cool weather is also the attraction in summer, when visitors flee the extreme temperatures a few hours away for the mountain climate.

"If it goes above 80 degrees here in the summer, people complain," says Michael Hughes, a broker with REMAX Snowshoe.

That is not exactly the norm for the Southeast, but as the third-highest peak in West Virginia, the resort uses its climate to its advantage all year round.

"Snowshoe's claim to fame is that it draws from the largest geographic area of any single ski resort in the U.S.," Hughes says. "From Baltimore to Cincinnati to Miami and everywhere in between, it is a drive destination. As flying has gotten more and more difficult, our strength is that you can just pack up the car, pack up the kids and go."

Two historic golf resorts, the Homestead and the Greenbrier, are 45 minutes away, and the resort has its own course. Summer events have expanded in recent years and include professional bicycle and motorcycle races and music and food festivals.

Unlike most year-round destination ski resorts, real estate prices are affordable, with availability under $100,000. Established in 1976, Snowshoe took off when developer Intrawest built one of its signature pedestrian village centers, full of retail shops, restaurants and bars and condos overhead. The ski area now boasts 60 trails and 14 lifts, as well as a cross-country ski area and snowmobile tours.

Another unusual thing about Snowshoe is that the village center and surrounding residential areas sit on top of the mountain rather than at the base. "It's upside down," Hughes says. "Picture a long ridge with slopes dropping off down either side. The town is on top, and you ski down to start your day."

A look at three Snowshoe neighborhoods

•Village Center:"It's where all the amenities are," says broker Michael Hughes. "Some people want that convenience, walking everywhere." The center is largely made up of luxury condos, and prices are low compared with those in many ski resorts; upscale one-bedroom condos start at $100,000. Because there are no homes or condos larger then three bedrooms, village living tends to attract couples or small families.