Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, August 14, 1994                   TAG: 9408190040
SECTION: DISCOVER                    PAGE: 18   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WINTER IS AS GOOD A TIME AS ANY TO ENJOY OUTDOORS

Whether you like fishing, hiking or camping, all you have to do is bundle up.

Just ask Phil Verner, a fishing guide for Orvis in Roanoke.

As long as the water levels stay down, Verner and his pals are casting about the region.

"Oh yeah, we fish quite a bit," he said.

Even when there was 8 inches of snow on the ground last winter, Verner was wading waist deep in a river, fishing pole in hand.

Verner said the best winter fishing is in trout streams that have a dam nearby, such as the Jackson River near Covington and the Smith River through Martinsville and Patrick County.

Verner said the water temperatures in those rivers don't drop below the mid-30s in the winter.

Be careful though: Cold-weather fishing can be dangerous if you don't dress warmly. Verner recommends wearing neoprene waders - a chest-high suit made with synthetic rubber, similar to a wetsuit.

Couple that with a good down jacket and you'll be "just as toasty as a bug in a rug." Verner said.

The secret to staying warm is to keep moving. The people who suffer hypothermia fishing in the winter, Verner said, are those who fall in the water and keep fishing.

As for hiking, the winter months offer some of the best views from the many vistas scattered around the Roanoke and New River valleys. With the leaves off the trees, you can see for miles from popular peaks such as Angel's Rest, Dragon's Tooth and MacAfee's Knob.

The Roanoke Appalachian Trail club offers weekly hikes through the winter. Check the Roanoke Times & World-News' Monday outdoor pages for details.

Southwest Virginia is also in a fairly good location for both downhill and cross-country skiing.

One of the most popular cross country skiing locations is on Salt Pond Mountain in Giles County, near the Mountain Lake resort. There are more than 15 miles of groomed trails nearby.

But Mountain Lake is not, by any means, the only place to go cross country skiing. All you need is 3 to 5 inches of snow, a little open space and you're off.

Skis can be rented at Back Country Ski & Sport in Blacksburg and, with a student ID, at Virginia Tech.

Less than a four-hour drive from the Roanoke Valley are a dozen ski resorts. The most popular include Snowshoe-Silver Creek, near Marlinton, W.Va., Wintergreen, near Waynesboro, The Homstead in Hot Springs and Winterplace Ski Resort in Flat Top, W.Va.

The Roanoke Ski Club, with more than 300 members, caters to skiers with meetings, socials and organized trips. The membership director is George Hamilton, 989-4370.