SUGAR MOUNTAIN – It might still be feeling autumn-ish with temperatures in the mid-60s in Asheville, but ski season is well underway in the Western North Carolina mountains.
Gov. Pat McCrory even got in on the action. He took part in Sugar Mountain Resort’s Summit Express Grand Opening and ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday, Nov. 14, for a $5 million high speed, detachable, six-passenger chairlift from the base to the summit.
“Sugar Mountain Resort has been an icon in our state for years, attracting families from around this region and our country,” McCrory said in a statement. “This investment is a great sign for our economy and the confidence that businesses like Sugar Mountain Resort have in growing here.”
The nearly one-mile-long ride to Sugar Mountain’s 5,300-foot peak will take just five minutes with the new chairlift. It will carry 2,518 people per hour.
Sugar Mountain Resort is one of the many businesses benefiting from North Carolina’s thriving tourism industry. North Carolina is the sixth most visited state in the nation, and 50 million people from across the U.S. visited N.C. last year. In 2014, N.C. tourism generated record visitor spending with a total of $21.3 billion.
The ski area was open for skiing and snowboarding through the weekend, but is now closed until the temperatures drop low enough to start snow-making again.
Also this weekend, Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley opened Sunday, Nov. 15, and will remain open daily from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays, and 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekends.
Cataloochee, in Haywood County, about 45 minutes west of Asheville, is usually the feistiest of Western North Carolina’s six ski areas, always aiming to open first and stay open the longest. The area has been making snow round the clock since 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov.13. This opening day is a little late by Cataloochee standards. They opened Nov. 2 last year, skiing a total of 141 days.
“We got just enough cold weather to get some snow down and get open on Sunday,” said Chris Bates, Cataloochee’s Vice-President and General Manager. “We got about 40 hours of snow making in – the coldest was 23 degrees Saturday morning. We did a lot with snow making this summer – we added another compressor and bought 30 low energy guns.”
Cataloochee now has four slopes and two chair lifts. Cataloochee’s aggressive snow making has allowed them to be consistently among the first areas in the country to open each season, averaging 127 days of skiing and riding each winter. Bates said they plan to start making snow at Tony’s Tube World this week.
“Every year when you get open it’s a big relief, and it’s also nice to see people having a good time. We plan to stay open through late March or early April and focus on making a more seamless, easier process for the beginning skier.”
Right now, Cataloochee is the only one of the region’s six ski areas open. The ski area will be open daily 8:30 .m.-4:30 p.m., and on Thanksgiving Day, and will serve a Thanksgiving dinner. It will be open for night skiing on Nov. 27 and 28, and then return to day sessions until Dec. 19. Lift tickets will be at a special rate of $40 for adults and $30 for juniors 5-12. Children 4 and younger receive a free lift ticket with a ticketed adult and adults 65 and over, ski free any day. Regular rental rates will apply.
Want to ski?
Western North Carolina ski areas:
- Appalachian Ski Mountain, 940 Ski Mountain Road, Blowing Rock. Ice skating, skiing and snowboarding. Call 800-322-2373 or visit http://appskimtn.com. Set to open Nov. 20.
- Beech Mountain Resort, 1007 Beech Mountain Parkway, Beech Mountain in Avery County. Skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, outdoors ice skating rink. Call 800-438-2093 or visit www.beechmountainresort.com. Opening date TBD.
- Cataloochee Ski Resort, 1080 Ski Lodge Road, Maggie Valley. Skiing and snowboarding open as of Nov. 15. For more information and snow reports, visit www.cataloochee.com.
- Sugar Mountain Ski Resort. 1009 Sugar Mountain Drive, Sugar Mountain, Avery County. Skiing, snowboarding, outdoor ice skating, snowshoeing. For more information, visit www.skisugar.com. Opened Nov. 14 and 15, closed until further notice.
- Wolf Ridge Ski Resort, 578 Valley View Circle in Mars Hill Madison County. Skiing, snowboarding and tubing. Call 828-689-4111 or visit www.skiwolflaurel.com. Plans to open by Dec. 1.
- Sapphire Valley, 207 Sapphire Valley Road, Sapphire, Transylvania County. Skiing, snowboarding, tubing closed for season. Visit www.skisapphirevalley.com. Scheduled to open by mid-December.
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