With two months of winter still stretching out ahead of us, there are still plenty of opportunities to get out and enjoy cold-weather events and activities in our state’s beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
Three Top Ski Resorts
North Carolina’s largest and most well-known ski area,
Sugar Mountain, is blessed with over 125 acres of mixed terrain for all skill levels and interests, and activities including skiing, ice skating, tubing, snowboarding and snowshoeing. North Carolinians flock to the area between late November and late March to take advantage of the area’s outstanding facilities, including:
- Five lifts, including chairlifts, handle tow and two “magic carpets”
- 22 slopes (2 Expert, 1 Difficult, 9 Intermediate and 7 Beginner), 15 illuminated for night skiing
- Snowboarding areas on all slopes
- Full equipment and clothing rentals
- Classes available for snowboarding and skiing
- The largest vertical drop of all ski areas in the state
- Snowmaking equipment to supplement an average annual snowfall of 78 inches
- Outdoor ice-skating rink with lessons and skate rental
- Winter racing activities and Sugar Mountain Ski Club
- Children’s Polar Bear Snowboard School, Sugar Bear Ski School; free lift passes for kids 4 and under
- skisugar.com
Beech Mountain guests enjoy a 95-acre, relatively quiet resort area that is also the highest ski resort in the eastern U.S. at 5,505 feet. Amenities include:
- 8 total lifts, including 1 magic carpet and one rope tow
- 17 total trails offering Easy, Difficult, More Difficult and Freestyle terrains
- “Snowflakes Childcare” for 1 to 5-year-olds
- A state-of-the-art tubing park featuring extra-long runs and access to shopping and dining in the Resort Village
- Lessons for children and adults, including adaptive ski and snowboard lessons
Family-friendly, low-key and affordable
Appalachian Ski Mountain is easy to get to and is surrounded by a variety of lodging options, including cabin and chalet rentals and more hotels in nearby Blowing Rock. Shopping at Valle Crucis’ Mast General Store and nearby Tanger Shoppes and exploring at Linville Falls and Caverns offer interesting things to do and see beyond the slopes, and there’s always
après-ski fun to be had at nearby Boone and the Chetola Resort. 60-year-old Appalachian Ski Mountain is the second oldest ski area in the state after Cataloochee, which opened one year previously. Visitors to the resort enjoy these features:
- 12 slopes with six lifts to suit all skill levels
- Snowmaking capacity greater than any other resort’s in the South
- A skating rink and rink-side bonfire
- Late night skiing, available every Friday and Saturday night, all season long
- Children’s skiing and snowboarding classes and camps
Asheville’s Historic Biltmore
The Biltmore is not only an amazing warm weather destination, but the Estate’s long winter season also offers an incredible array of events and activities from strolling the winter gardens to wine tastings and spa packages and, in 2022, experiencing the vibrant Van Gogh Alive and Monet & Friends interactive exhibits. Antler Hill Village’s “Illumination” display – thousands of lights adorning trees, buildings and pathways between the shops, restaurants and winery – will dazzle visitors through February 21, while tours of the house, gardens and natural surroundings ranging from guided bird walks and bike rides to fishing, clay shooting and trail rides in and around the estate are always fun and entertaining.
Winter Mountain Festivals
