The winter sports season has arrived on schedule in the North Carolina mountains, thanks to a cold blast that trailed Hurricane Nicole and the ready-to-go snowmaking machines at the state’s ski areas. With a promise of action until spring, travelers can take to the slopes and terrain parks while finding time for tubing, skating and other winter fun.
“We hardly miss a beat in the shift from our famous fall color to the snow-covered mountains in our highest elevations,” said Wit Tuttell, executive director of Visit North Carolina. “Those elevations are among the highest east of the Rockies, and winter temperatures align perfectly for state-of-the-art snowmaking.”
Sugar Mountain Resort and Cataloochee Ski Area, historically the early birds among the state’s six ski areas, are open for business with Appalachian Ski Mtn. and Beech Mountain Resort poised to open this weekend. Here are links for each of the North Carolina slopes for travelers planning wintertime getaways: