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In the High Country of North Carolina — home to Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk and Beech
Mountain — mountains reach some of the highest elevations east of the Mississippi. Beech Mountain,
“Eastern America’s Highest Town,” is blanketed by an average snowfall of 84.6 inches each winter.
hitting the slopes
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kiing remains the top winter sport in the High Country, although snowboarding has quickly
become a close second. Continually improving the industry that exploded in the North Carolina
mountains in the 1960s and 70s, area resorts frequently upgrade their snow-blowing and grooming
equipment to create the best conditions possible.
o pqrstuvwxyz Boasting powerful snow guns, 50-year-old Appalachian Ski Mountain in Blowing Rock
can convert almost 49 million pounds of water to snow in a 24-hour period in prime
weather, which is why it often has the deepest snow base in the area. It features
12 ski slopes: three easy, six more difficult and three most difficult,
and all are lighted for night skiing.
You’ll find the longest run in the High Country at Sugar
Mountain Resort, located on Highway 184 near Banner Elk
in North Carolina. The resort has 20 slopes (15 at night) and
seven chairlifts with the capacity to move 8,800 people per hour.
“Anything you do on a weekend, always try to do everything
you can early,” says Sugar Mountain Resort marketing director,
Kim Jochl, advising visitors to arrive at the mountain by 8 a.m.
and to take the first lesson at 9 a.m. Eat lunch earlier than everyone
else and then enjoy more space on the slopes as most head to the
lodge around midday. She adds, “Plan ahead, and try to be ahead
of the crowd.”
Beech Mountain Resort, with the highest summit of the local
resorts at 5,506 feet, is equipped with 16 slopes on 95 skiable acres
and seven lifts carrying 9,300 skiers per hour. Beech also features four
restaurants, two sport shops and a wifi Internet connection, which
provides the option to post a photo or video directly from the slopes for
everyone back home.
These days, there are almost as many snowboarders on the slopes as skiers,
and all three resorts offer freestyle terrain parks with features like rails and
boxes. Boarders and skiers aim to impress each other with their tricks and technical skills. Appalachian Ski
Mountain is the top destination for freestyle terrain. Its App Terrain Park has more than 60 features.
Snowboarding especially appeals to beach residents. Jochl notes: “Kids who are surfers, they kind of relate
to snowboarding.”
All of the resorts have all of the equipment needed — from skis and snowboards to goggles and bibs —
available for rent.
“We specialize in helping people new to the sport learn in a fun, supportive atmosphere,” says Appalachian
Ski Mountain’s Drew Stanley. “Most of the shops at resorts and local ski shops offer an extensive lineup of
rental equipment and clothing, so guests who may not even own a winter coat can get the gear they need from
head to toe to have a great day on the slopes.”
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courtesy of VisitNC.com
Photography e
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