Raleigh compared to Denver

[mdp_az]

I started skiing during college up at ASU, so I've skied the 4 NC mountains in the High Country a lot. There is a wide range of mountain characteristics amongst the four, but none hold a candle to Snowshoe due to the less reliable weather and snowfall and smaller size. I also don't think any of the NC mountains has a snowmaking system that even close to compares to the one at Wintergreen, and Wintergreen's advanced-only area is actually pretty good and relatively uncrowded for southeastern standards. Here's my assessment of the NC mountains:

Appalachian Ski Mountain: Smallest in the area and only a small amount of vert (under 400'). It is a great family-friendly place though, with outdoor ice skating at the base lodge and very easy access to Boone and Blowing Rock. They also have a lot of snow guns per acreage so they can keep the slopes pretty well covered.
Ski Hawsknest: A little more vert and acregae than Appalachian, but despite its smallish size, the terrain is much more enoyable than App. This is more of a locals mountain and is generally less crowded than the others in the area. If I was going to ski anywhere in NC, this would probably be the place. It has changed ownership recently, however, and its future as a ski mountain is up in the air.
Sugar Mountain: Longest run and most vert in the state, and also home to one of the biggest scars on the NC mountains...the Sugar Top condos. You can see that awful looking buildings from peaks miles away. This mountain has a decent amount of varied terrain, and a reasonably long beginners area that is somewhat separated from the rest of the mountain. I've found the lift lines here can be terrible though as the lifts are antequated and everything basically dumps out to the bottom. Winds near Sugar Top can be terrible and leave the slopes on that side as nothing but a sheet of ice. Not a lot of advanced terrain here, but overall a decent spot if its not too crowded.
Ski Beech: Highest ski town on the east coast as the town is at the top of the mountain rather than the base like Sugar. Most varied terrain in the state, and vert is OK. Nice backside advanced run when the snowcover is there. High speed quad lift is nice, but its often still too crowded on a busy weekend day. Best place for staying at or near the mountain for a ski getaway in NC...with Sugar a close second.

Overall, the skiing in NC isn't that bad, especially considering the fact that there's only about 60" of natural snowfall per year. Lift tix are pricey though...almost as much as a day of skiing at Winter Park, so that makes it pretty tough for me to justify.

[raleightransplant]

^^
A lot of good information there--thanks!!

Hawksnest and Ski Beech look to be a couple I may try this year if I don't just go w/ Wintergreen. I'm no expert by any means so I'm sure any of those three will be fun.