Skiing in NC (Raleigh: ski resorts, how much, school)

[fidorelo07]

Howdy Ya'll- Where is a good place to take the family skiing here in NC? I just moved to North Raleigh and would be interested to know where the locals like to Ski. Looking at a few sites online, but they all sound great. The ones that looked close and in good condition where: Beech/Surgar/Appalachain. I am not sure how much snow the Mountains have compared to the drought conditions were are in here in Raleigh. Any and all feedback are welcome. We were looking for a quick trip, nice slopes, relatively cheap with a family of four, lodging, etc. Thanks again.

[toot68]

I much prefer Wintergreen up in Virginia to any of the ski areas I've been to in NC (Appalachian, Hawksnest, Ski Beech and Sugar). Better terrain, managable crowds, shorter drive (3 h vs 4). Also, the times I've been there the clientelle of Sugar and Beech seems to be a bit lacking (ie alot of kamikazee rednecks).

[rfb]

Do yourself a favor and drive to Snowshoe in West Virginia. It is by far the best I've skied in the Southeast. It isn't great if you've skied out West or in the North East, but it does have a decent vertical drop at 1500 feet - unfortunately, only for two runs.

Snowshoe is a 5.5 hour drive from the Triangle, though, but given the alternatives it is well worth the extra drive time.

[mdp_az]

Snowshoe is certainly worth the drive time if you can do it. If not, I'd also recommend Wintergreen over the NC mountains. Wintergreen has a great snowmaking system and seems to have better terrain than the NC slopes. The easiest drive for skiing has to be Winterplace in WV. Its right of I-77 and just a few miles across the VA/WV state line. The skiing is decent there, but vert is only about 700'. Snow is generally a bit more consistent than NC's mountains, but less so than Wintergreen.

As for the NC slopes, Appalachian is small, with only 365' of vertical. Sugar has the most vertical at something like 1200', but its often very windy and the terrain is not that varied. Beech probably offers the best skiing in NC, however its usually the most crowded, doesn't have a great vertical drop, and is the longest drive as you must drive to the top of the mountain at 5500'.

North Carolina Ski Resorts, Ski Resorts in North Carolina, Skiing in North Carolina has good information on all the NC mountains, as well as other southern ski mountains.

Here are the drive times I've encountered from N. Raleigh.

Appalachian: 3.25 hours
Beech: 4 hours
Sugar: 3.75 hours
Wintergreen: 4 hours
Winterplace: 3.5 hours

[coltank]

Winterplace which is just inside WV, usually gets more snow than Wintergreen, but if Wintergreen has snow, it is very nice. Snowshoe of course is the best.

[VaNC]

And as others have said, remember this is the southeast. It is simply not going to be the same as skiing out west or even in the northeast. The runs will be short, the drop smaller and the conditions largely manmade and often icy.

That said, it is still skiing and still fun and the hot chocalate (or warm cocktail) is still great after a cold day of skiing. I grew up skiing in jeans and old sweatshirts at Massanutten and then, when it opened, Wintergreen, and I always say I am a pretty good skier cause I learned on ice and rocks. The first time I skiied out West I was blown away by the width and length of the runs.

I do not want anyone to flame me cause I am saying bad things about our slopes. That is not my point. I love SE skiing. I just don't want people to come back on here and say "skiing here stinks". It doesn't stink, it is what it is.

I remember diving one time with people from Ohio who were talking about lake diving in Ohio. I remember thinking "why the heck would anyone dive in a murky lake". Well, it is because they love to dive and don't have our amazing NC coastal diving at their fingertips. Likewise, SE skiing is great if you want to ski.

[leighbhe]

I would agree with everyone else..........wintergreen or snowshoe are worth the drive. Not that the NC slopes are bad it is just that they have more ice and rocks than the other slopes. I think the NC slopes tend to be better if you can manage a trip soon after a real snowfall, as opposed to the man made snow!

Good luck!

Leigh

[hurricanedavid]

I'm thinking about taking a few friends skiing this winter. I know how (actually I prefer snowboarding), but my friends have never skiied.

Would Winterplace/green still be a better choice than the NC slopes if you're taking beginners?

Thanks for this post! It comes at a great time for me!

[fidorelo07]

Thanks eveyone for the input thus far. We will look at the options out there and see what makes the most sense for us. I hope everyone has a great ski season.

[toot68]

Originally Posted by hurricanedavid

I'm thinking about taking a few friends skiing this winter. I know how (actually I prefer snowboarding), but my friends have never skiied.

Would Winterplace/green still be a better choice than the NC slopes if you're taking beginners?

Thanks for this post! It comes at a great time for me!

I'm not much of a fan of winterplace either, as it is very crowded and you have the same redneck kamikazee issues as Sugar and Beech.

I think wintergreen is pretty good for beginners, it has a pretty extensive beginner area. I've taught a couple people to ski there. I'm trying to remember if there is a tow rope there, I know they have a beginner lift chair which is nice for getting people acclimated to getting on/off the lift

Appalachian is also a real good place for beginners, they'll be skiing the whole mountain by the end of the day. May be kind of boring for experienced skiers. It would be a great choice for taking some grade school kids skiing for the first time.