Boone Area Skiing (Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, Grandfather: ski resort, real estate, rentals)

[movinginatl]

We want to go skiing in December up near Boone. Which ski resort is the best? Beech, Sugar, Appalachian or Hawks Nest? We want to take our dog and rent a house. Can anyone recommend some nicer, upscale places to stay for a few nights? Thanks in advance.

[roadpony]

Appalachian is the smallest but has a great ski school and is probably the most family-friendly. It's the ski area where a lot of the Boone locals' kids ski, mostly because of the convenience and cost. Appalachian is aggressive in getting the mountain open early with regard to snow-making. It's a small mountain and pretty easy to get full snow coverage quickly. Jenkins Real Estate in Blowing Rock is a good resource for rental housing. If you are more than a beginner skier, it will be boring for you.

Beech Mtn has the highest elevation in the Southeast, but in recent years has been the last to open. They're pretty conservative in deciding when to start their snow-making. So December skiing can be iffy.

Hawksnest announced this fall that they are closing their ski operation for 2008-09 season... just tubing only.

Sugar Mtn. is real aggressive in getting their snow-making started... snowmaking started today (it's snowing at our house tonight at the base of Grandfather Mtn ) Usually open by Thanksgiving. Sugar has the longest run and most elevation... 1,200 ft. Personally, I think it's the best skiing in NC, and has an excellent ski school. My husband was a volunteer ski patroller at Sugar for 20 years, and I have previously worked there as a ski instructor, so I'm sort of biased. We have season passes for Sugar this year. As for upscale rentals that will allow dogs... hmmmm.... try Resort Real Estate or Sugar Mtn Rentals or Dereka's Sugar Mtn Rentals You can Google other rental agencies. There are lots of log cabin rentals all over the Banner Elk area, including Valle Crucis, which is convenient.

The main thing to keep in mind is that when there is good snow coverage, skiing in December in NC can be wonderful. You've got new, fresh snow that can rival any snow in the west, and no crowds before Christmas. However, the weather can be extremely fickle and snow conditions can change from one day to the next. Remember that you're skiing in the South.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by roadpony

Appalachian is the smallest but has a great ski school and is probably the most family-friendly. It's the ski area where a lot of the Boone locals' kids ski, mostly because of the convenience and cost. Appalachian is aggressive in getting the mountain open early with regard to snow-making. It's a small mountain and pretty easy to get full snow coverage quickly. Jenkins Real Estate in Blowing Rock is a good resource for rental housing. If you are more than a beginner skier, it will be boring for you.

Beech Mtn has the highest elevation in the Southeast, but in recent years has been the last to open. They're pretty conservative in deciding when to start their snow-making. So December skiing can be iffy.

Hawksnest announced this fall that they are closing their ski operation for 2008-09 season... just tubing only.

Sugar Mtn. is real aggressive in getting their snow-making started... snowmaking started today (it's snowing at our house tonight at the base of Grandfather Mtn ) Usually open by Thanksgiving. Sugar has the longest run and most elevation... 1,200 ft. Personally, I think it's the best skiing in NC, and has an excellent ski school. My husband was a volunteer ski patroller at Sugar for 20 years, and I have previously worked there as a ski instructor, so I'm sort of biased. We have season passes for Sugar this year. As for upscale rentals that will allow dogs... hmmmm.... try Resort Real Estate or Sugar Mtn Rentals or Dereka's Sugar Mtn Rentals You can Google other rental agencies. There are lots of log cabin rentals all over the Banner Elk area, including Valle Crucis, which is convenient.

The main thing to keep in mind is that when there is good snow coverage, skiing in December in NC can be wonderful. You've got new, fresh snow that can rival any snow in the west, and no crowds before Christmas. However, the weather can be extremely fickle and snow conditions can change from one day to the next. Remember that you're skiing in the South.

Note to certain posters who add nothing but their negativity to this site - THIS is the way to write a post! Good job roadpony

[LiveLoveLaugh]

Roadpony, do you still give ski lessons????? DM me! Annie

[roadpony]

Originally Posted by lovesMountains

Note to certain posters who add nothing but their negativity to this site - THIS is the way to write a post! Good job roadpony

Awwww... thanks! I'm blushing.

I no longer teach, but when I did, I loved working with adult beginners. I didn't start skiing until my 30's, so I could relate. I HIGHLY recommend novice skiers to take a lesson (or two). It can greatly enhance a person's overall ski experience.

[roadpony]

Quick update... all three High Country ski areas are open as of yesterday - Appalachian, Sugar, and Ski Beech.

It appears that someone at Ski Beech has "seen the light" and has started earlier snow making than in recent years. I'll add my take on Beech since I skipped it in my earlier post. Beech Mtn. has the highest lift-served skiing on the East Coast. The ski area is like an "upside bowl" with probably more, but shorter, runs than Sugar - I believe Beech's vertical is 800+ ft to Sugar's 1,200 ft. They have a high speed quad, but IMO it only serves to dump more people at the top quicker, so the slopes can be crowded (of course on a busy weekend, all NC ski areas can be crazy). The access road is long, steep, and narrow. In "bad" weather, chains or 4x4 may be required. Despite the effort it takes to get there, Beech has a strong core of fans. The mtn runs a lot of mid-week specials. For example, there's a Ladies Day where ladies ski free. Check out their web site for other specials.

Sugar is GREAT this weekend! It's open from the top. For beginners, Easy Street and the Magic Carpet teaching area are also open. Excellent early season conditions. I was going to post pics, but left my camera at home.

[bina wants to ski]

Roadpony, love your write up!! Very helpful! I am planning to introduce my 6 and 8 year olds to skiing, can you tell me how busy it might get during Xmas hols? Thank you, Bina

[roadpony]

Generally, you can count on the floodgates opening on Dec. 26. The three busiest times of the ski season are
1. the week between Christmas and New Year
2. MLK Weekend
3. Presidents Weekend

If snow conditions are good, I would recommend avoiding these three times if at all possible to schedule a trip at another time. When you have little ones, the heavy crowds do not make for a pleasant experience on the slopes or in the lodge.

Although almost all ski areas (not just in NC) have reputation for "enhancing" their descriptions of current conditions, it's still a good idea to check a ski area's web site for conditions as close to the time you're making your travel plans as possible.

Ray's Weather is a GREAT source for weather and conditions too. It has a true locals' take, more descriptive than weather.com and is localized to each area. Here are some helpful links:

Appalachian Ski Mtn.
Ski Beech
Ski Sugar
HawksNest (snow tubing only)

Ray's Weather - Sugar Mtn.
Ray's Weather - Beech Mtn.
Ray's Weather - Appalachian Ski Mtn.