Best Ski Resort in NC?

Cherokeekid88

Cherokeekid88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
Location
High Point, NC
I really want to plan something for late Feb. and go snowboarding...never been but always have wanted to. I have looked at a couple different ones and just really can't decide from pictures on the websites.
I want something that has that "colorado" look to it. good slopes and no need to travel far once you are there....

Where do you guys rec?
 
You will not find anything in NC that has a Colorado look and feel to it. Snowshoe is your best bet for that, but it is a farther drive. Also in VA is Wintergreen, that is better than most stuff in NC, but still not the Colorado look.
 
If you're wanting a "ski resort" atmosphere in North Carlina then I would say Beech Mountain...

Honestly, if it's your first time i'd look at Winterplace (just off i-77 in Flat Top, WV)... it's about the same travel time as going to Beech... and substantially more beginner terrain... Also cheaper lift tickets...

However, If you want to ski and not travel out west... go to Snowshoe... Very easy drive all interstate until you hit 219 and it's 65 miles of 2 lane country road/switch backs... but well worth it.

Most fun slopes in NC are to be had a Sugar.. but I doubt you'll be on them your first time out...
 
uncc civilengineer said:
If you're wanting a "ski resort" atmosphere in North Carlina then I would say Beech Mountain...
Honestly, if it's your first time i'd look at Winterplace (just off i-77 in Flat Top, WV)... it's about the same travel time as going to Beech... and substantially more beginner terrain... Also cheaper lift tickets...
However, If you want to ski and not travel out west... go to Snowshoe... Very easy drive all interstate until you hit 219 and it's 65 miles of 2 lane country road/switch backs... but well worth it.
Most fun slopes in NC are to be had a Sugar.. but I doubt you'll be on them your first time out...
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I do skateboard, so I am used to being on a board, although I know that snowboarding is different.

I noticed noone said anything about App ski resort? No good? I just want a place that I can have a good time at where I don't really have to drive once I get there and just stay at the resort....
 
app is the best for snowboarding if u want a big park scene, and I mean the setup is for real, no place for a beginner, plus is you want to ride slopes app is the smallest as far a runs go, beach mtn is your best bet for all around good time. Just for the record the only thing skateboarding has to do with snowboarding is u will know if u ride regular or goofy. I think u might want to check snowshoe wv out though, it is a great place to ride and the atmosphere is cool to cause it's got like it's own little town, u can walk to everything if u stay in the village
 
If its your first time, App. wouldnt be a terrible place to learn and just dick around, but once you get the hang of it, it will be way too small. You could end up sucking and not like it, so no point travelling 6hrs to Snowshoe. I skateboarded, and never could get the hang of snowboarding, I just stuck with skiing. I couldnt get used to the snowboard sliding sideways, which doenst happen on a skateboard.
Everyone's covered Beech, Sugar, Wintergreen and Snoweshoe fairly well.
 
If you want resort in NC and plenty of beginner stuff then sugar mtn it is. If you want something with decently long slopes and a coloradoesque resort then snowshoe is the ticket. If you want to stay in boone to party and want to try a nice terrain park but don't care that the slopes are only 200yds long, hit app ski mountain. I used to go to beech a lot but I wouldn't travel for it.
 
I used to go to Sugar or Beech a couple times a year about ten years ago, but the last time I went two years ago it was terrible. I had free lodging and split gas in someone else's ride, so I decided to tag along. It has always been overcrowded, but this time it was absolutely out of control. It has the typical crappy NC terrain (nothing new there), and tons of ice to keep all the noobs out of control and running into you. It's a good place to waste your time and get injured in the process.

The last time I went the beginners in my group only got 2-4 rides down the mountain. Parking was bad, lift pass lines were terrible, every locker in the place was taken so they had to take the bus back to the car to lock their goods up, and the wait for the ski lift on the beginner slope was 45 minutes to 1:15 minutes. They had more fun tubing than skiing/snowboarding (and these were grown adults who had at least a little experience on skis). I'll never go to that place again after that experience.

Do yourself a favor and drive the extra bit to Snowshoe. The extra drive seems like a hassle, but it really isn't that much of a factor when you consider how much time you spend planning, preparing, packing, etc. and it is a night and day difference in every way. You'll thank me for it.

Or better yet, buy a $350 plane ticket and go out west. Other than the plane ticket there isn't a huge difference in prices. Lodging is about the same, lift tickets and food are about the same, and you may or may not need a rental car depending on how you book it. Go out west one time and you'll understand how people become ski bums and plan their life around the experience.
 
is Hawksnest still open? Didnt see it mentioned.

I'll tell ya this though, If you learn to ski/board in NC ice...you'll look like a pro if you ever do go out west for the fluff!

anyone agree?
 
Dylan W. said:
is Hawksnest still open? Didnt see it mentioned.
I'll tell ya this though, If you learn to ski/board in NC ice...you'll look like a pro if you ever do go out west for the fluff!
anyone agree?
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X 100

First time I went to Tahoe , I was amazed at the difference . That night the locals were crying about how bad it was
:flipoff2:
 
I think the "best" slopes in NC are at sugar but beech has more ammenities if you're not going just to ski/board. I like winterplace better than them though and its a super easy drive, straight up 77
 
Beginner and want to be in a learning environment and laid back setting - Appalachian Ski Mountain

More challenging terrain, a bar, decent beginner amentities and long runs - Sugar Mountain

Resort-esque experience and a high speed quad - Beech Mountain

Get drunk, slide down a hill and hang out with your friends - Go tubing at Hawksnest, they arent skiing there anymore.

Beech has great terrain but the way the mountain exposes the resort it can be wicked windy and blow fresh snow all over the place, also it gets a lot of fog. Get it on a good day and its one of the better places to ski in the south.

Sugar doesn't have the high speed lifts but you can cruise groomers all day long if you stay over toward Red/Green lifts. Want to get the most out of your money, lap that setup all day. Ignore the long lines at the bottom or occasionally get on at the midway point. Expect the snow guns to be on if it is below 34*, Gunther, the mountain manager, will make snow at just about any time. They have a bar on site too but dont expect dollar beer specials.

Appalachian is your "family" mountain. Top notch ski school, even better terrain park crew and a staff dedicated to developing the mountain to have the best conditions possible. It is small, but don't let that deter you. It can be a lot of fun for someone just getting into it.

Snowshoe is a hell of an experience, especially if youre there during a storm. Only time I have ever hit waist deep powder on the East coast other than Jay Peak, VT. However you pay Intrawest (their management organization) prices. They are an international resort company so you get that experience along with the prices.

Avoid the holiday weekends, it only makes the already crowded slopes worse. Go a week before/after MLK and Prez Day weekends and don't even bother over Christmas/New Years when the Floridiots raid the area with their no driving, highway plug, horrible skiing but spend a butt load of money skills.
 
Stretch lives up there, so that is definitely some good advice.

My two cents:
If you are going for 1-2 days, I'd go to Wintergreen.

If you are going for 2+ days, I'd make the extra drive to Snowshoe. I learned to board up there over a 3 day w/e trip when I was 14 yrs old back in 1988 at the old Silver Creek resort. You'll want the ability to move over to the more advanced slopes if you pick it up quickly. I learned very fast, and was on the expert slopes by day 3.

If you are going for 5+ days, then I would go out to Colorado. Breckenridge is a good all around resort. They have plenty of slopes for all skill levels, and a nice town to explore.

Your wrists and butt are going to be very sore from falling.

I rode a skateboard too (half pipe mostly), and have to agree that I don't think it helped much if any.
 
^ hate nc much?
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Ha ha...I love NC.
Just not for the snowboarding.
And I have a personal distaste for Sugar after my last trip there.

Snowshoe is nice though. It's a 6 hour drive for me instead of a 4 hour drive if I went to Sugar/Beech. That might mean I get to the cabin at 9:00 rather than 7:00 on Friday night. Really not a big deal IMO.
 
I made the mistake of going to Sugar on a big snow weekend, I've never seen more people on a mountside, what a clusterfawk. My wife (girlfieind at the time) walked down the slope carrying her junk, she didnt feel safe with everyone around. There was people everywhere literally running over he ski tips. She's not the best skiier, but still, it sucked.
 
That sounds like every weekend there. Definitely worth the trip to Snowshoe.
 
As you can see, not a ton of options.

I would recommend Beech. The key is to get there early. I mean you want to be boarding when the place opens. You can get the boards and other stuff away from the mountain. If you get there early you will get way more runs in. Only problem is they close at like 4 till 6 then open back for the night time ski.

You will pass Sugar on the way in. It isn't that much further about 20 minutes.
 
If you decide to go to Beech be aware of the road going up there. It's fine 98% of the time, but if ice is falling you'll get to know the ditches quickly. They do a good job of keeping the roads plowed most of the time, but I drove up once during the week. It snowed while I was there & it took forever to get down the mountain.

The other resorts are moch easier to get to.
 
not to reopen an old thread, but I never got to go snowboarding....I would really like to go sometime in Late november or early december...when do the slopes usually open for the season>?
 
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