Getting excited for the possibility of a snowy wintry weekend? The National Weather Service is predicting snow and sleet for Charlotte late Saturday night and Sunday morning. For the three young boys in our household that means we will be flushing some ice down the toilet and sleeping with our pajamas on inside out as good luck charms to “make it snow!” But we all know how Charlotte is, and just in case we get mostly sleet and ice, a great way to guarantee the fluffy stuff is to take the family up the road for a weekend in the N.C. mountains where they’re calling for as much as 12-18 inches of snow in some areas! Check out our lowdown on skiing, snowboarding, tubing and more!
SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING
Beech Mountain: Slopes are open for skiing and snowboarding from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Thirteen trails and five lifts are open and no snow-making necessary for their 36 to 56 inch base! For information about slope tickets and pricing, click here.
Sugar Mountain: Sugar has four lifts and 11 slopes open for skiing and snowboarding with a 31.5 inch base. Slopes are open for sessions from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and night skiing from 6 to 10 p.m. Full Day tickets go on sale at 8:00 a.m. may also be purchased the night before from 8 to 9 p.m. in the Rental Department. Twilight and Half Day tickets are available at noon, and night tickets are available at 5 p.m. For information about tickets and pricing, click here.
Appalachian Ski Mountain: Appalachian is open for skiing and snowboarding with seven of 12 slopes open and mid-season conditions. Recent natural snowfall coupled with a concentrated snowmaking effort has made coverage and snow quality some of the best of the season so far. All tickets and rentals must be reserved online before arrival. For more information, click here.
TUBING
Beech Mountain: Beech Mountain has constructed a state-of-the-art tubing park adjacent to the Resort Village at the base of the slopes. It provides extra-long tubing runs and convenient access to Beech Mountain Brewing Co., shopping and dining in the Resort Village. With chutes up to 700 feet in length, all ages can enjoy an exhilarating ride. Our tubing area is serviced by a magic carpet conveyer, which transports riders quickly to the top. Sessions on Saturdays and Sundays are at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. Weekday sessions are at 12 p.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. For more information, click here.
Sugar Mountain: The tubing park is open with six lanes, and with sessions at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 8 p.m. Located on the Sugar Mountain Golf Course; the 700-feet long tubing lanes are serviced by a Magic Carpet lift. Snowmaking, lights for night tubing and regularly groomed lanes complete the facility. Sessions are just under two hours long and run from 10:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. For more information click here.
Hawksnest: Hawksnest Tubing Park is the largest snow tubing park on the East Coast, with more than 30 lanes and four different areas to snow tube with lanes from 400 – 1000 feet long. They have two conveyor lifts to bring you back to the top and lighting on all lanes to provide the best possible conditions and fun for the whole family. If you love snow tubing, why not try your hand at winter ziplining? Hawksnest now features the longest Zip line Tour on the East Coast, featuring 20 cables. Zippers ages five and up can enjoy speeding treetop high over valleys having expansive views over creeks, wild turkeys, deer, groundhogs and the occasional bear. For more information, click here.
ALPINE COASTER
Banner Elk is home to the first alpine coaster in North Carolina, which opened in 2020. At the Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster you can ride two-person carts down the mountain at speeds up to 27 mph, complete with three circular loops. Gravity pulls you down the 2,390 feet of track on a five-minute ride through the forest with the rider controlling two handles that serve as brakes. The coaster is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Reservations are required. For more information about tickets, click here.
SLEDDING
The Town of Beech Mountain offers free sledding on a municipal sledding hill for kids ages 12 and under. Parents or other responsible adults are allowed on sleds with preschoolers. Plastic sleds are required but not provided. You can bring your own plastic sleds or rent one from the Beech Meadows Ski Shop or White Wolf Lodge. Fred’s General Mercantile also has sleds for sale. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday and holidays. The Visitor Center is located across the street and three of the town’s restaurants are in walking distance from the hill. For more information, click here.
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Plyms are ALL IN!!