The NC snow making teams are pretty unreal with how early they can get open. The base elevations certainly help, but just great effort every season from the mountain ops teams at these NC spots. I think Cataloochee being open the weekend before Thanksgiving was the earliest I've ever skied in any season. How is the lodging in Banner Elk right now? I know they got hit pretty hard during Helene, so that's something you kind of have to take into account if you are going to some of these NC spots.
Completely agree! I was able to ride at Sugar this season a week before Thanksgiving too. As far as I can tell the Banner Elk area is rebounding well from Helene. All the major roads were good both times I’ve been there after Helene, and the locals just want people to visit and spend money to fuel their economy.
Thank you for the information! I know sometimes resorts won’t put enough effort into their park to open it early in the season, and it was still listed on the map.. but it’s a shame they decided to remove it altogether
I came to say I've never seen the terrain park open in the last 12 seasons and I've never seen the rope tow operational either. If you want terrain features, go to Beech or, honestly, go to App.
Sugar and Beech mountains are ok from a glass half-full perspective - the half-empty perspective is that there are plenty of vastly superior-in-every-way ski areas in the western US, and not just the pricey name resorts like Vail or Aspen but smaller more affordable ones like Sunlight and Powderhorn in Colorado - but at the cost for starters of a round-trip plane ticket and the sacrifice of a day getting there, a day back. The half-full perspective is that Sugar and Beech are a long round day-trip from Piedmont sections of NC. And so the comments on run quality and availability at Sugar (and the fact that most of the time you are skiing on heavier, more ice-prone artificial rather than lighter natural snow at Sugar) must be taken in the context of glass half-full or half-empty. Better to have a glass only half-full at Sugar than no glass at all.
I agree with a lot of what you’re saying because it’s not feasible or realistic for a lot of people to “just go out West”. But for the NC area there’s a lot to be excited about 👍
I mean, you do realize that NC is in the South. The ability to ski at 5,000 feet elevation and generally have 3 - 4 months of skiing time is pretty crazy for a mountain in the South
Thanks so much! I’m trying to get to all the ski resorts in the East Coast. I’m planning to do all the NC places this season, then a top 5 video. Any recommendations on other ski resorts in the southeast region I should visit next?
The black diamonds are almost never open. This is a beginner mountain. Gunther the owner yanked my ski pass off my jacket and tore my zipper because I was skiing fast. Being from up north and skiing at expert terrain all the time Sugar was a huge disappointment. Plus all the trails lead into one trail on the entire mountain. So it gets super crowded. If you are dead set on skiing North Carolina, make the extra drive to Beech or a better alternative is to go up to West Virginia to Snowshoe or even Winterplace.
I love Sugar, my wife and I have season passes as it is less than an hour drive for us. When my kids go with us they love it as well, however i actually don't like how they changed their lift pass as i found it hard to reload. I would just make them give me a new one every day for my kids. I would say Snowshoe is better but for the convince Sugar (for us) can't be beat. Love the videos man keep them coming. Check out Cata I have wondered if that mountain was any good.
Cata?? as in cattaloochee? its my local mountain now and it's better than nothing but it's garbage don't waste your time/money anything in the Boone area is far better esp having lived up there and worked at App ski for several years. Cattalooche is often very icy they need to update a lot of the snow making to prevent the icy conditions.
nice vid its hard to get resorts behind glade trails I cut a lot at a big resort in WV dont work there anymore work at small mt close to home and no glades time to get the saw out haha
Ya I feel like is a key part of skiing & snowboarding, but a lot of resorts do t put any energy into it. Even though it adds a lot of benefit to the mountain
The last time I went to sugar mountain about 5 years ago we went down the mountain a total of 6-8 times. We waited in line for over an hour every single time. It was a powder day but the only thing it was good for was getting black out drunk in line.I will never go back.
@AdventureLife365 true im local to nc. I think beech handles the bigger crowds a tad better. For me an extra hour of driving I can go to snowshoe and I think it's worth it.
If you’re that close to Snowshoe it’s definitely a bigger resort! I love Snowshoe, but the lift lines at the Ballhooter lift can get crazy busy on weekends too..
its a cool mountain but if you are going snowboarding, make sure its on a snowy day or or when they are able to make snow. It was like a full mogul run on Dec 30th
I really appreciate your videos and the time put it to the reviews. As a beginner snowboarder (I went years ago and again last year), what resort do you recommend between Beech and Winterplace. I visited Beech on a rather busier weekend on a day during snowfall and enjoyed it other than the crowd. This year I plan on going on a weekday and just want to get a lot of reps. I pick up on things rather fast and on my first day had my turns down for the most part without lessons. In your opinion is there one that outweighs the other significantly for a beginner on a weekday?
Thank you! I appreciate you letting me know you’re enjoying the videos! First off great job teaching yourself how to snowboard (it’s not easy), and ultimately if you get out on a weekday the crowds will be almost non-existent! To answer your question really depends on a few things that you would prefer, so double check the weather for you’re planned day to visit, how much terrain they have open, and how far you’re looking to travel. If all those are more or less the same, here’s what I recommend: Beech should be better. It’s got significantly wider runs, which is great for spreading people out and giving you plenty of space to work on your turns. Winterplace is a nice place too, but a lot of their runs are very narrow and that can be intimidating for someone who’s just starting out. But Winterplace also has great instructors! So if you’re thinking of getting a lesson then go there. Hope that helps! Let me know how it goes!
I board the East. Sugar is alright. You definitely don't want to take a fast board, or youll be from top to bottom in about 3 minutes. Learning to ride ice is fun too. I'm just waiting for the kids to go back to school so I can hit a weekday night sesh. With a 3 minute run, it's a hard pill to wait 10mins in the lift lines. Don't forget your clear goggles for nights (or tinted for days), as those snow machines can be brutal. Ear protection to help with the noise, helps too. I recall paying less than $20 for nights, maybe a decade ago. $40+ is a LOT imho.
I haven’t seen any lift lines at Sugar every time I’ve visited! …but I also avoid holiday weekends like the plague 😅. I also wouldn’t mind paying less than $20 for nights, but I doubt we’ll see that any time soon..
@@AdventureLife365 My favorite is when its horrible out, very dark and the wind is howling across the top. Only hoodlums are out, and those are my people! I do miss Hawksnest. Talk about a f*kn party late night. Any ski resort that hands you a shovel at the lift line, is OK in my book.
The three black-rated summit trails start legitimately steep, not unlike some parts of Stowe, MRG, Sugarbush, but the steepness is all there is to it. There are no natural twists and turns and bumps, and it and the other black-rated summit trails are short. The terrain is not terribly exciting, though once in a while I've seen Gunther's a little bumped up. If it were in Vermont or anywhere in the Northeast it'd be a minor locals day area at best, but it's about as good as you'll get in North Carolina. Sugar's good for your skiing fix if you can go on a non-holiday weekday. Avoid it on weekends until March. Twice I've been hit from behind by kids on snowboards. When crowds thin out and, by mid-month, the ticket price drops. It's not terribly exciting but hey, it's the south, and be grateful you can ski at all.
#Subscribed! I have been skiing in NC since 1972. I prefer Beech Mountain myself but your rating in Sugar is fair. IMHO the prices have gotten out of control. I miss Hawk's Nest as a ski resort as it was decent but unfortunately, it is now only a tubing run. Slope side lodging needs to be better for every NC resort as the only real options are full-sized homes so we actually own a 1 bedroom condo up in Snowshoe, WV which is about 3 times the size of Sugar and has direct slopeside access and a village in the center with restaurants so that is where we have invested our $s. Please review Hatley which is the old Wolf Lodge that has been re-done. I know they have had challenges with their re-opening.
Awesome to hear it! I absolutely love Snowshoe as well, but it’s not as easily reachable for everyone with those winding West Virginia roads. And I am interested to get out to Hatley soon and review it.. just waiting for more runs to open up 👍
I used to buy the online season pass for sugar bacl 2012-2015 before prices skyrocketed. It was $365 a year up to over $800 last time I checked years ago. I can't imagine what it is now. Still a great night boarding spot I heard.
@ feels like it was a $15 or so increase on the weekends. Weekdays has stayed the same. But to have $40 difference in weekday vs weekend for a resort of this caliber just seems crazy to me. All the more incentive to stick to weekdays I guess. Don’t think this mountain is worth $100 a day considering epic passes start at that for far superior days. I appreciate the review! Keep up the content
It’s definitely a good choice.. depends on how far you’re willing to drive? Looks like Sugar is about 5hrs from Atlanta, which isn’t too bad! I’ve heard good things about Cat, which is 3hrs from you but I haven’t been there yet.. and if you’re up for it Snowshoe, WV ❄️🏔️ is only 9hrs 😅
Yeah I’ve heard good things about Cataloochee too, but thinking sugar might be worth the extra 1.5-2 hrs! Will definitely make it up to Snowshoe one day, but will probably be for more than a weekend
@@AdventureLife365 just moved to Atlanta from Louisiana, so I kinda just realized that there even is skiing at all in driving distance lol. Haven’t done any skiing in the southeast. The only skiing I’ve ever done was a family vacation to Lake Tahoe, so I’m still very new.
I love Sugar but the road to the mtn is the worst compared to the other 2 nc mtns. That being said if you get out there early there's lots of snow to be had! Like most locals I can't stand the look of that stupid square on top of the mtn but what can we do.
It must be the way you’re driving in, because the road getting to Sugar is way easier than Beech! And I was pretty surprised to see that square up there too 😅
Depending on where you live those places could be twice as far.. I’d make the longer trip for Snowshoe, but Winterplace isn’t a clear cut better resort.. especially if it’s a farther drive for you
45 seconds in this guy is already telling lies, they don't have snow making on 100% of their trails, and unfortunately it probably the best run they have Gunther's Way.
No lies here! Their website says they have “100% snowmaking coverage” I’ve heard good things about Gunther’s Way, but it wasn’t open any of the times I visited unfortunately..
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
The NC snow making teams are pretty unreal with how early they can get open. The base elevations certainly help, but just great effort every season from the mountain ops teams at these NC spots. I think Cataloochee being open the weekend before Thanksgiving was the earliest I've ever skied in any season.
How is the lodging in Banner Elk right now? I know they got hit pretty hard during Helene, so that's something you kind of have to take into account if you are going to some of these NC spots.
Completely agree! I was able to ride at Sugar this season a week before Thanksgiving too. As far as I can tell the Banner Elk area is rebounding well from Helene. All the major roads were good both times I’ve been there after Helene, and the locals just want people to visit and spend money to fuel their economy.
There was no terrain park for years, and this year Sugar also removed it form the map
Thank you for the information! I know sometimes resorts won’t put enough effort into their park to open it early in the season, and it was still listed on the map.. but it’s a shame they decided to remove it altogether
I came to say I've never seen the terrain park open in the last 12 seasons and I've never seen the rope tow operational either. If you want terrain features, go to Beech or, honestly, go to App.
Thank you
It's because Gunther hates snowboarders, he only allows them because he loves money more than he hates boarders.
😅 hopefully that’s not the real reason.. plus skiers ride the park too
Sugar and Beech mountains are ok from a glass half-full perspective - the half-empty perspective is that there are plenty of vastly superior-in-every-way ski areas in the western US, and not just the pricey name resorts like Vail or Aspen but smaller more affordable ones like Sunlight and Powderhorn in Colorado - but at the cost for starters of a round-trip plane ticket and the sacrifice of a day getting there, a day back. The half-full perspective is that Sugar and Beech are a long round day-trip from Piedmont sections of NC. And so the comments on run quality and availability at Sugar (and the fact that most of the time you are skiing on heavier, more ice-prone artificial rather than lighter natural snow at Sugar) must be taken in the context of glass half-full or half-empty. Better to have a glass only half-full at Sugar than no glass at all.
I agree with a lot of what you’re saying because it’s not feasible or realistic for a lot of people to “just go out West”. But for the NC area there’s a lot to be excited about 👍
I mean, you do realize that NC is in the South. The ability to ski at 5,000 feet elevation and generally have 3 - 4 months of skiing time is pretty crazy for a mountain in the South
Agreed!
Sugar mountain sucks and so does the owner Gunther who is so vain he named a trail after himself.
Solid video hope to watch see more reviews or maybe a top 5 of some lower east coast resorts
Thanks so much! I’m trying to get to all the ski resorts in the East Coast. I’m planning to do all the NC places this season, then a top 5 video. Any recommendations on other ski resorts in the southeast region I should visit next?
is there more than 5 lower east resorts?
Yes! There’s 6 ski resorts just in North Carolina, and others in surrounding states as well
The black diamonds are almost never open. This is a beginner mountain. Gunther the owner yanked my ski pass off my jacket and tore my zipper because I was skiing fast. Being from up north and skiing at expert terrain all the time Sugar was a huge disappointment. Plus all the trails lead into one trail on the entire mountain. So it gets super crowded. If you are dead set on skiing North Carolina, make the extra drive to Beech or a better alternative is to go up to West Virginia to Snowshoe or even Winterplace.
Amazing I went snowboarding yesterday at blue mountain
Sweet! How were the conditions at Blue?
Amazing
I’ll have to try to go up there this season
I love Sugar, my wife and I have season passes as it is less than an hour drive for us. When my kids go with us they love it as well, however i actually don't like how they changed their lift pass as i found it hard to reload. I would just make them give me a new one every day for my kids. I would say Snowshoe is better but for the convince Sugar (for us) can't be beat. Love the videos man keep them coming. Check out Cata I have wondered if that mountain was any good.
Thank you, I have plans to get out to Cata soon and see if it’s any good
Cata?? as in cattaloochee? its my local mountain now and it's better than nothing but it's garbage don't waste your time/money anything in the Boone area is far better esp having lived up there and worked at App ski for several years. Cattalooche is often very icy they need to update a lot of the snow making to prevent the icy conditions.
@@AdventureLife365 dont waste your time
Thanks for the heads up, but I’m still planning to visit! I enjoy exploring even the smaller ski resorts, and hope to visit all the resorts I can
I won’t, even the smaller mountains can have hidden gems to explore
The snow is sweeter at Sugar! ;) Love this place!
Definitely ❄️❄️❄️
Try making a trip to Snowshoe and you will change your mind. Better yet take a vacation up to Killington, VT and have your eyes opened.
nice vid its hard to get resorts behind glade trails I cut a lot at a big resort in WV dont work there anymore work at small mt close to home and no glades time to get the saw out haha
Ya I feel like is a key part of skiing & snowboarding, but a lot of resorts do t put any energy into it. Even though it adds a lot of benefit to the mountain
The last time I went to sugar mountain about 5 years ago we went down the mountain a total of 6-8 times. We waited in line for over an hour every single time. It was a powder day but the only thing it was good for was getting black out drunk in line.I will never go back.
I’m sorry that happened to you, but on perfect weather weekends anywhere can get crowded.. At least it was a powder day ❄️
@AdventureLife365 true im local to nc. I think beech handles the bigger crowds a tad better. For me an extra hour of driving I can go to snowshoe and I think it's worth it.
If you’re that close to Snowshoe it’s definitely a bigger resort! I love Snowshoe, but the lift lines at the Ballhooter lift can get crazy busy on weekends too..
Try Snowshoe. Or if you can go up to Vermont.
its a cool mountain but if you are going snowboarding, make sure its on a snowy day or or when they are able to make snow. It was like a full mogul run on Dec 30th
i was there it was crazy
I understand that, and I’d blame that on the crazy holiday crowds…
@ yeah it was super busy. I will say for as busy as it was, the 4 person chair moved really well
@masonkramer3337 that’s a busy time anywhere..
That’s good to know that the lift lines kept up with the crowds
I really appreciate your videos and the time put it to the reviews. As a beginner snowboarder (I went years ago and again last year), what resort do you recommend between Beech and Winterplace. I visited Beech on a rather busier weekend on a day during snowfall and enjoyed it other than the crowd. This year I plan on going on a weekday and just want to get a lot of reps. I pick up on things rather fast and on my first day had my turns down for the most part without lessons. In your opinion is there one that outweighs the other significantly for a beginner on a weekday?
Thank you! I appreciate you letting me know you’re enjoying the videos! First off great job teaching yourself how to snowboard (it’s not easy), and ultimately if you get out on a weekday the crowds will be almost non-existent! To answer your question really depends on a few things that you would prefer, so double check the weather for you’re planned day to visit, how much terrain they have open, and how far you’re looking to travel. If all those are more or less the same, here’s what I recommend:
Beech should be better. It’s got significantly wider runs, which is great for spreading people out and giving you plenty of space to work on your turns. Winterplace is a nice place too, but a lot of their runs are very narrow and that can be intimidating for someone who’s just starting out. But Winterplace also has great instructors! So if you’re thinking of getting a lesson then go there.
Hope that helps! Let me know how it goes!
I board the East. Sugar is alright. You definitely don't want to take a fast board, or youll be from top to bottom in about 3 minutes. Learning to ride ice is fun too. I'm just waiting for the kids to go back to school so I can hit a weekday night sesh. With a 3 minute run, it's a hard pill to wait 10mins in the lift lines. Don't forget your clear goggles for nights (or tinted for days), as those snow machines can be brutal. Ear protection to help with the noise, helps too. I recall paying less than $20 for nights, maybe a decade ago. $40+ is a LOT imho.
I haven’t seen any lift lines at Sugar every time I’ve visited! …but I also avoid holiday weekends like the plague 😅. I also wouldn’t mind paying less than $20 for nights, but I doubt we’ll see that any time soon..
@@AdventureLife365 My favorite is when its horrible out, very dark and the wind is howling across the top. Only hoodlums are out, and those are my people! I do miss Hawksnest. Talk about a f*kn party late night. Any ski resort that hands you a shovel at the lift line, is OK in my book.
@@shanesplanetshane3795 Used to LOVE "Night Hawking"! Heavy drinking and skiing until 3am in the morning most weekends!
3am skiing would sure be interesting!
@@n-da-bunka2650 ah yes, for sure! Legendary. Tis too bad its now just a story we can tell people. Made me sad when it closed down.
How do the blacks there compare to Vermont in terms of steepness?
Thanks for the question! I would say they’re slightly less steep than blacks in Vermont. But honestly it’s hard to tell
The three black-rated summit trails start legitimately steep, not unlike some parts of Stowe, MRG, Sugarbush, but the steepness is all there is to it. There are no natural twists and turns and bumps, and it and the other black-rated summit trails are short. The terrain is not terribly exciting, though once in a while I've seen Gunther's a little bumped up. If it were in Vermont or anywhere in the Northeast it'd be a minor locals day area at best, but it's about as good as you'll get in North Carolina. Sugar's good for your skiing fix if you can go on a non-holiday weekday. Avoid it on weekends until March. Twice I've been hit from behind by kids on snowboards. When crowds thin out and, by mid-month, the ticket price drops. It's not terribly exciting but hey, it's the south, and be grateful you can ski at all.
Yes definitely avoid holiday weekends if possible!
#Subscribed! I have been skiing in NC since 1972. I prefer Beech Mountain myself but your rating in Sugar is fair. IMHO the prices have gotten out of control. I miss Hawk's Nest as a ski resort as it was decent but unfortunately, it is now only a tubing run. Slope side lodging needs to be better for every NC resort as the only real options are full-sized homes so we actually own a 1 bedroom condo up in Snowshoe, WV which is about 3 times the size of Sugar and has direct slopeside access and a village in the center with restaurants so that is where we have invested our $s. Please review Hatley which is the old Wolf Lodge that has been re-done. I know they have had challenges with their re-opening.
Awesome to hear it! I absolutely love Snowshoe as well, but it’s not as easily reachable for everyone with those winding West Virginia roads. And I am interested to get out to Hatley soon and review it.. just waiting for more runs to open up 👍
I used to buy the online season pass for sugar bacl 2012-2015 before prices skyrocketed. It was $365 a year up to over $800 last time I checked years ago. I can't imagine what it is now. Still a great night boarding spot I heard.
Ya I wish their season passes were still $365!!
The weekday vs weekend pricing disparity is insane this year
How much did it change from last season?
@ feels like it was a $15 or so increase on the weekends. Weekdays has stayed the same. But to have $40 difference in weekday vs weekend for a resort of this caliber just seems crazy to me. All the more incentive to stick to weekdays I guess. Don’t think this mountain is worth $100 a day considering epic passes start at that for far superior days. I appreciate the review! Keep up the content
Thank you! Ya I agree that $15 is a good size increase from last season..
It is so worth it to go during the weekdays. Pretty much no lines, it's endless skiing! :)
@ oh I know, I try to go during the weekdays when I can 😊
App-a-latch-un Ski Mountain
Ya no problem, I do mispronounce words from time to time, but that’s just my accent. No disrespect meant 👍
@@AdventureLife365 All good brother. Solid assessment of Sugar.
Thanks!
Would you say this is the best ski resort in driving distance from Atlanta for a weekend trip?
It’s definitely a good choice.. depends on how far you’re willing to drive?
Looks like Sugar is about 5hrs from Atlanta, which isn’t too bad! I’ve heard good things about Cat, which is 3hrs from you but I haven’t been there yet.. and if you’re up for it Snowshoe, WV ❄️🏔️ is only 9hrs 😅
Yeah I’ve heard good things about Cataloochee too, but thinking sugar might be worth the extra 1.5-2 hrs! Will definitely make it up to Snowshoe one day, but will probably be for more than a weekend
I think that’s a good plan since it is a lot farther for you. Are there are other ski resorts in the Southeast you been riding at?
@@AdventureLife365 just moved to Atlanta from Louisiana, so I kinda just realized that there even is skiing at all in driving distance lol. Haven’t done any skiing in the southeast. The only skiing I’ve ever done was a family vacation to Lake Tahoe, so I’m still very new.
Ok cool. Lake Tahoe looks awesome, so you’re starting off pretty good 🏔️
I love Sugar but the road to the mtn is the worst compared to the other 2 nc mtns. That being said if you get out there early there's lots of snow to be had! Like most locals I can't stand the look of that stupid square on top of the mtn but what can we do.
It must be the way you’re driving in, because the road getting to Sugar is way easier than Beech! And I was pretty surprised to see that square up there too 😅
Beech, App, and Cat are all more difficult roads than Sugar.
Agreed! Sugar’s roads are “normal” compared to twisting mountain roads..
Just go to snowshoe or winter place tbh
Depending on where you live those places could be twice as far.. I’d make the longer trip for Snowshoe, but Winterplace isn’t a clear cut better resort.. especially if it’s a farther drive for you
fyi it's "App-ugh-latch-un" get it right please
Yes thank you
So badly need better internet connectivity
Are you talking about the signal at Sugar Mountain?
45 seconds in this guy is already telling lies, they don't have snow making on 100% of their trails, and unfortunately it probably the best run they have Gunther's Way.
No lies here! Their website says they have “100% snowmaking coverage” I’ve heard good things about Gunther’s Way, but it wasn’t open any of the times I visited unfortunately..