Wanna learn some history about N.C.'s ski slopes?

North Carolina is fortunate to have topography that allows for winter sports. The High Country alone boasts several ski slopes, as well as tubing at Hawksnest. Now a new book celebrates that heritage.

“North Carolina Ski Resorts,” the newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series. The book, by author Donna Gayle Akers, was released just this week.

The book boasts 200 vintage images, many of which have never been published, and chronicles the history of the state’s ski industry.

During the early 1960s, local leaders in western and northwestern North Carolina were dedicated to developing winter recreational opportunities in the mountains. North Carolina’s ski industry dates back to the winter of 1961–1962, when the Cataloochee Resort in Maggie Valley developed the first ski slope in the state.

Once thought impossible to make snow south of the Mason-Dixon Line, technological innovations in snowmaking allowed several other resorts to develop through the 1970s, including Appalachian Ski Mountain, Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain, Wolf Ridge and Ski Sapphire Valley, all of which still operate today.

Images of smaller ski areas such as Hound Ears, Seven Devils, and Mill Ridge, are featured to honor these now defunct clubs.

Many of the present-day resorts have incorporated snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice-skating and snow tubing, along with mountain biking trails for summer recreation on the slopes.

“North Carolina Ski Resorts” showcases the rich recreational history of western and northwestern North Carolina.

Highlights of North Carolina Ski Resorts include:

• Many of the images date back to the beginning of the ski industry in North Carolina.

• Each ski resort has a unique story of their survival that can be seen through historic photographs.

• Changes in ski technology are evident in the photographs, as safer bindings and boots were developed.

This books is available at area bookstores, independent retailers and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at 888-313-2665 or online.

Hawksnest tubing in the spotlight

Sarah Kendall with the Moms Charlotte recently blogged about her experience snowtubing at Hawksnest. Sounds like she had a blast.

Looking for some good family fun this winter season? Put Seven Devils, North Carolina into your GPS and head to Hawksnest for a day of snow tubing. It is a must-do fun day for the whole family. The drive from Charlotte is a bit over two hours, but the high-action fun is worth the drive.

...

Looking around the crowds, everyone appeared to be in good spirits and having a great time. I overheard two young siblings who got tired after an hour and wanted to sit with their grandmother. My ten and eight-year old daughters didn’t want to stop, but I believe just one session was enough for us.

One of my daughter’s said, it was awesome and the other asked, when can we go again?

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/13/4690225/snow-tubing-at-hawksnest.html#storylink=cpy

Oh, and in case you've forgotten, there's always a good place to stay VERY close to Hawksnest! (Blatant shilling over!)


Photo courtesy of Moms Charlotte.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/13/4690225/snow-tubing-at-hawksnest.html#storylink=cpy

Good snow business so far

According to the Watauga Democrat, good temperatures have resulted in good, solid, steady business for the High Country's ski and tubing spots.

Temperatures hovered within the ideal range for snowmaking around Christmas and New Year's, two holidays that -- along with Martin Luther King Jr. and President's Day weekends -- can be make-or-break events for the local industry. 

And despite a few bouts of mild temperatures and rain during the past few weeks, resort staff say that equipment upgrades made in the past few years have enabled them to turn slope conditions around in no time at all. 

"We have invested so much in our snowmaking," said Talia Freeman, marketing director at Beech Mountain Resort. "What we did in three days last year we can do in one day this year. Even with mild weather, it takes us no time to recover."

Things seem good over at Hawksnest, which just so happens to be right beside Our Mountain Place. (Cough. Hint. Hint.)

The live webcam at Hawksnest Snow Tubing in Seven Devils on Monday depicted a constant stream of dozens and dozens of visitors queuing up to take a rolling slide down the resort's tubing lanes.

A mid-November opening for (some of) the slopes

Despite all the autumn snow up in the High Country, it looks like many of the area's ski and tubing slopes will open next weekend. Opening day at Appalachian Ski Mountain is set for November 16, while Hawksnest Resort (tubing) is scheduled to open the next day. (Have we mentioned before that Our Mountain Place is right beside Hawksnest? Oh, we  haven't? Now you know!)

Of course, none of this is written in snow -- er, stone.

From Hawksnest's website:

We are targeting the weekend of the 17th to open, but it will depend on the weather.  Please watch our webcam for snowmaking progress.  We will be open daily for zipline tours, weather permitting.  Please call ahead for zipline reservations.


Sugar Mountain IS already open, according to its website:

Snowmaking in progress as temperatures allow.

Snow is good

... well, most of the time it is. I'll admit: too much of it, and it can sometimes be a little "fun" getting up to Our Mountain Place. But -- for the sake of the greater good -- the white stuff is GREAT for the High Country. Especially this time of year.

"The snowfall that started Thursday night and continued into Friday, along with lower temperatures, were especially welcome during a season that's been warmer than the past few winters," writes the Winston-Salem Journal.

"It's been a gift," said Kim Jochl, spokeswoman at Sugar Mountain Resort. "Here's 6 inches, 8 inches of snow, four days of temperatures in the teens and it's fantastic."

Skies are expected to be mostly sunny through the holiday in the Northwest North Carolina mountains, but temperatures aren't expected to climb out of the 20s today with a chance of snow flurries, according to the National Weather Service.

Snow was still falling Friday afternoon at the Beech Mountain Resort, formerly known as Ski Beech, and about 6 inches of new snow had accumulated.

Much of the mountain areas, including those at lower elevations than the ski slopes, had lighter snow accumulations, with about an inch or so.

Just late last week, ski slope operators were talking about the above-normal temperatures.

Wolf Ridge Ski Resort in Madison County didn't open until Dec. 29. It had opened on Dec. 8 last year.

"We're in an industry that is driven by the weather, and we're at its mercy," said Kathy Bogdanescu, spokeswoman for Wolf Ridge. "Last year we were lucky." ...

Brad Moretz, at Appalachian Ski Mountain near Blowing Rock, said there were enough cold days to create a good base of snow. ...

Follow the High Country on Facebook

I don't know why it didn't hit me to look for them, but a number of High Country hot spots can be found via social media. The Town of Seven Devils, for instance, is on Facebook. So is Hawksnest. (Be sure to "like" them.) Also making its way to Facebook are Woodlands BBQ, Mast General Store and others.

Any others?

Zip across the mountains

The Raleigh News & Observer has an article today about the ziplining offerings in the High Country. While the article focuses on Scream Time Zipline near Boone, it should be noted that Hawksnest in Seven Devils claims to be the longest zipline course on the East Coast.

"Slicing through trees and across a mountain valley hanging from a steel cable, it's hard not to feel like a 21st century Tarzan, with more clothes and less arm strength," writes Katelyn Ferral.

"Ziplining offers all the perks of being a tree-swinging jungle man, and one of the longest and most unusual ziplines in the country is in the Appalachian Mountains, three hours from the Triangle."

"... There are at least 15 zipline attractions throughout the state, mostly in the Piedmont and the mountains. They fall into two categories: standard zip line tours, where participants fly on cable connected to poles on the ground, and canopy tours, where the wire is suspended from aerial platforms in trees. ..."

Slip-slidin' in Seven Devils

Ya gotta love Google Alerts. How else would I come across this?

"Fresh snowflakes frosted my face as I scanned what appeared to be a slope of sugar," writes Joe Tennis of Tri-Cities.com.

This was midday at Hawksnest, the largest tubing operation in North Carolina’s High Country.

Ice added icing to my doughnut-shaped inner tube while, bravely, I shoved off the slope, suddenly sliding down as fast as a freight train.

SWISH!

I rushed with the wind.

And, at once, I swore I could tame the terrain.

Like a broom, I swiftly swept that slippery slope, stretching as wide as three bowling lanes and as long as a couple of football fields.

Oh, how I could tube!

Click on the link for more.

Bad weather = good skiing

Well, here in Raleigh, we've been worn down by the amount of snow, chilling weather and ice we've had. (It's rather abnormal.)

There is, of course, a positive to the weather. From the Johnson City (Tenn.) Press:

If terms like mogul, schuss and slalom are creeping into your vocabulary, you’re probably aware that it’s ski season here in the Appalachians.

Most of the ski resorts opened in early December, thanks to a good natural snowfall to establish a base and freezing temperatures to allow the snow making machines to roar into action.

It was the invention of snow making equipment and the willingness of resort operators to invest millions in snow making equipment that made skiing an Appalachian pasttime.

Skiers from Johnson City usually gravitate to Sugar Mountain in Banner Elk or Ski Beech in Beech Mountain, N.C., as the closest resorts. Ober Gatlinburg is farther, but most of the drive is on interstate highways.

Other North Carolina resorts include Appalachia Ski Mountain, starting its 49th season in Blowing Rock, and Hawksnest Ski Resort at Seven Devils, N.C.

Marketing Director Kim Jochl at Sugar Mountain said she wasn’t able to go skiing before work Wednesday because there was too much paperwork at the office. Too bad, because she reports that all 20 slopes and seven lifts are operating, plus the magic carpet ride in the tubing area. Sugar Mountain has a base of 38-80 inches with manmade powder on top. “Conditions are fantastic,” Jochl said.