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.

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. ...