Destination Guide: Travel to Sugar Mountain in Boone, North Carolina

While the nation’s best skiing resides in Wyoming, Colorado, and to some extent Utah, there are some good options for people who can not make it all the way out West. For those who live in the southeastern United States, you do not have to hop a plane in order to fine quality snow skiing. Located in Boone, North Carolina, Sugar Mountain is a great place to go for a day trip or even a couple of days worth of skiing. Because there are not that many ski slopes, this probably is not the place to go for an extended stay. If you are looking only for a nice time for a couple of days, then have it in Boone’s Sugar Mountain Resort.

Skiing seasons starts around November at Sugar Mountain and continues on throughout the spring. Although Boone, North Carolina sits in the Smoky Mountains, it is not the recipient of perpetual snow. It does receive some, however. When the mountain is not being snowed on large amounts of powder, the resort relies on its ability to create snow in order to keep the slopes going. Amazingly, this synthetic snow comes out feeling a lot like the natural kind. There are times when rain can make the man-mad snow extremely slick, but in general, the slopes at Sugar are covered in nice powder.

Sugar Mountain has four slopes and each offer something a little bit different. One slope goes all the way from the top of the mountain, where skiers will have to navigate some tough conditions to get to the bottom. This is the resort’s only black diamond difficulty slope. This run is 1.5 miles in length and offers a challenge in stamina. As the highest mountain in North Carolina, it offers a state-high vertical drop of 1,200 feet on that black diamond run. This is the most popular draw for the ski resort.

Sugar Mountain understands that not everyone in your group has skied before. Because of this, they offer a ski school at the beginning of each open ski session that is geared to helping beginners master the basics in a manner that will allow them to go on the starter slopes. There is a small slope for beginners and it is very safe.

One of the other cool things about Sugar Mountain is that it offers entertaining night skiing. They turn on the lights, open up a couple of slopes and two lifts, and you can come down the mountain at night. Usually, this is only open during peak season.

Sugar Mountain Ski Resort is nice for a number of reasons. For those who normally would not go to ski somewhere, it is close enough to be completely accessible. The night skiing is an added bonus in addition to the beginner school. The weather is sometimes mild, allowing skiers to take on the slopes in their short sleves. At Sugar Mountain, you will enjoy a number of pleasures. Take the entire family for a day or even a couple.