guides

Hit the Slopes!

10 Nearby Ski Towns You'll Want to Check out This Winter

By Union County Macaroni Kid December 6, 2022

Whether you're a beginner or an expert, boarder or skiier, one of the best parts about living in the Metro Charlotte area is our proximity to some fairly decent slopes! So go get your skis waxed, grab your favorite beanie and pack up for a weekend: here are 10 ski resorts for you to take advantage of Winter in all her glory. 

North Carolina 


Appalachian Ski Mountain
940 Ski Mountain Rd., Blowing Rock
828-295-7828

Ticket Options:

Slopes: 9 slopes of varying difficulty - 3 easy, 3 intermediate and 3 most challenging; 3 terrain areas 

Activities Offered: Skiing, snowboarding, ice rink, night skiing (all slopes are lit). Ski Wee and Cruiser Camps instructional programs designed for skiers ages 4-10 and snowboarders ages 7-12. Ski Wee is open daily and Cruiser Camp is open Fri.-Sun. and holidays. New for 2021 is the Mountain Challengers program, designed for young, experienced skiers who want to progress to intermediate terrain. Nursery care for children ages 1-4 is available 7 days a week, from 8:30A - 4:30P with advanced reservations. 

Approximate Distance:



Beech Mountain
1007 Beech Mountain Pkwy., Beech Mountain
800-438-2093

Ticket Options: Fullday, Half-day (morning or afernoon), Beech Pass (9-close), Twighlight, Season and Multi-day.

Slopes: 17 trails including 3 beginner, 7 intermediate, 4 advanced and 3 terrain trails

Activities Offered: Skiing, snowboarding, tubing, ice skating. Snow Kamp provides all-day childcare with an introduction to a winter wonderland of activities for kids ages 3-5. Traxx is a ski program for students ages 6-12 of all skill levels. Burton Learn to Ride Center provides snowboarding lessons for ages 6-12. Hourly lessons are available for children ages 4 and older. Childcare is available for ages 1-5 years and includes snacks, water, juice and a large playroom with lots of toys and games; reservations are recommended.

Approximate Distance: 3 hours



Cataloochee Ski Area
1080 Ski Lodge Rd., Maggie Valley
800-768-0285

Ticket Options: Weekday lift; weekend/holiday lift; season pass; Children under 4 or adults over 70 are free with a qualifying adult lift pass. 

Slopes: 18 slopes and trails ~ 44% beginner, 39% intermediate, and 17% advanced to expert + a terrain park

Activities Offered: Skiing, snowboarding and tubing; Group lessons availale for children ages 8 and up; private lessons for ages 3 and up (reservations required). Half- and full-day programs are available for ages 4-12.

Approximate Distance: 3 hours



Sapphire Valley ~ Opening December17, 2022
127 Cherokee Trail, Sapphire, NC
828-743-7663

Ticket Options: Day, Day/Twighlight and Twighlight only Passes; 

Slopes: 2 slopes; best for beginners and children

Activities Offered: Skiing, snowboarding and tubing 

Approximate Distance: 3 hours



Sugar Mountain 
1009 Sugar Mountain Drive, Sugar Mountain
800-784-2768

Ticket Options: Full day, half day, twilight, night. Season passes are available.

Slopes: 7 slopes are currently open; more may open through the season. 

Activities Offered: Skiing, snowboarding, tubing, ice skating and snowshoeing. Ski School available for all ages; Sugar Bear Ski School for children 5-10 and Polar Bear Snowboard School is open to children ages 7-14 (full and half-day sessions).

Approximate Distance: 2.5 hours



Wolf Ridge 
578 Valley View Circle, Mars Hill
800-817-4111

Ticket Options: Half and Full Day or Night Area Passes, consecutive day passes and seasonal passes. 

Slopes: 15 Slopes of varying difficulty 

Activities Offered: Skiing, snowboarding, tubing; group lessons available for children 8+ and individual lessons (1:1/Private) available for children 5+

Approximate Distance: 3 hours


Virginia 


Omni Homestead 
7696 Sam Snead Hwy., Hot Springs
800-838-1766

Ticket Options: Pricing and ticket options is for hotel guests and depend on your stay. Single day lift or lift and rental packages available. 

Slopes: 9 trails, most of which are best for beginner or intermediate riders and skiers. There is only one advanced slope. 

Activities Offered: Skiing and snowboarding ONLY. Little Penguins Ski School is available for children ages 5-11. 

Approximate Distance: 4.5 hours



Wintergreen
Route 664, Wintergreen
855-699-1858

Ticket Options: Single-day or Night Lift Tickets, Season passes, 

Slopes: 26 slopes and trails with terrain for never-evers to advanced skiers and riders plus a terrain park. 

Activities Offered: Skiing, snowboarding, tubing. Ski school is available for riders and skiers of all age and experience and a special Treehouse Snowsports School for the winter season is available for children ages 3-15.

Approximate Distance: 4.5 hours


West Virginia 


Snow Shoe
10 Snowshoe Drive, Snowshoe
877-441-4386

Ticket Options: Part of IKON (so you can ski unlimited with the pass); single-day and multi-day lift passes, season passes, night skiing. Online advance purchase is suggested for best prices. 

Slopes: 3 Ski areas with more than 50 slopes of varying difficulty. Lots of easier runs for beginners and intermediates with a handful more challenging runs for advanced and expert skiers/snowboarders. There are also 5 areas for freestyle.

Activities Offered: Skiing, snowboarding, tubing, snow mobiling, skating and sleigh rides. Snowshoe also offers ski and snowboarding lessons for all ages and skill levels; the Advanced Mountain Clinic is for confident skiers ages 13 & older. Pre-Ski School has full- and half-day programs for children ages 2-4.

Approximate Distance: 5.5 hours; winding roads with tough terrain - make sure your car has all-wheel or 4-wheel drive as weather can make for a challenging drive. 



Winter Place 
425 Winterplace Drive, Ghent
800-607-7669

Ticket Options: 1-4 Day Lift Passes, Season Passes, Night Lift Passes; Lift and Equipment Packages Available. Online advanced purchase is suggested to maximize savings.

Slopes: 27 slopes, of which 12 are on the easier side and 11 are more challenging with 4 advanced runs. There are also 2 terrain parks. 

Activities Offered: Skiing, snowboarding, tubing (the largest in West Virginia); SkiWee and Snow Explorers program for Children - half and full day available. 

Approximate Distance: 3 Hours