It's winter and you want the excitement of Asheville's breweries, restaurants, and activities and you're itching to hit some fresh powder on one of the area ski slopes. Oh, and don't forget that really great cabin with an idyllic view and a fireplace. This is the recipe for an ideal winter getaway in the mountains.
The good news is that you can reach an area ski slope in a similar amount of drive time that you may have to reach one of the hikes on your wish list.
While Asheville winters can be cold, temperatures at Western North Carolina slopes are colder --sometimes running 20 degrees cooler than Asheville, making for the perfect setting to ski or snowboard.
If you are still planning out your ski destination, you can choose from Sugar Mountain, only an hour and 20 minutes by car, or Beech Mountain, an hour and a half drive. Also available are Hatley Pointe Ski Resort (formerly Wolf Ridge) and Cataloochee, both within an hour’s drive.
Want a cabin with really great access to the slopes? Here are a few options from Greybeard's cabins with even better access:
- Alpine Outlook and Hadleigh House are under a 20-minute drive from Hatley Pointe Ski Resort (formerly Wolf Ridge) if you're looking for quick access to skiing or snow tubing.
- Most homes that are within 5 miles of Asheville are also great candidates for a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains and Cataloochee Ski area with an hour or less of drive time
- Staying at Old Fort rentals like Kibbin at Mackey Creek or Moondance Cabin will put you at just an hour to an hour and 10 minutes to Sugar Mountain Ski Resort.
Opting for Asheville lets you ski several areas on different days giving you a variety of slopes and terrain. In addition, Asheville opens up numerous other activities for you to enjoy. How about downhill skiing for a couple of days and then hitting some of the numerous mountain trails on your cross-country skis? And if the weather doesn’t cooperate or someone in your group doesn’t choose to ski one day, you’ll have a multitude of activities from which to choose.
More about Area Ski Slopes
- Cataloochee Ski Area typically opens by mid-November and closes towards the end of March. The top elevation is at 5400 feet. They offer ski and snowboard equipment for rent and have 50 acres of skiable areas. In addition to the ski slopes, snow tubing areas are available.
- Hatley Pointe Ski Resort (formerly Wolf Ridge) aims to open by the first week of December and their season ends in mid-March in most cases. There have been years that they opened as early as Thanksgiving. Rentals are available and there is also a tube run.
- Sugar Mountain Ski Resort features 125 acres of skiable terrain. They have 21 slopes and chairlifts. They typically open in mid to late November and close in mid to late March. The summit of Sugar is 5,300 feet.
- Beech Mountain's peak elevation is 5,506 feet. They open at the end of November and operate until the end of February. They feature four restaurants and two sports shops, a full rental facility and they also have a skybar.
For more information and help in selecting the best Asheville ski cabin, please contact us.