Southern Skiing Charms

Jan. 26, 2002 -- It's easy to underestimate skiing in America's Southeast by assuming the region lacks the mountains and snow that bless some other parts of the country.

But the South has mountains. In fact, the highest mountain in the U.S. east of the Rockies is in the South: North Carolina's 6,684-foot-high Mount Mitchell. And although the region is no snow capital, it gets snow, and better yet, its ski areas get cold enough temperatures to allow them to produce enough manmade snow that they can typically open by Thanksgiving.

This year, unseasonably warm weather prevented most of the areas from opening at all by then, but by the holidays temperatures finally dropped, which meant ski areas in North Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia were able to start making snow. Many of the areas can make snow for all of their slopes.

Snowmaking Is Key

Besides having excellent snow-making capabilities and some decent altitudes, the areas are as with it as their Northern brethren when it comes to snowboarding, with terrain parks, pipes and halfpipes and plenty of competitions. (See the Snow Condition Report main page for more info on specific resorts and regions.)

There are other activities — tubing, snowshoe tours and cross country skiing — as well. And, like Midwest ski areas, they are great educators, catering to families and beginners, introducing novices to the sport and prepping them for ski trips to larger ski areas in the West and Northeast.

These are resorts for all ages. Some offer special prices for students from nearby colleges for winter breaks. There are septuagenarian days for mature skiers. The various offers for families with children include free skiing for children under a certain age (under 4 at Sugar Mountain Resort in North Carolina, for example), or half- and all-day ski schools for children, including lunch and childcare.

As recent news reports about snowfalls in the South indicate, there's been natural snow, too in and around Georgia, the Carolinas, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and elsewhere.

Some resorts got up to 10 inches of fresh snow from the storms, and the snow reminded southerners they can drive to resorts in their regions.

Catering to Locals, Local Charm

Most of the ski areas tend to cater to weekend markets, but there are a few exceptions such as Massanutten Resort, in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, which has 1,000 timeshare units, which helps make it more of a destination resort, spreading skier visits throughout the week.

Massanutten and other major Southeastern ski resorts, including West Virginia's Snowshoe Mountain and Sugar Mountain, are year-round resorts, which means they are rich in amenities such as shopping, restaurants, nightlife and a variety of non-ski activities. These resorts also have alternative activities — such as Snowshoe's Split Rock Pool, a water park with pools, slides, hot tubs, etc.

The resorts also specialize in offering special packages — lodging and lift — for families, starting at as little as $59 per night, even on weekends. Midweek packages abound as well, and some resorts offer discount coupons, such as 50 percent off ski lessons.

And, there is a definite Southern intimacy. Although some major resorts are owned by big ski corporations (for example, the huge ski company Intrawest owns Snowshoe), many resorts are smaller and family owned, giving them a distinct, and distinctly Southern, flavor.