Went to Ober Gatlinburg on Wednesday 1/9/08. The night before at my house an hour away we had about 3/4 and inch of rain and I was a little worried but still excited about the day. I was there on Tuesday 1/8 as well and the snow was very nice even though it was a record setting day for a high in the area at 72 degrees.
So after really warm temps and rain I was not expecting good snow. Of course the snow was solid but in good shape. Luckily the rain was light at the resort and the day was warm so the snow became very nice very quickly.
Mogul Ridge was listed as open on the first snow report but the decision was made not to open the run. Did not waste time taking pictures of it for that reason but I can easily say that I have ridden on runs at Sugar Mountain that had less snow on them and had much larger bare spots with little to no snow connecting them, while Mogul Ridge had large bare spots, but more than enough snow connecting the areas.
For an experienced skier or snowboarding navigating would not have been an issue. The decision was made to close the run so only a quality product would be offered. Great job Ober! The rest of the mountain had great snow cover with the sides only creeping in on a couple of places. Some banks were showing thin and bare spots but on the runs themselves there was plenty of cover.
David Long
For enlarged versions of David’s photos, Click here> Ober Gatlinburg Ski Photos