It is very cold this morning as we’re monitoring temps in the single digits north and into the low teens in the North Carolina mountains! If there is a ski area in the region that didn’t make snow overnight or isn’t this morning then they simply didn’t need to! We’re taking a tour in a second but we’re thinking that all ski areas are making snow like crazy!
As cold as it is right now, it will be MUCH COLDER as we get into the MLK Weekend on Friday. If you have a trip planned for this long, holiday weekend then PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make certain that you are prepared with good quality clothing for the trip. It is also a good idea to check those car batteries before you get up here because these kinds of cold temperatures are hard on your body and very hard on your vehicles. There’s also some decent snow in the forecast. If you’re a seasoned pro at skiing these kinds of bitter cold temps then you can skip this part of this morning’s story. However if you only make an occasional ski getaway or trip to the mountains, then you may not be prepared unless you start making plans now!
You’ll want to make sure that you bring good clothing, hats, beanies, hoodies, gloves (good gloves!), and face masks, etc. You will want every part of your body covered if you are skiing on Friday or Saturday as highs will be 10-12° range at Beech Mountain with a lot of the day in the ZERO to single digit range – FOR HIGHS! Lows Thursday and Friday nights will be near or below zero!
If you are headed further north into the Virginias or Maryland then look for colder temps than that as Snowshoe is at 1° this morning and they are forecasting a HIGH on Friday of MINUS 4° and a low of MINUS 8°!
You must be prepared. There is nothing as miserable as being numb while trying to ski or ride. With proper gear, those days will be enjoyable as heck and simply ANOTHER GREAT DAY to be on the slopes.
Pack enough clothes to dress in layers. A few thin layers of clothing under your ski coat will make for a great day. If you have or can get ahold of some gloves that allow for a first, thinsulate glove to be put on under your outer glove – then your hand will thank you! Thinsulate is one brand of glove that simply provides a synthetic fiber thermal insulation.
Make sure that you bring a good warm hat. Any kind of knit hat, knit cap, sock cap, stocking cap, toboggan, or boggan will be great. Most ski accessory manufacturers make a nice, thin (but warm) fleece scarf these days and you may like having that wrapped around your neck. Face protection is a must this weekend. Wearing a good face mask or ski mask will prevent frostbite. Throwing a pair of goggles on over that mask will have you enjoying your day on the hill and you’ll wonder why those other people are all crying from the pain of the cold coming our way this weekend!
Pass the word – be prepared!
Note: If you don’t have these kinds of gear, all of the ski areas ski and snowboard shops DO carry everything mentioned and these items are not that expensive. If you needed to purchase all of these items you can pick them all up for about $120 and trust me – that will be well spent money and you’ll have a ball on the slopes!
You’ll be helping you and your family enjoy a great day on the slopes and you’ll energize the economy! YES WE CAN!!!
NOW THAT ALL THE WARNINGS ARE OUT OF THE WAY!!!
Meteorologist Matthew East has posted his weekend forecast and he is reiterating everything we just told you. It will be COLD. We have more snow in the forecast for tonight and more on Sunday. Be sure to check out his forecast.
Chief Meteorologist and Charlotte’s NewsChannel 36, Brad Panovich is sending us an update that should detail the forecast exclusively for SkiSoutheast.com for Ski Beech, Snowshoe Mountain and Cataloochee later today. Check back for that great bit of video!
It’s cold this morning and it’s only getting colder with each day. Snowshoe Mountain is showing 1° this morning, Beech is reporting 13° and those temps will look like a day in the Carribean compared to Friday and Saturday! Those kinds of cold temps will make for some amazing snowmaking ops and that means more slopes will be open and conditions will be phenomenal across the board at all of our regions’s ski areas.
If you have been wavering about coming to the mountains for this holiday weekend – stop your wavering and get your gear and rear up here!
Here is the quick tour for today. Be sure to check back for Brad’s Weekend Forecast Video!
The North Carolina mountains picked up a nice little burst of snow last night. Most of the ski areas received anywhere from a dusting to 1" of new snow. Ski Beech is reporting 2" of snow, but Shirley over at the Beech Mountain Police Station is reporting closer to an inch with some blowing snow that may appear to be 2". Her assessment coincides with the Community Collorative Snow Network official measurement of 1.1" of snow measured this morning.
So we’ll say most areas got a dusting and Sugar & Beech picked up an inch. By the way, Beech Mountain has now seen 6.6" of snow thus far in the first 14 days of January and 31" on the season. The biggest single day snowfall at Beech this season was on December 2nd when 4.5" of snow fell.
Appalachian Ski Mountain is showing a low this morning of 12° and a TRACE of snow. They will not be making snow during skiing and snowboarding sessions today or tonight and yet they are still reporting another 4" of manmade snow last night! They have not yet pulled the ropes on the two black diamond trails and have 8 of 10 open today.
Cataloochee Ski Area is showing 24° this morning and a trace of snow. They have 9 trails open today and tonight with great conditions! Check out that new webcam!
Ski Beech is reporting 12° and they officially received 1.1" of new snow with more on the way tonight and even more significant snow is in the forecast for Sunday into Monday so if you have a trip planned for this weekend you will see some nice snows! They still have 5 trails open but are working to open more soon. We saw snowmaking on Robbins yesterday but that doesn’t appear to be happening this morning. We’ll check into their plans for the weekend and advise you ASAP.
Sugar Mountain is showing a "chilly" 6° at their summit weather station and they are reporting a dusting of snow. There’s no way to state this without seeming to be condescending but I promise this is a sincere statement – we are proud of Sugar’s reporting of snowfall and conditions over the last year and change. In years past they’d be a bit overzealous when reporting natural snow, but this season they have been accurate as heck sometimes – like today – actually UNDER REPORTING snowfall. They actually received an official 1" of new snow and that takes them to 30" on the season. Sugar looked AWESOME on Tuesday and will be even sweeter for today! They have 14 trails open with more coming open perhaps as early as tomorrow.
Wolf Ridge Resort isn’t reporting anything. Their base has stayed the same for weeks at 20-40 inches so the weather, rain, frigid temps and all has no effect over there. They received 19" of snow on the season, but evidently they want to tell people about that either. We’d suggest calling ahead as we’re not sure if they have 8 trails open although that is what a few resources are reporting. We’ll keep ragging on them and maybe someone over there will start getting us some accurate updates. They DO look very nice via the live cam!
Hawksnest’s Tubing Park is CLOSED for focused snowmaking. They will reopen on Thursday. They are reporting 10° this morning!
Sapphire Valley is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays. They are making snow readying for the weekend!
Enjoy your day!
Until Next time…
Be sure to visit www.SkiSoutheast.com for more news from the rest of the Southeast and Mid Atlantic ski areas!
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