Be sure to check the SNOW REPORT for all of the specific this morning.
Photo of the Day shows Wolf Ridge Resort this morning after some nice snowmaking earlier in the week. They plan to open perhaps as soon as next weekend.
I was up early this morning and witnessed some awesome snow making and grooming shots at various ski areas. That grooming is going to ensure that today and tomorrow will be THE BEST of the early season to date. The last two weekends were not the best in terms of weather, but after 4-10″ of natural snowfall at various mountains over the past week – and after cold enough temperatures to make snow during the last few days – we will see the best conditions of the season for the ski areas that are open this weekend.
Here are some of those early captures:
…and of course all of our ski mountain snowmaking and grooming crews.
The resorts that are open today are:
Appalachian Ski Mountain with 8 slopes
Beech Mountain Resort with 7 slopes
Cataloochee Ski Area with 9 slopes
Massanutten Resort with 3 slopes
Snowshoe Mountain has the most terrain open with 20 slopes
Sugar Mountain Resort with 7 slopes
Ober Gatlinburg is open for tubing only right now
We THINK Bryce Resort is open today with 2 slopes
The temperatures were not quite cold enough to make snow in Tennessee and most of the North Carolina mountains, however we showed you some snowmaking happening at Canaan Valley Resort, Snowshoe Mountain and Wisp Resort this morning.
A Word From Our Sponsors
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Their diverse selection of ski and snowboard rental equipment (including helmets, skiboards, bibs, and jacket rentals) and their friendly staff will help you get on the mountain in no time. You’ll save time and money by stopping by one of their locations before getting to your destination. They also carry a wide selection of ski and snowboard clothing, equipment, and accessories from some of the top names in the business.
IMPORTANT NOTABLE SHOUT OUTS
Cataloochee Ski Area always does a magnificent job of supporting their community each and every season. Today marks their 7th Annual Cataloochee Ski & Snowboard Swap at the Maggie Valley resort. Simply sign up to bring your gently used winter clothing and used hard goods to sell on both Saturday and Sunday, or shop for the best deals of the season on used equipment. For more information, visit their website at www.cataloochee.com/swap.
Also December 8, is Can-U-Ski Food and Coat Drive for Haywood Christian Ministries. 24 cans of food or 2 winter jackets of any kind will get you your lift ticket on Sunday for free, it’s a $72 value. Cans and coats should be dropped off at either the top of the mountain at a designated area as you come to the ski area or at Cataloochee Ski & Sports and you will receive your lift ticket there.
Can’t lie…I loved Ober’s comment this morning about the potential of opening for skiing and snowboarding next weekend. Check it out…
If the weather forecast holds up as predicted, we should be able to produce some snow, starting in the middle of next week ( Wed 12/11 ). If things work out as we hope, we “may” be able to open some slopes by next weekend (Fri or Sat? 12/13 or 14) … but PLEASE NOTE: This is not a guarantee, since Mother Nature does not issue guarantees 🙂 Stay Tuned and keep your fingers crossed. Thank you
Winterplace is tentatively planning to open Saturday, December 14th
Wisp Resort Posted this…
It’s a snowy morning here at Wisp Resort!! Mother Nature has given us another go ahead to have snowmakers running and bless us with fresh white powder from the Appalachian skies. 🌨 Although an opening date has not officially been announced, Wisp Resort will likely open within the next week and a half. We are making snow whenever possible.
Lots of Snow this Past Week…and in one case not as much as being reported.
19.2″ of snow on the season at Canaan Valley Resort and 10″ just since December 1st so their opening is going to be stellar on Friday, December 13th.
We’re received a few emails about snowfall totals from the High Country area this past week. Some readers have shared that Ray Russell’s AveryWeather is sharing some numbers that seem to indicate that SkiSoutheast’s totals are in error.
AveryWeather.com is reporting that while Beech Mountain saw only 2.5″ of snow over the two day storm (and only 4.8″ on the season), that Sugar Mountain received 7.2″ and 11.2″ on the season.
Neither of those snow totals are accurate. Both of the Avery County resorts received from 4-5″ of natural snow from the storm and thus far on the season the official snow totals are Beech Mountain with 8.1″ of snowfall and Sugar with 6.9″.
We’re not sure where the discrepancies are, but wanted to make sure that our audience has the facts.
Speaking of Natural Snowfall, here are the numbers for all ski areas through December 7th.
19.2″ Canaan Valley Resort
12.9″ Snowshoe Mountain
8.1″ Beech Mountain Resort
6.9″ Sugar Mountain Resort
6″ Winterplace Resort
4.8″ Wisp Resort
3.2″ Ober Gatlinburg
2.2″ Wolf Ridge Resort
2″ Appalachian Ski Mountain
2″ Cataloochee Ski Area
1″ Omni Homestead Resort
Trace
Bryce Resort
Massanutten Resort
Sapphire Valley Resort
Wintergreen Resort
Promotion…
In case you missed it, we shared a nice grooming, morning update from Snowshoe Mountain this morning.
Check it out…
Until Next Time…
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