This winter, Beech Mountain will play host to the first USSSA NC State Championship Snowshoe Race on January 7th at 1:00pm. Endurance athletes of all ages and abilities are invited to participate in this unique winter event, to be held the same weekend as Beech Mountain Resort’s Winterfest.

This event will include a recreational and competitive 5k run, a kids snowshoe scramble and a competitive 10k state championship race. The 10k will serve as an opportunity for athletes to qualify for the 2012 U.S. National Snowshoe Championships in Frisco, CO, in Feb.  Previous experience is not necessary to participate and free snowshoe loaners will be available for registrants.

The race will start and finish on the highest peak of the mile-high town and is sure to provide a unique experience with gorgeous views, challenging elevation changes and fun for all participants and spectators.  For more information, please call the Parks & Rec Department at 828-387-3003

The High Country Host is a regional travel promotion organization.  For more information on accommodations, attractions, dining or shopping in the area please visit www.mountainsofnc.com or call 800-438-7500.

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SUGAR MOUNTAIN SKI RESORT, NORTH CAROLINA. NOVEMBER 29, 2011 Mother Nature’s in charge! And Sugar Mountain Resort is hoping the third time’s a charm. The ski area reopens tomorrow, Wednesday, November 30, 2011 for skiing and snowboarding. Warm temperatures melted away the snow on Monday, November 21, 2011, temporarily shutting the ski area down for the second time this season.

Snowmaking began at 3 a.m. this morning and continues as temperatures dropped into the 20′s. Ray’s Weatherexpects three inches of fresh snow to blanket the slopes of Sugar Mountain by tomorrow. View Sugar’s live, streaming web cam at www.skisugar.com/sugarlive to gauge snow accumulations and slope conditions.

Tomorrow the Upper and Lower Flying Mile slopes providing a run of one mile long will be open. Summit #1 lift will operate to the 3/4′s station servicing both slopes for the day and 1/2 day sessions. Tomorrow’s lift/slope ticket prices will be $30 for an adult full-day session and $25 for an adult half-day session.

Ice skating will be open tomorrow as well. For daily skate session times please check www.skisugar.com/skating.

SugarFest, December 10th & 11th is just around the corner. If you’re looking for an early season deal, take advantage of our Winter Value Packages.

Please call 800-SUGAR-MT (784-2768) or view our website www.skisugar.com for the latest slope and weather conditions.

The High Country Host is a regional travel promotion organization.  For more information on accommodations, attractions, dining or shopping in the area please visit www.mountainsofnc.com or call 800-438-7500.

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SUGAR MOUNTAIN SKI RESORT, NORTH CAROLINA Sugar Mountain Ski Resort in North Carolina opens tomorrow; Saturday, November 12, 2011 for skiing, snowboarding and ice skating. Snowmaking began Thursday, November 10th and continues. A manmade powder surface covers the Upper and Lower Flying Mile slopes. The Summit #1 Lift will be in operation to the 3/4′s station. Weekend lift/slope ticket prices will be $25 for a full-day session and $20 for a half-day session. For a real time look at the slopes through the live, streaming web cam please log on towww.skisugar.com/sugarlive.

Sugar’s 10,000 square foot outdoor ice rink also opens tomorrow. www.skisugar.com/skating Sessions are one hour and thirty minutes long and run from 10 am until 10 pm on Saturday. Sunday’s sessions will begin at 10 am and end after the 6 pm session. Ice skating tickets are $15 per session and include skate rental.

Sugar Mountain Sports Shop, located in the Base Lodge will open tomorrow for the season. It features the finest in winter apparel and footwear, quality gift items, and souvenirs.

For more information please call 800-SUGAR-MT or view our website www.skisugar.com for the latest slope and weather conditions. Historical opening and closing dates as well as recorded annual natural snowfall measurements can be found at www.skisugar.com/press/stats.

Also, visit www.skithehighcountry.com for more info on snow skiing in The NC High Country!

The High Country Host is a regional travel promotion organization.  For more information on accommodations, attractions, dining or shopping in the area please visit www.mountainsofnc.com or call 800-438-7500.

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North Carolina Ski Areas Association (NCSAA), Banner Elk, NC Purchase your North Carolina Ski Areas Association Gold Card and ski or ride at any of the six North Carolina ski areas this winter season.

Gold Card holders may ski or ride at any North Carolina Ski Resort during any session regardless of holiday or weekend rates. Only 100 Gold Cards are available at a cost of $795 each winter season. They sell quickly.

North Carolina ski areas include Cataloochee Ski Area, Sapphire Valley Ski Area, Beech Mountain Resort, Appalachian Ski Mtn., Wolf Ridge Ski Resort, and Sugar Mountain Ski Resort.

For more information or to purchase a gold card, please go online www.goskinc.com/goldcard. Or call 828-898-4521 Monday through Friday from 8am 4pm.

The High Country Host is a regional travel promotion organization.  For more information on accommodations, attractions, dining or shopping in the area please visit www.mountainsofnc.com or call 800-438-7500.

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Sugar Mountain, North Carolina Weather, weather, weather! If Mother Nature cooperates Sugar Mountain Resorts Tubing Park and outdoor Ice Rink will be open for Thanksgiving. New snowmaking machines designated solely for the tubing area will be positioned all season long in the Tubing Park. When temperatures drop, not only will the slopes begin to see their first blanket of snow but the Tubing Park will begin to take shape as well. As weather varies throughout the season, upgrades over the years including the key addition of snowmaking machines in the tubing park will allow for higher efficiency and more consistent conditions.

This year look for the tubing and ice skating season to match the ski & snowboard season. Sugar Mountain Resorts historical opening and closing dates as well as annual natural snowfall can be found at www.skisugar.com/press/stats.

Join us this season as we continue to make Sugar even sweeter. For additional information please call Sugar Mountain Resort: (828) 898-4521 or visit us at www.skisugar.com.

The High Country Host is a regional travel promotion organization.  For more information on accommodations, attractions, dining or shopping in the area please visit www.mountainsofnc.com or call 800-438-7500.

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When: February 5, 2011
Where: Appalachian Ski Mtn.
What: Fist event in ATP’s Shred for the Cup Series

App Terrain Park will kick off the 10-11 Shred for the Cup event series on Saturday Night, February 5th with the Big Air. Shred for the Cup is the premier event series in the region, and is better than ever going into its 5th season. As always, Shred for the Cup is open to Skiers and Snowboarders of all age and ability. Tons of prizes are up for grabs, as well as points for the entire series winners.
 
All event participants will receive lunch and Shred for the Cup series T-Shirts.

Categories:
The Shred for the Cup series is for everyone, no matter your ability level. Skiers and Snowboarders are judged separately, and the categories for both include:

Beginner:
-No Sandbagging
-Can hit smaller flat rails and boxes
-Can hit small table tops
 
Intermediate:
 -No Sandbagging
 -Comfortable doing variety of tricks on smaller rails and boxes
-Can hit some kinked/curved rails and boxes
-Can hit smaller and medium sized tabletops
 -Can do a variety of grabs or small rotations (180’s, 360’s)
 
Advanced:
 -Comfortable doing variety of tricks on all rails and boxes
 -Comfortable spinning and grabbing on all size jumps (180’s, 360’s, 540’s, 720’s, etc…)
If in questioning your ability placement you find yourself in the middle of 2 categories, ATP encourages you to compete in the higher category and try to push yourself to a new level.

The Shred for the Cup series also offers Ski and Snowboard categories for Women who want to get out and ride.

For more info, visit AppSkiMtn.com!

Skiers and snowboarders who stay three nights on Beech Mountain this February or March can earn two free lift tickets thanks to a special promotion.
 
The promotion, offered by the Town of Beech Mountain, allows snow sports enthusiasts to book a three-night stay in qualified lodging and receive two weekday lift tickets to Beech Mountain Resort. At 5,506 feet in elevation, Beech is the highest ski resort in Eastern America.
 
The offer is valid through March 31, excluding holiday weekends.
 
In addition to skiing, snowboarding and tubing, Beech Mountain offers a nice mix of fine dining, shopping, hiking and other recreational activities.
 
For information on this special, call (800) 468-5506, or visit: www.beechmtn.com.

North Carolina’s High Country, known as the Ski Capital of the South, is home to three premier resorts -  Appalachian Ski Mtn, Beech Mtn Resort and Sugar Mtn Resort.

All are located within a 30-mile radius, making the High Country a favorite destination of families, couples and adventure-seekers. North Carolina has the highest mountains east of the Rockies and caters to skiers of all abilities.

Away from the slopes, there’s plenty to see and do in Boone, Blowing Rock and Banner Elk.

Not a skier? We are home to the largest snow tubing park on the east coast. Hawksnest features more than 20 lanes of tubing fun. Also, each ski resort offers other winter activities, including ice skating, snow shoeing and tubing.

Another favorite option is the youth sledding hill in the Town of Beech Mountain. This free sledding hill is open all winter for children 12 and under.

For more information,visit http://skithehighcountry.com/

SugarFest kick starts the winter season with a weekend of pure winter fun! Sponsored by the Village of Sugar Mountain Tourism Development Authority (TDA) and hosted by Sugar Mountain Resort, SugarFest will be held December 11th and 12th, 2010.

The eighth annual two-day festival is packed with a long list of winter activities and coincides with Sugar’s 17th Annual Adult Preseason Ski Clinic which 1994 Olympic Gold & 1992 Olympic Silver medalist Diann Roffe, two-time (1992 & 1994) Olympian, Krista Schmidinger, and 2010 US National Super G Champion Keely Kelleher top the list of this season’s coaching staff.

Both Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 am until 3:30 pm 2010 ski & snowboard equipment will be available for demo from Salomon, Volkl, Nordica, Burton, Head, Never Summer, K2, Atomic, Dynastar, Rossignol, Ride, Line, Fisher and Forum. You must have a valid driver’s license or credit card in order to demo the equipment.

Watch 1992 Olympic Figure Skating Silver Medalist, Paul Wylie dazzle us with his amazing talent followed by an on ice skating clinic and a meet and greet session Sunday at 3pm on Sugar’s ice rink located next to the Dave Nixon Pro Shop adjacent to parking lot D.

With Mother Nature’s cooperation Sugar’s Tubing Park will be open. Both ice skating and tubing activities will be open for two-hour sessions beginning at 10 am and ending a 10 pm.

“Ready, get set, go!” is what you’ll hear if you enter the snowball eating contest at 3:00 pm on Saturday, December 11th. You’ll have two minutes to eat as many tasty snowball look-a-likes as your stomach can stomach!

Be sure to bring the whole family to watch a thunderous and spectacular fireworks display at the base of Sugar Mountain Resort, Saturday evening at 5:45 pm. After a hard day of skiing and snowboarding there’s nothing better than good food, warm drinks, and fun music. Come dance and/or listen to live bluegrass music by Boss Hawg from 4:00pm until 7:00pm.

Don’t miss the Edge of the World/Burton Rail Jam Expression Session at 12 noon on Sunday as talented snowboarders pull off some of their best tricks. Later in the day marvel as blocks of ice become beautiful winter works of art.

And while you’re here why not stay for a night or two! Lodging agencies within the Village of Sugar Mountain have come together to provide discounted rates for slope side accommodations during SugarFest.

SugarFest is a great time to enjoy winter! For more information please contact Sugar Mountain Resort at 800-SUGAR MT.

Visit: http://www.seesugar.com/tourism/sugarfest/

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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Appalachian Ski Mtn.’s scheduled opening day for the 10-11 Ski Season is Friday, November 19!

Join us at Appalachian Ski Mtn. as we kick off the new season with a bang! We will be offering free ski tickets to the first 100 guests at the ticket cashier window.

Be sure to get here early to take advantage of this great offer, and enjoy some amazing early season skiing and snowboarding here at Appalachian Ski Mtn.

This season Appalachian Ski Mtn. sets a new standard for terrain park safety in the Southeast. A new innovative park pass program requires a short park safety and etiquette education course in order to use the Appaljack and Appal Jam parks. Appalachian has implemented the park pass program in a move to reduce accidents and provide a more enjoyable experience for all terrain park users.

For more info, visit: http://www.appskimtn.com

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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A new system of automated snow guns will have a major impact on snowmaking capacity this winter at Beech Mountain Resort.
 
The resort, which is the highest ski area in eastern North America, has added six SMI Super PoleCat guns for 2010-2011. General manager Ryan Costin is excited about the new guns based on the performance of two installed last year.
 
“The automated PoleCat system is able to produce copious amounts of snow. The guns added last year were the highlights of our snowmaking,” Costin said. “Now we’ve upped that 300% by installing six more. The nice thing is this system is self-monitoring and constantly controls the output. It really increases our snowmaking capability.”
 
Last season’s snowmaking upgrades paid big dividends on the Robbins Run and Upper Shawneehaw trails. This year, the resort set its sights on the long, black diamond White Lightning run, along with the Lower Shawneehaw trail, Powder Bowl and Freestyle trail.
 
“We’re almost 100% better than three or four years ago because of the new automated system, plus we still have PoleCats that operate on carriages,” said Costin. “In addition, we’ve added 40 JCI tower guns the past couple years, and dozens of Ratnik guns. Significant money has been invested in snowmaking over the last 36 months. It’s paying off in the finished product.”
 
Also receiving attention was the alpine village at the base of the slopes. Three outside businesses moved in to lease a trio of storefronts. Skiers can now take advantage of a new equipment rental operation, coffee café and souvenir photo shop.
 
Meanwhile, new lockers were installed in the locker rooms, a third lane was built on the snow-tubing run and a shipment of ski/snowboard equipment was added to the rental fleet.
 
“We’ve really focused on bringing our offerings to a higher level,” Costin said. “A lot of time was spent this summer painting buildings and on general facility upkeep to give the resort a fresher look. The Beech Tree lounge was painted for the first time in 25 years. We are focusing on the details. We not only work here, most of us live here so we have a vested interest.”
 
Costin said skiers are excited about another season on the Oz trail, re-opened last year on the mountain’s back side. “I never realized how popular it was until we re-opened it,” he said.
 
For Beech Mountain skiing info, call (800) 438-2093, or visit: www.skibeech.com. For general info about Beech Mountain, call (800) 468-5506.

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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Late night skiing is available this winter in the High Country. Appalachian Ski Mtn. in Blowing Rock hosts nine Midnight Blast Weekends from now through February 20th.

On Fridays and Saturdays of these special weekends, night skiing begins at its usual 6 p.m. time, but stays open an extra two hours until midnight. Best of all, these extended hours are offered at no additional cost.

“With challenging economic times, people looking for a good value will discover that this is the best ticket value that we offer, at a time that is actually convenient,” said Appalachian Ski Mtn. General Manager Brad Moretz.

Appalachian is the only ski area in the Southeast region offering late-night skiing this winter.

For info, visit www.AppSkiMtn.com or call (828) 295-7828.

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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Winter sports enthusiasts are invited to ring in 2010 on the slopes in the High Country of North Carolina. Each of the three High Country ski resorts offers a fireworks extravaganza this New Year’s Eve.
 
The festivities begin with a 10:30 p.m. fireworks show at Beech Mountain Resort, while Appalachian Ski Mountain and Sugar Mountain Resort light the skies at midnight.
 
Beech Mountain Resort provides night skiing until 10 p.m., followed by ice skating from 10 p.m. to midnight. Folks can watch the 10:30 p.m. fireworks display from the Viewhaus restaurant or anywhere in the Alpine village at the base of the slopes. There will also be live music in the Beech Tree Bar & Grill from Chasing Edison, a Charlotte-based rock band.

Sugar Mountain Resort has skiing, tubing and ice skating until 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. At midnight, the public is invited to a combined torch light parade and fireworks show, while the Terry Batson Band provides live beach music and oldies in the lodge.
 
Appalachian Ski Mountain’s alcohol-free celebration begins with night skiing at 6 p.m., followed by moonlight ice skating at 10 p.m. A torch light parade takes place at 11:45 p.m., with fireworks at the stroke of midnight. Breakfast is also available from 9 p.m. to midnight.
 
“We’ve provided fireworks on New Year’s Eve since 1992. It’s one of our best nights of the year,” said general manager Brad Moretz. “They shoot them off on the slopes and people watch from the deck, or on the base of the slopes or the front porch.”

For info on these three celebrations, call High Country Host at (800) 438-7500, or visit the website for each resort: www.appskimtn.com, www.skisugar.com and www.skibeech.com.

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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With over a foot of snow expected when it’s all said and done up here in The High Country, NC ski resorts are gearing up for what could be the best ski season in years.

The weeks around Christmas and New Year’s are some of the busiest of the whole year and the current winter storm (still pounding us as we type this) is putting the ski slopes in prime condition.

Make your plans and come on up!

Visit our new NC Ski website: http://skithehighcountry.com

Sugar Mountain: http://skisugar.com/conditions

Beech Mountain: http://www.skibeech.com

Appalachian Ski Mountain: http://www.appskimtn.com

Ski Hawksnest: http://www.hawksnest-resort.com

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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BEECH MOUNTAIN, N.C. – Beech Mountain’s youth sledding hill has opened for the winter season. The hill draws families from across the Southeast for sledding on a daily basis.

Conditions are generally very good throughout the winter. Beech Mountain (elevation 5,506 feet) averages more than 80 inches of snowfall per year, and the town has its own gun for blowing snow when Mother Nature isn’t.
 
The Beech sledding hill is located next to the Chamber of Commerce. It is open daily at no charge for kids 12 and under, although parents may ride with smaller children. Plastic sleds are required. Folks are encouraged to bring their own sleds, or they may be purchased at stores on the mountain.
 
“It’s a free and enjoyable place for children to have fun,” says Peggy Coscia of the Beech chamber. “They come from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. We get a lot of folks from Florida who are excited because it’s the first time the children have seen snow.”
 
The sledding hill is operated by the Beech Mountain Parks and Recreation Department. It is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (weather permitting) with safety personnel on duty. A loud speaker plays music and hot chocolate is available at nearby restaurants.
 
Parking and restrooms are provided by the chamber. People are encouraged to call the chamber at (800) 468-5506 to receive live updates on sledding conditions.
 
“All I have to do is look out the window,” says Coscia. “We’re that close.” 
 
Additional info on the Beech Mountain sledding hill is available at: www.beechmtn.com.

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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Complete information on skiing and winter sports in the North Carolina High Country is just a mouse click away thanks to the re-launch of SkiTheHighCountry.com.

The redesigned and upgraded website now features everything skiers need to know about the High Country’s three ski resorts – Appalachian Ski Mountain, Beech Mountain Resort and Sugar Mountain Resort – as well as key info on the snow tubing park at Hawksnest Resort.

Visitors to SkiTheHighCountry.com can access live webcams for real-time conditions, view trail maps, check rates and hours of operations, receive details on ice skating, and browse accommodations. There’s also a dining guide and an overview of activities away from the slopes.

Photo galleries of each resort, featuring the work of award-winning photographer Todd Bush of Banner Elk, are included.

The site was created by Big Boom Design of Asheville and is produced and maintained by North Carolina High Country Host.

High Country Host is a tourism marketing organization that promotes travel to North Carolina’s High Country, a five-county region anchored by the popular towns of: Banner Elk, Beech Mountain, Blowing Rock, Boone, Linville, Sparta, West Jefferson and Wilkesboro.

To view the new site, go online to www.SkiTheHighCountry.com.

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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A Weekend of Winter Fun at
Sugar Mountain Ski Resort!

SugarFest kick starts the winter season with a weekend of pure winter fun! Sponsored by the Village of Sugar Mountain Tourism Development Authority (TDA) and hosted by Sugar Mountain Resort, SugarFest will be held December 12h and 13th, 2009. 

The seventh annual two-day festival is packed with a long list of winter activities and coincides with Sugar’s 16th Annual Adult Preseason Ski Clinic which 1994 Olympic Gold & 1992 Olympic Silver medalist Diann Roffe and two-time (1992 & 1994) Olympian, Krista Schmidinger will both be special guest coaches.

Both Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 am until 3:30 pm 2009 ski & snowboard equipment will be available for demo from Salomon, Volkl, Nordica, Burton, Head, Never Summer, K2, Atomic, Dynastar, Rossignol, Ride, Line, Fisher and Forum. You must have a valid driver’s license or credit card in order to demo the equipment.

Watch 1992 Olympic Figure Skating Silver Medalist, Paul Wylie dazzle us with his amazing talent followed by an on ice skating clinic and a meet and greet session Saturday 10 am and 1 pm on Sugar’s ice rink located next to the Dave Nixon Pro Shop adjacent to parking lot D.

With Mother Nature’s cooperation Sugar’s Tubing Park will be open. Both ice skating and tubing activities will be open for two-hour sessions beginning at 10 am and ending a 10 pm.

For more information, please visit: http://www.seesugar.com/tourism/sugarfest

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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The popular Oz run returns, while a second terrain park debuts this winter at Ski Beech at Beech Mountain Resort.

The Oz slope, named for its proximity to the old Land of Oz theme park, was closed last season to upgrade the chairlift. New, padded quad chairs have taken the place of outdated double chairs, while Ski Beech officials also installed airless electrical snowmaking hookups along the run so the slope can be blown in within 24 hours.

“The reopening of the Oz run is great news for skiers,” says Ryan Costin, the resort’s director of operations. “It has nice intermediate terrain and opens up another side of the mountain. This will help disperse skiers during peak times.”

Ski Beech’s second terrain park will be unveiled this winter. The opening of the park was delayed a year because of lift problems. However, the lift is now fully functional and provides access to a multi-featured park with rails, boxes and jumps for intermediate to advanced freestyle riders. The park will have full-time staff to maintain the features and ensure safety.

Also new this year is a private locker room for season pass holders to store their skis and equipment, while snowmaking upgrades continued during the offseason.

“In the South, snowmaking is something you have to improve every year,” Costin says. “We’ve upgraded our product and want people to come see the quality of skiing we now offer.”

Ski Beech is scheduled to kick off its 2009-2010 season on Saturday, Nov. 21, weather permitting. Season passes are currently available for a discounted price of $350 through Nov. 1. The regular price of $550 goes into effect Nov. 2.

For resort information, call (800) 438-2093 or visit www.skibeech.com.

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

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Sugar Mountain Resort, North Carolina – Take advantage of March Madness: www.skisugar.com/rates, discounts beginning March 9th and running through the end of the season.

Receive up to 25% off lift ticket, rental equipment and lesson prices and 40% savings on Winter Value Packages: www.skisugar.com/package. Don’t miss out on spectacular late winter season conditions; spring-like weather, sparsely populated slopes, and personal service; all at reduced rates.

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Don’t let the warm weather over the next couple of days fool you!

Up here in the High Country ski season is still in full swing!!!

Thanks to that healthy dose of winter weather and the 12-14 inches of snow that arrived earlier this week….we’re having a ball!!!

So, come on up and experience the fun of Winter in the High Country!

For a full ski report visit SkiTheHighCountry.com!

Visit: MountainsOfNC.com!

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