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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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A holiday tradition in Blowing Rock, Chetola’s Festival of Lights features over 50,000 illuminations attracting thousands of visitors each year.

Drive around Chetola Lake and view glittering ice skaters, a nativity scene, Rudolph catching a “big fish” and much more. Over Friday and Saturday over Thanksgiving week-end , horse and carriage rides are offered around Chetola Lake from 5 pm to 9 pm.

The price is $15 per adult and $8 for children 12 and under. Cookie decorating will also be offered from 5 pm to 7 pm (free) and Santa will be visiting the Manor House Restaurant from 5 pm to 9 pm (free).

Festival of Lights runs through Blowing Rock Winterfest which ends on January 31, 2010.

For more information, contact 800-CHETOLA or visit www.chetola.com.

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

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Source: http://www.vallecrucis.com/fireside/index.html

The historic community of Valle Crucis invites you to warm up by their firesides on Sunday, December 6th, 2009 from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. This tour meanders along country lanes to gift shops, galleries, bed and breakfast inns, restaurants, cabins, and churches where hosts will provide you with refreshments and hospitality throughout the afternoon.

   This year’s stops include several bed and breakfast inns, churches, and other businesses in the Valle Crucis community.

   Tickets are $10 each and are available from the Mast General Store beginning in early Fall. A limited number are available this year and ticket sales end at 4 p.m. on December 6th. All proceeds benefit the Valle Crucis Community Park. Those wishing to purchase tickets in advance may send a check made out to Valle Crucis Park in care of Sheri Moretz, Mast General Store, Highway 194, Valle Crucis, NC 28691. Please include 50¢ extra over the cost of the tickets for mailing.

Make a weekend of it…

   There are many holiday and seasonal activities to participate in. You can choose and cut your own Christmas tree at many local farms – some offer hot chocolate and other treats for an added experience. They will be happy to bale your tree and help you tie it to your car or SUV.

   Take in a Christmas concert. Mountain Home Music presents a plethora of popular performers coming together for a holiday tradition on December 5 at 8 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church in Boone. For tickets and more information, visit www.mountainhomemusic.com.

   The Original Mast General Store will have live bluegrass and Appalachian music most weekends during December. Saturdays music is scheduled for 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and on Sundays from noon until 2 p.m. You can also visit with Santa Paws at the Little Red School House on Saturday, December 5th and Sunday, December 6th to have your pet’s picture taken with the jolly ol’ elf from the North Pole.

   Take a trip down the hill at Appalachian Ski Mtn. as they turn back time to 1962! That’s right, lift tickets will be priced at 1962 prices. For more information, visit www.appskimtn.com.

    This event is co-sponsored by ExploreBooneArea.com and the Watauga County TDA.

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

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Tourists interested in the North Carolina High Country have a dynamic new resource for visitor info thanks to a redesign and upgrade of High Country Host’s website, www.MountainsofNC.com.

The new site contains information on lodging, attractions, festivals, shopping, restaurants, heritage events and outdoors activities. There is also a blog, calendar of events, a section for specials & deals, High Country maps and a downloadable vacation planner.

“This new site pulls together all the key information visitors need to plan a trip to the High Country,” says Millie Barbee, executive director of High Country Host. “And, it is user-friendly. There are multiple ways to navigate the site to quickly find what you’re looking for.”

This new site was created by Big Boom Design of Asheville, using a Joomla platform. It incorporates the latest in website technology, including advanced search engine optimization.

“Our desire was to build a site that’s easy to navigate and brings as much information above the fold and to the surface as possible,” said Boomer Sassmann of Big Boom Design. “It’s a well organized second-generation website that also incorporates social media aspects such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.”

The look and feel of the website will change quarterly to match the four distinct seasons that draw visitors to the High Country.

“If this were a traditionally built  website, we wouldn’t be able to do that,” Sassmann says, “but because of this Joomla content management system, it is easy to change the look without altering the content.”

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

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Saturday from 2-5pm in Downtown Boone!

The fun begins at 2:00 pm at the Watauga County Library. There will be scary stories, songs and activities for the kids. Then at 3:00 pm we will have a parade to the Jones House, and then Trick or Treating with the Merchants in Downtown Boone until 5:00 pm.

Participating businesses will be designated with balloons and streamers. Maps will also be provided so no candy or treats will go uncollected. Join us for some scary fun and lots of treats in Downtown Boone. Sponsored by the Downtown Boone Development Association.

Visit: http://www.visitboonenc.com

Call 828-262-4532 for details.

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

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Mountain bikers and mountain boarders can enjoy a holiday weekend of competition this Sept. 5-6 at Beech Mountain Resort.

The resort is hosting a combined mountain bike/mountain board event that encompasses the final leg of the Triple Crown Downhill Bike Competition and the inaugural High Ground Mountain Board Competition. The mountain board contest has a $1,000 cash purse, one of the largest purses for mountain boarders in the Southeast.

In the Triple Crown biking competition, there will be races in separate divisions for professionals, amateurs and beginners, with all riders competing on the same course. The course descends the full elevation of the ski slope at Beech Mountain and includes four sections in the woods, one section that navigates boulders and three opportunities for sprints.

Entry fee for mountain bikers is $55 per person, with helmets mandatory for all racers.

“The Triple Crown series has been successful. We’re averaging about 100 competitors per event and expect to have that many or more for the finale,” said Ryan Costin, director of operations at Beech Mountain Resort. “It’s been a nice re-introduction of mountain biking at Beech Mountain.”

The High Ground Mountain Board Competition showcases the resort’s new board park. The all-wooden park was built by Ground Industries of Greenville, S.C., and Ground Industries is sponsoring this inaugural event in which boarders will showcase their best in a slope style competition and a big air competition. Entry fee is $55 per person.

Spectators can enjoy scenic lift rides, food, craft vendors and music, in addition to watching the thrilling competition. The resort is also offering overnight camping for a small fee.

“We’re excited to be in the forefront of mountain boarding here in the Southeast,” Costin said. “It should be a good time for participants and a great spectator event. Our goal is to have a fully operational mountain board/mountain bike park open weekends next June though October. It will be a lift-access park, which will hopefully be a big draw for mountain boarders and mountain bikers throughout the region.”

For info, visit www.skibeech.com

For lodging and other travel information, contact North Carolina High Country Host at 800-438-7500 or visit: www.mountainsofnc.com.

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