The blue runs at Sugar Mountain offer the most variety of any of the classifications on the hill. The longest green run is Lower Flying Mile, accessible by unloading from Chair 1 at the midstation. As a result, the bottom of the mountain can look like a minefield of fallen beginners. A magic carpet provides the main children’s learning slope, while the Easy Street chair and eponymous slopes are the main adult learning slope. There are no green trails from the summit, so beginners are confined to the lower half of the mountain. Sugar attracts a lot of first time skiers and snowboarders, many of whom have (quite literally) never seen snow before. Green trails comprise 34% of the trails at Sugar, but a far higher percentage of the skiers on the hill at any given time. The bottom of the hill tends to be overwhelmed by falling beginners, making navigation quite difficult and incentivizing better skiers to stay near the summit. The best terrain is found off the summit, where a handful of legitimately steep expert runs and a new, long blue trail (Gunther’s Run) can be found. On the looker’s left side of the mountain is a smaller, secondary hill serviced by two chairs that each step halfway up the mountain.
#SUGAR MOUNTAIN FULL#
Skiers can now enjoy the resort’s full 1,200′ drop by boarding at the bottom or take laps from the loading midstation below the expert area near the summit. However, new for 2015-2016, Sugar Mountain has announced the installation of a brand new high speed 6-passenger lift to replace one of the dual doubles. The main uphill options were two parallel double chairs went from the base to the summit.
An outrageously ugly mountain top condo complex is the worst offender, but the resort could stand some updating. On the downside, Sugar Mountain lacks even a pretense of charm. While nearby Beech Mountain may have a slightly higher base and summit elevation, Sugar’s vertical drop is nearly 400 ft taller and is the largest in the Southeast with the exception of Snowshoe Mountain (WV). Sugar Mountain, or simply “Sugar” to locals stands apart as the best ski resort in the region because of its terrain. In fact, without snowmaking skiing simply couldn’t exist this far south. Limited natural snowfall (average around 80 inches per year), but high elevations make North Carolina uniquely suited to ski areas supported by snowmaking. Lifts and ski gear tend to be older and conditions can range from powder to dirt (sometimes in the same run).
Skiing south of the Mason Dixon line is always a bit of a unique experience. With a summit elevation over 1 mile high (5,300 ft) and a strong commitment to snowmaking, Sugar Mountain offers a season stretching from November through March. North Carolina's largest vertical drop draws skiers from the surrounding states.
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