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Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Set your sights on a Southern ski slope
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As I look at the winter weather forecasts later this week and dream of snowy possibilities, I have to admit something. I have never gone snow skiing. Skiing in my childhood meant strapping on a water ski or two and zipping around Lake Oconee behind my uncle’s boat - the faster, the better.
I always wanted to snow ski though. When I was 15 years old, I traveled to Switzerland and found myself in an Alpine village looking at those big mountains and those really skinny snow skis. I decided that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my holiday in traction, so I settled for a snowy hike, a warm drink and the belief that my first attempts at skiing should definitely be back home on smaller, gently-sloping mountains.
A couple of years later, I was in school in Pennsylvania. My school would organize trips for students to nearby ski slopes, but I always had something else going on. When I lived in Washington, D.C., snow forecasts didn’t mean ski break; they meant a longer commute to the office.
With a long, cold weekend coming up, many Atlantans may be looking to hit the slopes within easy distance from town. Listed below are some Southeastern ski resorts. While temperatures have been low enough at all of them to make snow this week, they are predicting some of the real thing before the weekend. Most have webcams on their websites that can give you a quick look at conditions there before you leave.
*Ober Gatlinburg in Gatlinburg, Tenn.
*Ski Beech in Beech Mountain, N.C.
*Sugar Mountain in Banner Elk, N.C.
*Wolf Ridge near Mars Hill, N.C.
*Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley, N.C.
*Hawksnest Resort in Seven Devils, N.C.
*Appalachian Ski Mountain in Blowing Rock, N.C.
In my search, I also found a ski resort in Alabama. Temperatures earlier this week weren’t low enough to make snow, but Cloudmont Ski Resort in Mentone was hoping to see lower temps and possibly some flurries by the end of the weekend.
If you’re looking to break out of the Southeast for a bigger ski vacation, or if you’re looking for general advice for planning your next ski trip, check out this article . While geared toward helping families cut down on expenses without cutting down on fun, most of the tips seem useful for anyone looking to swoosh down a steep, snowy mountain on two narrow planks of wood.
So tell us…are you taking a ski break this weekend? Where is the best Southeastern ski destination and why? Any tips for lodging? How expensive are the ski slopes (lift tickets, ski rentals, refreshments, etc.)? Would you take a ski break if you had to ski on artificial snow? What are the best winter months to find real snow on Southern slopes? Where’s the best place to learn to ski?
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