With winter on the horizon, here are the new upgrades and improvements at Blue Ridge ski resorts you need to know
Winter is coming, so it’s time to tune up your ski and snowboard gear and prepare to hit the slopes. Whether you’re looking for an alternative to your backyard go-to, or an action-packed family vacation at a new resort, recent upgrades have made these Blue Ridge ski areas more visit-worthy than ever. From new high-speed lifts to sweet deals and fresh trails, our 2024-25 quick guide gives you the info you need to pick the right spot—and have a blast while you’re there.
Wisp Mountain, Maryland
Maryland’s lone downhill resort has seen a flurry of improvements in recent years. Last season brought the strategic addition of about two dozen new permanent snow guns—including 16 on signature black-diamond, The Face—which freed up portable units for use in heavy traffic areas near lower lifts. This year follows suit, with the resort’s main learning area, Sunset Boulevard, getting all new TechnoAlpin stick guns.
Snowmaking capacity along signature blue routes like Boulder Run, Grouse Way, and Down Under has also gotten a boost from new, larger diameter water pipes. New LED and bright-snow lights have been installed along those trails, as well as Wisp Trail, The Face, and Squirrel Cage. Snowboards, skis, poles, and boots at the resort’s main rental shop have also all been replaced. Lastly, the snowtubing area has gotten a new and improved carpet conveyor lift to expedite trips to the top.
While You’re There
Visitors can now enjoy games of minigolf at a new 18-hole course with tons of cool features that was built last year. Follow with rides on a 4,800-foot mountain coaster that brings speeds around 28 mph, 350 feet of vertical drop, and stunningly scenic mountain views.
Blue Mountain Resort, Pennsylvania
The iconic northeast Pennsylvania resort has invested heavily in boosting snowmaking capacity across its 171 skiable acres and 40 trails over the past five years—and this season is no exception.
Blue Mountain added 132 state-of-the-art stick guns and six automated fans to increase powder production by a whopping 17.5% overall. These come on top of another 79 stick guns and 26 fully automated fan units—not to mention some 20,000 feet of new air and water piping—installed last year. Together, the improvements make the resort home to what it claims is the largest snowmaking system on the East Coast.
The upgrades are further magnified by a total overhaul around snowmaking automation software. According to spokesperson Ashley Seier, that will enable Blue Mountain to maximize production during critical snowmaking windows to produce more—and better—snow, faster, with less effort, and greater energy efficiency.
The addition of a new Bison X Cat snow groomer from Prinoth should elevate the park crew’s ability to build and maintain the resort’s five terrain parks.
While You’re There
Check out what may be the coolest snowtubing park on the East Coast. Blue Mountain’s 46-lane center brings a fast and furious 1,000 vertical feet of drop, interactive neon-colored party lighting, and a killer stereo system. Follow with drinks, pub fare, and summit views at Slopeside Pub & Grill.
Snowshoe, West Virginia
The “Beast of the East” turns 50 this year and plans to celebrate its December 19, 1974 launch with a slew of special events and anniversary sales. A long weekend of festivities begins on that day of this year and will feature fireworks displays, retro-themed parties with live music on and off the slopes, and freestyle rail jam events. Golden anniversary lodging deals bring $50-a-night discounts paired with $50 adult lift tickets (students and kids are even cheaper).
A new $199 Flex 3 Pass lets riders save money and span visits out across three non-holiday carve sessions at any point during the season. Tickets can be used non-consecutively, so there’s no need to commit to specific dates.
Piste improvements are limited this year, but hard-hitting. Popular blue-level trail, J-Hook, got a facelift and was widened to about twice its original size. A new towrope will service the Silver Creek area’s two terrain parks and help ease traffic at nearby lifts.
While You’re There
Adventure-loving foodies should make a beeline for Appalachian Kitchen, where chef Scott MacGregor’s new American, Appalachian-focused cuisine earned him a semi-finalist spot on the James Beard Foundation’s 2024 Best Chef list. Wash down the made-from-scratch meal with slopeside craft beers and regionally sourced ciders at Old Spruce Brewing.
Ober Mountain, Tennessee
Gatlinburg’s well-known ski destination has undergone some big upgrades since local entrepreneur Joe Baker bought the place in 2022—and the trend continues this year.
A new Doppelmayr fixed grip quad replaces the resort’s central chairlift and increases carrying capacity on main slopes to upward of 4,000 passengers per hour. A second new quad has replaced the wildly outdated Scenic Lift to the viewing platform on the summit of 3,455-foot Mount Harrison. The lift currently services a lone blue route that begins midway up the mountain, but the addition seems to foreshadow new trails in the future.
All this comes on the back of a $4 million investment in snowmaking equipment last year. A new fleet of fully automated SMI Super Polecat towers—like the ones used in the Winter Olympics—will let snow farmers make more snow, sooner, in higher temperatures, and with less water. The upgrade improves slope coverage to 95% and should allow makers to build three to five feet of foundational snow.
While You’re There
Catch a ride to or from downtown Gatlinburg on Ober Mountain’s famed, 2.1-mile-long Aerial Tramway. The experience carries guests high above the treetops in one of the nation’s biggest enclosed cable cars and brings stunning views of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. obermountain.com
Sugar Mountain Ski Resort, North Carolina
With 125 skiable acres spread across 21 trails and 1,200 feet of vertical drop, Sugar Mountain is a revered ski resort in North Carolina’s High Country. And given the onslaught of improvements made over the past seven years, it seems destined to keep getting better.
Last year rounded out projects that replaced every chairlift on the mountain—slashing average ride times by nearly 80%—and boosted overall snowmaking capacity by more than 20%. The 2024-25 season builds on the improvements with a near double widening of the heavily trafficked Northridge trail, which connects the 5,300-foot summit to signature black diamond Gunther’s Way and other routes. The piste also gets new and brighter LED lights for night skiing, as well as three fully automated SMI Super Pole Cat snowmakers for greater coverage.
Primary beginner slope, Lower Flying Mile, will also benefit from a new SMI unit. A Pisten Bully 600 winch cat and two Bully 600 free groomers will help farmers craft impeccable corduroy and move more snow faster with less negative environmental impact.
While You’re There
Take advantage of Sugar’s 10,000-square-foot outdoor ice-skating rink. Lace up your skates and enjoy jaw-dropping views of surrounding western North Carolina valleys and highlands as you take laps on the professionally groomed surface. Follow with dinner and drinks at Stonewalls Restaurant in nearby Banner Elk.
More Slope Notes
Last season Virginia’s Massanutten Resort added the double black trail No Hesitation to offer something new for extreme skiers. And down in North Carolina, 5,506’, the bar and restaurant at the summit of Beech Mountain Resort, got renovated just in time for the ski season. With a spruced-up interior, it’s a perfect spot to sip a brew from Beech Mountain Brewing Co. and soak in the High Country views.
Cover photo: Snowshoe Mountain Resort turns 50 this month and will celebrate with events throughout the ski season. Photo courtesy of Snowshoe Mountain Resort
