Ski areas: Ski Beech
Population: 400 on the mountain
Road and weather conditions: (704) 898-5605
Snow report: (800) 438-2093
Annual snowfall: 60"
Ski season: November-mid-March
Chamber of Commerce: (704) 898-5605
Average cost 1-bedroom apartment: $325
Cost of adult 1-day lift ticket: $34 - $52
Local newspapers: The Avery Journal, (704) 733-2448; The Mountain Times, (704) 264-6397

Area Profile

Ski Beech is one of the most southerly resorts on the East Coast, but makes up for the warmer latitude with the highest summit elevation of any ski resort in eastern North America at 5,505 feet. The towns around the resort are quite small; Beech Mountain has no stoplights and Banner Elk one. Banner Elk is home to Lees McRae College, the highest college east of the Rocky Mountains.

Winter Activities

Ski Beech has nine total lifts, including one high-speed detachable quad and six double chairlifts.

The area averages a respectable sixty inches of snow per season and supplements that with snowmaking capability for all its skiable terrain. Last year Ski Beech received four feet of snow in one storm and remained open until April. Night skiing is offered from 6pm to 10pm, and snowboarders are welcome to try the resort's new half-pipe. There is some cross-country skiing but no rentals are available at the mountain. An outdoor ice skating rink at the bottom of the hill is quite popular.

Summer Activities

Ski Beech is pretty quiet in the summer, but hiking and fly fishing are both quite popular in the area. Recreational mountain biking is not allowed on the mountain, but it does host two mountain bike races each summer, as well as the Tour DuPont road race every way.

Apr�s-ski

The village is nestled at the bottom of the slopes and offers a variety of specialty shops and restaurants, including the popular Beech Tree. Outside the village, Rascals, at the base of the mountain, is the most popular night spot.

Transportation

Ski Beech is located in northwestern North Carolina, four miles from Banner Elk and easily accessible from major freeways such as I-77, I-81, and I-26. The area is served by commercial airports in Hickory, Charlotte, and Greensboro, North Carolina, but Tri-City Regional in Tennessee is the nearest airport just forty-five miles north of the resort. From the airport follow Route 19-E south to Route 194 into Banner Elk and continue to Ski Beech. No local transit system serves the mountain, so travel from the airports requires a car.

Housing

Most employees live in rental housing near the mountain, which is plentiful and fairly inexpensive. Some workers live five miles down the road in Banner Elk.

Employment

Ski Beech is the area's largest winter employer, but area shops, restaurants, hotels, and bars are also major employers.

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