Sugar Mountain Ski Resort opened on Tuesday, November 11 for the 2025-26 winter season after the winter blast that blew into the High Country beginning on Sunday evening. The weather certainly was a shock for most as the quick change from the pleasant fall temperatures to a snowmaking opportunity was the signal for the Sugar Mountain Snowmaking crew to get to work. But this is not an unusual early opening for the ambitious Southern ski area. Other early openings occurred November 11, 2018, and November 9, 2019. And as recently as 2012, Sugar Mountain Resort dropped the ropes on Halloween. And this year Sugar was the first resort to open on the East Coast!
Frigid temperatures skated in Sunday evening bringing with it three inches of natural snow and launched Sugar Mountain Resort’s massive snowmaking system. Snowmaking persisted around the clock while temperatures plummet to the low teens. And Monday evening Mother Nature dipped temperatures to the single digits again and drop another six inches of snow, ensuring what was a beautiful start to the winter season for Sugar.
Eight-to-twenty-four inches of man-made & natural powder and frozen granular snow covered five of Sugar’s twenty trails. Rideable slopes include Northridge, Switchback, Upper and Lower Flying Mile, and the Magic Carpet area. The high-speed, six-passenger Summit Express chairlift, which transports skiers and riders to the mountain’s 5,300’ peak is open. For beginners, the Magic Carpet conveyor lift are operating.
The full-day session of skiing and riding runs from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The half-day shift begins at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m. The twilight and night offerings will be available in the coming weeks.
The snowsports school, the equipment & clothing rental shop, the sports & gift shop, and the group sales department are all fully operational. Sugar’s 10,000 square foot outdoor ice skating rink is expected to open in time for the Thanksgiving holiday while the tubing park opening is planned for early December.
View any of the nine live, streaming webcams www.skisugar.com/cams for a real-time look at slope and weather conditions. Historical winter season opening dates and annual natural snowfall totals can be found at www.skisugar.com/sugar-mountain-stats.
Sugar Mountain Resort is North Carolina’s largest snow-sports resort. It strives to provide the most electrifying skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, tubing, and snowshoeing experience possible. For more information call 828-898-4521 or view www.skisugar.com.
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