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Sugar Going Strong One Week In; Still Plenty of Snow; Received International Attention for Early Opening

By Paul T. Choate

Nov. 7, 2012. Last Wednesday, Oct. 31, Sugar Mountain Resort opened historically early and, despite some days with warmer weather since the opening, they have been going strong and plan to stay open for the rest of the season regardless of the weather. 

“We didn’t start [the season] with the intention of shutting down,” said Kim Jochl with Sugar Mountain Resort. “We always start our season with the intention of staying open throughout the entire season. That’s our goal and that’s what we always strive to reach.”

Jochl said they had a successful first week of business and that despite temperatures warming up this coming weekend they would be making snow in preparation for that. She said at any time day or night when the temperatures allow for it they will be making snow to get them through the warmer days.

Prior to the Oct. 31 opening last week, Sugar Mountain Resort’s earliest opening in their 43-year history was on Nov. 5, 1976. The early opening, allowed in part due to the effects from Superstorm Sandy, was big news not just in the High Country but also in the national press and even internationally. 

“It was really exciting,” Jochl said. “It was exciting to have Sugar Mountain and the High Country get so much exposure. Even the other day I heard we were on CNN. So yeah, from CNN to NPR to the Huffington Post, that’s exciting for us for sure.”

The resort even appeared recently in The Guardian, one of the most popular newspapers/news websites in the United Kingdom. In an Oct. 30 article written by Harry Enten, Sugar Mountain Resort’s early opening was mentioned with a link to a High Country Press article

Currently the snow base at Sugar Mountain Resort is six to 29 inches, down slightly from the peak of seven to 32 inches, but still plenty of snow for skiers and snowboarders. 

For more information about the resort, visit skisugar.com