Where to Ski, Snowboard, and Tube Near North Carolina

Whether you’re looking for a day trip or want to spend an entire weekend on the slopes, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia resorts offer many great options. Snow lovers in Charlotte can hit the slopes at 14 different ski and/or tubing resorts within a five-and-a-half-hour drive. Almost all offer programs for beginners and children, so even your young ones can enjoy these winter wonderlands.

Most resorts are open through mid-March. Be sure to check resort websites or call ahead for weather reports and slope closures.

Where to Ski or Snowboard

North Carolina

Appalachian Ski Mountain

940 Ski Mountain Rd., Blowing Rock
828-295-7828
2022-’23 Season: Through March 19
Ticket types: 8-hour flex, super session, night session, midnight blast session and half-session. Multi-day tickets are also available. All tickets and rentals must be reserved online before arrival.
Number of slopes: Three easy, three more difficult, and three most difficult (all slopes lighted for night skiing); three freestyle terrain parks.
Off the slopes: Outdoor ice rink; fully lit for skating under the stars seven days a week.
Children’s programs: Ski Wee and Cruiser Camps instructional programs designed for skiers ages 4 to 10 and snowboarders ages 7 to 12. Ski Wee is open daily and Cruiser Camp is open Fri.-Sun. and holidays. New for 2022-23 is the Mountain Challengers program, designed for young, experienced skiers who want to progress to intermediate terrain. Limited to seven skiers ages 7-12; open Fri.-Sun. and holidays. Nursery care available for ages 1-4; full day includes lunch; advanced reservations are required.
Approximate distance from Charlotte: 2 hours

Beech Mountain

1007 Beech Mountain Pkwy., Beech Mountain
800-438-2093
2022-’23 Season: Through March 18
Ticket types: Day, twilight, morning half day, afternoon half day, night, Beech Pass, multi-day, season tickets.
Number of slopes: Three easy, seven more difficult and four most difficult; two freestyle terrain parks. In addition, there’s a new beginner trail named Carolina Caribbean.
Off the slopes: Outdoor 7,000 square foot ice rink and a state-of-the art tubing park with chutes up to 700 feet in length. Check to see if the rink and tubing park is open before you go; they periodically close depending on the weather/snowfall.
Children’s programs: Snow Kamp provides all-day childcare with an introduction to a winter wonderland of activities for kids ages 2 to 5. Traxx is a ski program for students ages 6 to 12 of all skill levels. Burton Learn to Ride Center provides snowboarding lessons for ages 6 to 12. Hourly lessons are available for children ages 4 and older.
Approximate distance from Charlotte: 3 hours
First Timer’s Guide: Beech Mountain has a great page with tips for those heading out to the mountain for the first time. View it here.

Cataloochee Ski Area

1080 Ski Lodge Rd., Maggie Valley
800-768-0285
2022-’23 Season: Through late March 
Ticket types: Lift tickets and season passes.
Number of slopes: Eight beginner slopes, seven intermediate trails, and three expert trails.
Off the slopes: Snow tubing at Tube World in Maggie Valley is located four miles from the ski area.
Children’s programs: Ski and snowboarding instruction with 50 spaces available, Tue., Thu.-Fri., and Sun. afternoons for ages 7 to 18. Designed for students from beginner to upper-intermediate levels.
Approximate distance from Charlotte: 3 hours

Sapphire Valley Ski Area

127 Cherokee Trail, Sapphire
828-743-7663
2022-’23 Season: Dec. 17-early March
Ticket types: Day lift, twilight lift, day & twilight lift.
Number of slopes: Two slopes (one main intermediate run, one learning slope). Ideal for youth, beginners and families who would like to ski together.
Off the slopes: Snow tubing at Frozen Falls Tube Park at a 500-foot run with a 60-foot vertical drop. Winter zip line tours on the Vordach Zip Line Experience.
Children’s programs: Ski and snowboard group and private lessons are available.
Approximate distance from Charlotte: 3 hours

Sugar Mountain Resort

1009 Sugar Mountain Drive, Sugar Mountain
800-784-2768
2022-’23 Season: Through late March
Ticket types: Full day, half day, twilight, night. Season passes are available.
Number of slopes: Eight easier slopes, eight difficult slopes, and four more difficult slopes.
Off the slopes: 700-foot-long tubing lanes; 10,000-square-foot outdoor ice skating rink. Snowshoe tours are offered Mon., Wed. & Fri. at 3 p.m. and Sat. at 9 a.m. & 3 p.m. from Dec. 1-March 25.
Children’s programs: Sugar Bear Ski School is available for ages 5 to 10 for full- and half-day sessions. Similarly, the Polar Bear Snowboard School is open to children ages 7-14.
Approximate distance from Charlotte: 2.5 hours

Wolf Ridge Ski Resort

578 Valley View Circle, Mars Hill
828-689-4111
2022-’23 Season: Through mid-March 
Ticket types: Day-area pass, night-area pass, half day-area pass, twilight pass, extended-area pass, weekend pass.
Number of slopes: Four slopes are currently open.
Off the slopes: Snow tubing at Wolf Ridge Tube Run.
Children’s programs: After-school ski and snowboard programs are available to students of all abilities from ages 8 to 17.
Approximate distance from Charlotte: 3 hours

Virginia

The Omni Homestead Resort

7696 Sam Snead Hwy., Hot Springs
800-838-1766
2022-’23 Season: January 7-March 5
Ticket types: Check website for pricing for hotel guests.
Number of slopes: 10 slopes, 45 acres for skiing and snowboarding.
Children’s programs: The Rossignol Experience Center features award-winning experience skis with the latest ski innovations. Sepp Kober Ski School offers ski and snowboard instruction for 4 years and up. Private and group lessons available. Full- or half-day Little Penguins Program for ages 5 to 11. Advanced reservations required.
Approximate distance from Charlotte: 4.5 hours

Photo courtesy of the Omni Homestead Resort

Wintergreen Resort

Route 664, Wintergreen
(Adjacent to Blue Ridge Parkway southwest of Charlottesville, Va.)
855-699-1858
2022-’23 Season: Dec. 9-March 12
Ticket types: 8-hour full session, extended session, multi-day session, nighttime session. Season passes are available.
Number of slopes: Twenty-six slopes and trails with terrain for beginners to advanced skiers and riders.
Off the slopes: The Plunge tubing park (Virginia’s largest tubing hill).
Children’s programs: Treehouse Kids Ski & Snowboard Camps begin Dec. 26. Little Rippers for ages 4 to 5 and Ridgely’s Rippers for ages 6 to 12 are for skiing only; Ridgely’s Riders for ages 8 to 12 are for snowboarding only. All reservations must be made in advance.
Approximate distance from Charlotte: 4.5 hours

West Virginia

Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort

10 Snowshoe Drive, Snowshoe
877-441-4386
2022-’23 Season: Through March 26
Ticket types: Day lift tickets, 2’Fer tickets, season passes. For the best lift ticket rates, buy in advance online at least 72 hours in advance.
Number of slopes: 22 easier, 20 moderate, 13 more difficult, one expert only; three ski areas; five areas of freestyle terrain.
Off the slopes: Off-road Adventure tours, snowmobile tours, split-rock pools, sleigh rides.
Children’s programs:  There are a variety of ski and snowboarding lessons for all ages and skill levels; the Advanced Mountain Clinic is for confident skiers ages 13 and older. Pre-Ski School has full- and half-day programs for children ages 2 to 4.
Approximate distance from Charlotte: 5.5 hours

Winterplace Ski Resort

425 Winterplace Drive, Ghent
(Exit 28 off I-77, near Ghent and Flat Top, W.Va.)
800-607-7669
2021-’22 Season: Dec. 16-March 12
Ticket types: One- to four-day tickets. nighttime tickets. Beginning skier and snowboarder packages are available.
Number of slopes: 27 slopes and one terrain park.
Off the slopes: Largest snow tubing park in W.Va. including two lifts; children must be at least 44 inches tall.
Children’s programs: SkiWee and Snow Explorers programs teach skiing and snowboarding to ages 6 to 12; morning and afternoon sessions available with terrain-based learning.
Approximate distance from Charlotte: 3 hours

Snow Tubing Resorts

If you prefer tubing to skiing, consider these tubing-only venues for a family getaway.

Hawksnest

2058 Skyland Drive, Seven Devils, N.C.
828-963-6561
2022-’23 Season: Through March 19
Tubing rate: From $35. Sessions are 1 hour and 45 minutes. Children must be 3 years old to snow tube. Advance purchase recommended.
Lanes: Four different areas to snow tube with more than 30 lanes that span from 400 to 1000 feet long.
Bonus: Longest zip line tour on the East Coast, featuring 20 cables, four of which are known in the zip line industry as super or mega zips.
Approximate distance from Charlotte: 2.5 hours

Photo courtesy of Hawksnest

Jonas Ridge Snow Tubing

N.C. Highway 181 South, Jonas Ridge, N.C.
(GPS: 94.72 N.C. 181, Newland, N.C.)
828-733-4155
2022-’23 Season: Dec. 19-March 5
Tubing rate: From $20. Sessions are one hour and 45 minutes, although shorter, hour-long sessions are available. Advance purchase recommended. Children 6 and under must be accompanied by an adult at all times when on the lanes.
Lanes: Five lanes to choose from that go from slow to very steep and fast for the more daring snow tuber.
Approximate distance from Charlotte: 2 hours

Moonshine Mountain Snow Tubing Park

5865 Willow Road, Hendersonville, N.C.
828-696-0333
2022-’23 Season: Dec. 16-March 5
Tubing rates: $40 per person for two hours. Children under age 8 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Minimum height requirement of 36 inches.
Lanes: Three plus a fourth short lane for children.
Approximate distance from Charlotte: 2 hours

Scaly Mountain Outdoor Center

7420 Dillard Rd., Scaly Mountain, N.C.
828-526-3737
2022-’23 Season: Through Feb. 27
Tubing rates: $35-$40 per person for a 2-hour session. Kid’s Show Play (8 years and younger) is $20. Snow tubing (2 hours) and ice-skating (one hour) combo is $50. Kids must be 42 inches or taller and 4 years old to ride.
Lanes: Three.
Approximate distance from Charlotte: 3.5 hours