Cataloochee Ski Area

North Carolina Ski Resorts: The Ultimate Guide to a Perfect Weekend Ski Trip

"Roughly 50 minutes directly west of Asheville, at the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains, Cataloochee Ski Area is North Carolina’s oldest It’s geared more toward the beginner and intermediate skiers and snowboarders, being small in stature and featuring just 740 feet of vertical, but does offer eighteen runs spread across five lifts and one terrain park. The resort is also home to one of the world’s best snowboarders; X Games gold medalist and world-class rider Zeb Powell, who grew up riding Cataloochee’s runs and perfecting his madcap style in its terrain park. In fact, Powell credits Cataloochee’s lack of vertical as one of the main reasons he developed his singular style of uber-creative snowboarding."