Sugar Mountain Ski Resort

🏔️ Sugar Mountain Ski Resort — Full Review (2025) Sugar Mountain is one of the largest and most established ski areas in North Carolina, offering the biggest vertical drop in the state and the most terrain. But it’s also one of the most polarizing resorts in the Southeast. Here’s the breakdown you’ll appreciate. ⭐ Overall Verdict Sugar Mountain delivers solid terrain variety and the largest vertical in NC, but suffers from crowds, ice, and inconsistent snow quality, typical of Southeast skiing. When conditions are good, it’s excellent. When they’re not, it’s rough. If you time it right (cold snap + weekday), it’s one of the best ski experiences in the region. 📊 Benchmark Breakdown 1. Terrain & Mountain Stats | Category | Details | |---------|---------| | Vertical Drop | 1,200 ft — largest in NC | | Skiable Acres | ~125 acres | | Slopes | 20–21 runs, all difficulty levels | | Lifts | 8 lifts, including high‑speed options | | Longest Run | ~1.5 miles | | Off‑Piste | Very limited; reviews rate it low | Verdict: Best terrain size in NC, but still small compared to Western resorts. Great for day trips. 2. Snow Quality | Factor | Notes | |--------|-------| | Natural Snow | ~78 inches per year | | Snowmaking | Heavy reliance; essential for good conditions | | Ice Risk | High — common complaint in reviews | | Snowsure Rating | 3.0/5 from Snow‑Forecast users | Verdict: Snow quality is highly variable. After a freeze–thaw cycle, expect ice. 3. Crowds & Wait Times - Most common complaint across reviews is overcrowding, especially on weekends and holidays. - Lift lines can be long. - Parking can be chaotic. Verdict: Go midweek or at night for the best experience. 4. Beginner & Family Friendliness - Mixed reviews. - Terrain is fine for beginners, but crowds make it stressful. - Tubing and ice skating are available and well‑liked. Verdict: Good for families if you avoid peak times. 5. Lodge, Food & Amenities - Lodge is described as functional but dated. - Food is average. - Staff reviews vary from “friendly” to “overwhelmed” depending on crowd levels. Verdict: Not luxury, but gets the job done. 6. User Review Snapshot | Source | Avg Rating | Notes | |--------|------------|-------| | OnTheSnow | Mixed | Praised for terrain; criticized for crowds & ice | | TripAdvisor | 3.0/5 (861 reviews) | Very mixed; many complaints about lines & conditions | | Snow‑Forecast | 2.4/5 | Low marks for variety & off‑piste | | Tourist Checklist | Positive | Highlights views, friendly staff, and fun runs | 🎯 Who Sugar Mountain Is Best For - Southeast skiers wanting the biggest vertical in NC - Intermediate skiers who want longer runs - Locals who can hit weekday mornings - Families looking for tubing + skating options ⚠️ Who Might Not Love It - Skiers expecting Western‑style snow - Anyone going on a Saturday - Advanced skiers wanting challenging terrain or off‑piste - People who hate crowds 🧭 Pro Tips for the Best Experience - Go midweek or night skiing to avoid crowds. - Watch the weather—go right after a cold snap for the best snow. - Park early; lots fill fast. - If you want a more relaxed vibe, consider Beech Mountain or Appalachian Ski Mountain as alternatives.

Today was my family’s first snowboarding experience. Overall we had a blast. Purchasing tickets/rentals was possibly the most frustrating part of the process. Some of the staff were incredibly helpful and others were not. Our group rented ski’s and snowboards for the full experience. While in the mountain we received much needed assistance and even gathered some tips. I do suggest registering in advance and also planning your trip ahead.

Was here for the October Fest, October 2025. Chairlift rides $22pp, hayride $7pp, bounce houses, crafts vendor's and outside live German music. Good German food (Brat, cold German potato salad, saurkrut a bread) platter $17 & beer $8.50 and up. Dog friendly. Free parking with shuttle rides if needed.

Visited Sugar Mountain with the kids for snow tubing, but we missed the chance to buy tickets online — they aren’t sold at the tubing area itself. We ended up doing ice skating instead, which had tickets available and wasn’t crowded. Overall, the resort was very busy for a weekend, so planning ahead is definitely important.

Awesome. Ride to 5000 ft above sea level. This day Oktoberfest. Music food arts crafts. Cost $22 to get chair lift. Besure to wear a light jacket in fall #snow #fun # goodtime

can go small and large children each has their inflatable. parents can also go with their children in the same inflatable. the reservation is made online

First time snowboarding and this place was amazing. We stayed at the top of Oma's ski lift which was perfectly between the sauna/hot tub/ and heated pool. The slopes were nice and there were plenty of people who offered advise. Definitely will return here in the future.

I recently visited Sugar Mountain Ski Resort and had a mixed experience. Getting equipment and onto the slopes felt extremely unorganized. Most of the staff who spoke English were quite rude, except for those in the gift shop who were friendly and helpful. Service in the food and bar areas was notably slow. On a positive note, the slopes were actually quite good, although the snow machines blasting directly on the lifts were a bit of a nuisance. Overall, while the skiing itself was enjoyable, the service and organization left much to be desired.

I'm writing specifically regarding the excellent customer service I received from Abby in planning my upcoming visit. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Abby! As a first-timer planning a ski trip to Sugar Mountain, there were a lot of details, questions and decisions involved. Abby went above and beyond to clarify EVERYTHING! She spent extra time with me on the phone, patiently answering all my questions and offering thoughtful recommendations tailored to my trip details. Our conversation made me even more excited for my trip! Abby provided guidance on everything from the lessons to gear rental tips and even restaurant and transportation recommendations. Her exceptional customer service turned what could have been stressful into a delight. Thank you, Abby, for getting our first ski trip off to a great start!

This was our first time at Sugar and likely will not be our last. What you read in other reviews is unfortunately true - on weekends parking is a mess, they do not offer the option to purchase lessons or really anything in advance online, and some of the workers are rude or dismissive. But our weekday experience at Sugar was awesome! The instructors at ski school for our kids were very pleasant and helpful. The kids had a great time and were skiing Easy Street with me by the end of the day. Weekday passes are substantially less expensive than weekend lift tickets, plus the lines are so short. With our kids in ski school we were able to take every lift and ski the entire mountain. Grooming was pretty bad but the snow was actually far better than expected. The runs are enjoyable and as long as you keep in mind that you are skiing a privately owned mountain in the southeast, I think you'll have a great time! We also did ice skating and tubing which were awesome!

I can see why this place has a terrible rating. I live in North Carolina and won't be back. Customer service is lacking in reasonableness. Some of family members went snow tubing while I waited in a sitting area. When their time was up, I went to meet them as they were walking to put their tubes away. I wanted a video as they exited with their tubes and greet them as they left the "paid" tube area. Unfortunately, I was stopped by a middle aged man that stated if I did not have a ticket, I had to wait in a certain area, even though I was not in the tubing area and had no plan to enter where the ticket holders could enter. I told him I wanted to meet my eight year old son (and it was obvious that I was videoing). While he wasn't rude in his tone, he was a jerk to be a jerk considering this was not a complicated request. I only wanted to walk approximately ten feet to get a clear shot OUTSIDE the tubing area. My request was so trivial that I regret not taking a picture to demonstrate. It's also important to note that he did not allow tubers their full time they paid for. Lastly, I'm not sure if this is American company based on the website. If that is true, that's another deal breaker.

I would not recommend a visit to Sugar Mountain Resort. The ski pass and rental lines were absolutely absurd. We stood in line for 30 minutes and didn't move and ended up going to the "more advanced" equipment line and had a $60 upcharge, but honesty worth it to avoid over an hour wait. The snow and ski conditions seemed good, except the lift lines were pretty long. The food selection here was criminal. $17 for chicken tenders and fries! Next time, I will try a different resort in the area or just make a trip out West .

I visited Sugar Mountain a few weeks ago for snowboarding and had a wonderful time! All of their trails were open and all but two lifts were running. I originally went up for a half day but decided to stay for the twilight session to night ski as well. Lilly in the admin office, was very helpful and attentive when upgrading my pass. I highly recommend this mountain!

DO NOT GO HERE ITS A SCAM! If i could give 0 stars i will! We payed for our tickets and rentals and were not told there was only 1 hour of skiing time! When we told them we wanted more than an hour they said "YOU SHOULD HAVE CHECKED OUR TIMES" We asked for a credit so we can skii later on that day and NO ONE WAS ABLE TO HELP US! They made us fill out this paper to get a refund. And I just got off the phone with the "manager" and he just said they simply don't do refunds. WE DID NOT USE ANY OF THE THINGS THAT WAS RENTED AND THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT WAS $300 and not just $20 worth of unused things!

Sugar Mountain is definitely not a customer-friendly ski resort; don't waste your time. I reloaded 4 RFID keycard at a cost of $350 on January 24, 2025, for a full day of skiing on January 25, 2025, but unfortunately, I selected the wrong day (January 26). I reached out to their administrative office, explained my mistake, and requested to change the dates. I was disappointed to hear that they couldn't accommodate my request and that I would have to buy another ticket. I wasn't asking for a refund. I just wanted to edit the dates of skiing. As a loyal customer who has visited Sugar Mountain several times a year, I definitely won't be skiing at money-greedy Sugar Mountain again!

if there was a negative star, I would have given them that. Do not go to this place, I wouldn't even recommend this to my enemies. We purchased tubing tickets for my sister's birthday. we booked a 12pm time slot for Saturday 1/25/25 and we got there an hour before to find parking. we could not find parking for an hour and were directed everywhere through the town to find parking. We finally found parking and waited for another hour for a shuttle that was not full. I started to notice that the areas the resort employees were telling us to park, actually had police coming around and writing parking tickets. I decided to get the car and drop my two sisters off at the tubing entrance. They got there and was told they can't tube because they were late. They demanded a refund and was given the run around. I came up there to talk to admissions and was told to write a form and we "may" get our money back. When I expressed how much I disliked that, security was called and I had to explain the situation to them. This was a huge scam!!!

Avoid! Horrible experience! 2 hours to get equipment, horrible service, unsafe conditions, long lines for lifts.

The tubing was great but the skiing not so much. We rented boards and the bindings were fucked on them...full day tickets wasted. Rent the equipment some place else. Half day ticket is enough for these icey slopes. Crazy busy to so get there early.

A good place we found for tubing as a family. I could not give it 5 stars because some of the tubes looked deteriorated, also not enough of tubes for the amount of visitors on the field. Overall, the field was not bad, but we all felt that the tubing field on other places around the area are better.

Prices are astronomically high for a season pass to ski I'd never pay $800+ for a season pass to a crappy east coast slope that's ice half the year and only open maybe 2 months decent we all know December there's zero snow out there you can get a full epic pass or icon and ski tons of mountains with real snow and 10x the slopes for cheaper and that's just sad sugar mountain would rather rip off people and is totally in it for the money.

They will give you no help if something goes wrong. Yes with crowds and weather, they offer no refunds, but also 3 of our 5 ski equipment sets malfunctioned. We spent hours waiting for them to resolve. Importantly, management refuses to even attempt to make things right. They simply just say "no refunds" and "rental equipment employees are always available to help with any issues". This was distinctly not accurate in our situation. Noteworthy, the customer service staff thinks that the resort should do something to make the situation right, but the manager is unwilling to address the actual concerns, and just says they are not liable.

Beautiful place everything was clean and well maintained There's just fast food and too expensive and not so good But the snow, the mountain and the tracks are great

The lines were horrible. No one to tell you what to do. You just follow the crowd. You can do the tubing if you are willing to wait 4 or more hours for tickets. No presales, only take first 120 people. If it sells out you have to stay in line for another hour and a half before getting the chance to be the next 120 tickets. Horribly thought out. If there was another option in town this place would close because of customer service.

It takes some research to have a good time here. First off, you can't buy lift tickets until 8 pm the night before. If you wait until the day of, you'll be waiting in a long line. They do rent ski equipment, but if you do it here you'll spend hours in lines. As for the lodge, it is just ok. The food consisted of grossly overpriced sandwiches, pizza, burgers, and fries. There's plenty of booze to be had as well, but I didn't drink so I don't know pricing. Also, this is not a Colorado ski resort so get that out of your head. So how did we avoid these long waits? We rented our skis from an establishment off property. A quick google search will give you 2-3 ski shops all with about the same prices. They are easy and significantly faster. I spoke with the gentleman on the phone and asked all sorts of questions about what to expect on the slopes. He was very informative. As for lift tickets, we bought ours the night before. We showed up around 7:45 pm, window opened at 8 pm, and we were done in a matter of minutes. Easy and no lines. I can't say enough about their ski school. It fills up fast, but we managed to get our 9 year old into the group session. She had never seen snow until this day and after a 90 minute class, she was skiing the bunny slope alone. A big kudos goes out to the instructors. We stayed at a ski in ski out. It made life much easier. Overall, we were pleasantly surprised with the slopes. It's a great place to learn for beginners and also fun for more experienced folks. There is a military discount for active duty only...no retiree or vet discount. We'll definitely be coming back.

This place literally tells you not to come here and if you don't like it just leave. People were waiting in line for hours and they were told "Go Rent Your Skis' Off the Mountain" I have fired guys like Justin the Rental Shop Manager for much less rude comments that he made to my family and I. There is no appreciation or consideration for the customer. I will leave my $1000's behind at another ski facility and town in the future. When I asked to speak with a Manager I was told "Sometimes he comes in and sometimes he doesn't" This is at the height of their season! As you can see the poor business practices starts at the top and works it way down. I will note the ski instructors were good and nice.

I've been going to Sugar since the late 90's and not much has changed. Parking can be a little tricky, especially if you have to park in the lower lot, but there are regular shuttles and it isn't really that bad. The lines to get tickets can be very long at times. Other resorts have an online purchase option (hint, hint Sugar). I bring my own gear and have never experienced the gear rental area. There are plenty of slopes for all types of skill levels. As always, was your sides and backs when using the blue slopes as those seem to attract the over confident beginners. Line for the lift were about 10-15 minute wait time (Sunday after 12:30). As the time passed the lines were shorter and we could ski down and go straight to the lift with no waiting. Every now and then the staff scans lift tickets to see if you are skiing during the time you paid for. I don't mind this as it never seems to hold up the lines. There is also food and a full bar available. Food is decent, very pricey but convenient. For me, my wife and son we paid $67 for lunch (1 burger, 2 fries, 2 hot chicken sandwiches, 1 mac & cheese 3 bottled waters 1 fountain drink and one ice creak cookie sandwich). I see a ton of negative reviews about the staff at Sugar. My experience was no where near what others experienced. At lease no different from other places I ski. Yes, the ticketing situation is very frustrating and there is no guarantee that you will be able to buy a lift ticket. By far, this is the biggest downfall and would make me question the trip to Sugar but there are a couple of other options in the area. And to be fair, since I had someone buy my tickets before I got there and brought my own gear, my interactions with staff was minimal. I would definitely suggest renting gear from an off site shop and thoroughly check the weather, slope conditions and take a peak at the web cams. My experience has been when you see very few people on the web cams then it might not be enjoyable conditions. Shorter lines but you make work for it.

The owner is the most hated man in town, Gunther Jochl's who leaves a legacy of piss poor customer service, unorganized procedures, unable to embrace technology and big let downs. This is the only ski resort in the nation that does not sell tickets online. NO RESERVATIONS! Ski school, Lift tickets and Rentals are ALL first come first serve, about half of people standing in the line hours before the resort opens get to learn to ski. That means you waited in the cold for NOTHING if you aren't in the front half. Better camp out overnight!! The customer service stemming from the Admin office is ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC. Mask Nazis in the Admin office and it's 2022!!! The overweight female who appears to manage the Admin office barks orders at customers and doesn't understand how to say please, thank you, welcome, have a great day or anything other than yelling, interrupting, and darn near growling like a bulldog. She can't even smile. She's like this with everyone. Perhaps, if she hates her job that much, she should quit.

0 for the snow tubing. It's a disaster. The rickety conveyer belt you ride up, the majic carpet, as they call it, is a joke. A lady fell, I think she was okay. It's so bumpy and jerks the whole way up the hill. No hand rail to help keep your balance until you get to the very top. It's on the right, and you exit onto icy mats on the left side. It would be safer if they would let people walk and just keep the belt turned off.

Had a really negative experience our first time here on 2/23. First, the live slope cams don't work on mobile devices to see the conditions before paying. Second, customer service is very bad, from first paying, to equipment rental, to trying to get a response from mgmt. Their policy is that all questions or concerns for an administrator must be submitted by email, and then they don't respond to emails or phone calls after you leave. Primary concern was slopes were poorly maintained and unsafe on our visit. There were wet and nearly bare spots. Kids were getting injured and taken out in ambulances. We left after barely an hour. And it was NOT the weather because we went to Appalachian Ski Mountain the same day and they had very nice snow depth and wasn't mushy. (We ended up skiing there all week.) Second concern was we were double-charged for all of our passes (not the equipment). It's been three days and they still have my extra $300. My recommendation - do not go! If you must go, ask to see the slope conditions before you pay. Also, do not leave the premises with an unresolved issue.

Some of the best trails south of the Mason-Dixon line are regrettably accompanied by some of the worst services and amenities at any ski resort anywhere. Most beginning and intermediate skiers will find hills to challenge them, and Sugar's 4,400' elevation produces some of the longest runs in North Carolina. While nearby Beech Mountain is higher and has a longer vertical drop, Sugar has more trails, and its mid-mountain lift lets you spend more time on the slopes. But the resort itself is a disaster. On a recent weekday, we waited in line almost 3 hours to get our lift tickets and rentals. The process is completely disorganized, and made even worse by the fact that you can't purchase tickets online in advance. There's no point in shelling out for a full-day pass when you can't even get on the slopes until almost noon. Beyond the horrific rental process, the restaurant is terrible, with completely inadequate seating and predictably bad food. There's a separate bar that we didn't have time to visit because we spent so much time in the line for food. And most parking lots are accessible only by a shuttle bus that needs to run a lot more frequently at peak times. The only bright spot is a terrific little bar at the summit, with cocktails, snacks and facilities -- if you can score a seat or table here, it's far preferable to the mess at the main lodge. The ONLY way to enjoy Sugar is to arrive with your own gear, or to rent it somewhere offsite. There are a number of ski shops just outside the resort, so if you're staying the weekend, you can pick up skis and boots ahead of time and skip the rental disaster at Sugar. If you're coming up just for the day, skip this place entirely and head to Beech Mountain instead.

This place is absolutely terrible we stood in line for 3 hours to get tickets still unable to get them. You are not able to pre order tickets you have to wait in line tickets for each session only go on sale an hour before the time so you have to wait in line. The layout of the parking lot is HORRIBLE traffic is terrible people and workers are rude. There are very little bathrooms.

The slopes are fun and well groomed/maintained. Customer service is awesome as far as friendliness goes....but the parking is terrible. If you go on a weekend (FRI-SUN) arrive at least a hour early or you are going to be out of luck and waiting on a parking spot of shuttle for over a hour

If this looks like fun to you (see pics included), then you'll love Sugar Mountain!! A 2-hour long line starting at 8:00am just to get lift tickets and rental equipment. ALL ski schools, group lessons, and private lessons SOLD OUT BEFORE 8:00AM! 2 main chair lifts (including the ONLY "Beginner"/All Green Run lift) with a 30 min. line ALL DAY LONG! Not to mention: horrible parking setup, extremely rude and uninformed staff, and overcrowded, small dining area with another 30 min. line to get food, plus 20 mins looking for available seating. We will NEVER return here. Highly recommend Beech Mountain or we'll be trying somewhere else in NC.

so me and my wife was going to stay at Slopesider 27 and reading that they are pet friendly we said great but then come to find out that they only allowed 2 dogs and the website doesn't say anything about how many pets you can have there we would have never booked there if we have knew that if only 2 were allowed so if you have more the two dogs don't even try to stay there now we have to fight to get our money back

It's so bad I want to give you a zero, but I can't so I give you a 1. Me and my friends and originally Tyra banks. This was potentially the worst customer service I've ever experienced in my life. We waited in negative 3 degree windchill outside to try and get tubing tickets for my friends birthday after driving 6 hours from atlanta. We got to the front of the line and the door was slammed in our face. We begged and pleated with management to let us buy tickets for later so we wouldn't have to wait in the cold, but they said it was a safety hazard. Sir it's a safety hazard to make humans wait outside in the dark as the temperature drops to negative 5 because your computer system was made in 1969 and doesn't allow reservations.

See the letter I received below. A few things 1. In my complaint, requested a phone call to speak with someone about their procedures. Clearly they have the complaint and chose a letter as opposed to a phone call. 2. Their response is inaccurate and ignores the experience my wife and daughter had. When they got off the lift, nobody greeted them offering direction, guidance, or assistance. We could not find that despite walking around the entire facility. All we could find was a ¨Security¨ person giving out pieces of paper for complaints. 3. I live in LOUISIANA. It is a 13 hour drive. And they offered sent me 3 ticket vouchers for THIS season. To be fair, this consolation falls right in line with the incompetence of this business.

The Worst! If I could do 0 I would! Came at 2 pm for a tubing session, waited from 2 to 3 - they started to sell tickets and in 15 sold out for the 4 o'clock session. Therefore I had to wait for 5 pm to buy 6 o'clock tickets- they only sell 60 tickets per session. Such bad logistics. Its a piece of trash place. Do not waste your time coming here.

Come early! We came around 9 am and the parking at top was already filled. Before I get to this review, I just want to say that I got dupe in thinking there would be real snow here. I wish my friends told me the truth. It's more that they never disclosed that info with me. I would've never came. I rather spend my time and money to go to Colorado to experience it. I found out days before the trip about the snow and since then I was disappointed. However, they all ensured me that there is an area for us to play in the snow. I didn't want to ski or snowboard cause I'm clumsy. I do not want to come back with a broken leg. I thought about tubing. Little did I know, this "free" area no longer exist. Our plan was to go check it out, play in the "snow" and take photos, then decide what to do. A few of us didn't want to didn't want to do anything but play with the snow. The temps were 50 when we came. I wanted that snow experience, guess won't get it unless I go to Colorado. 307/2019

Sugar Mountain offers a great variety of slopes. The negative reviews are valid and here are some suggestions if you want a pleasant experience: 1) check snow conditions and webcams before coming; only visit if most of the trails are open and you can see the quality of the snow on the webcams; 2) bring your own gear or rent from a local business; Sugar's rental process is time consuming; 3) visit on weekdays only, preferably Tuesday - Thursday. I know many people have jobs or live far away and cannot follow these guidelines. I feel for those people and wish Sugar would make the necessary upgrades to run a smoother operation.

I rarely write negative reviews but felt people coming for the first time need to know what to expect. Something is horribly wrong on the administrative side of things. Not enough employees, very little crowd control measures. When you have to spend three hours each day just to get on the slopes something is horribly wrong. You cannot buy tickets in advance for anything. My buddy waited two hours in line starting at 6am for ski school tickets that were already sold out. I tried to put my kid in ski school for the next day by checking in at 3 pm and was also told they were already full ( now keep in mind you cannot register in advance so how this is possible is beyond me). I was told I could not rent equipment for more then one day and thus had to return my equipment and wait in line again with my six year old daughter. This took no less than 2 hours to get tickets and equipment both days. There are also far too many people. I saw no less than 9 people going down in stretchers. Once I got on slope I realize it was because there are soooo many people on the slopes there are constantly collisions. Lift lines took 30+ minutes for the greens. Around the same for some of the blues. Ski patrol hut is stationed right below the green slopes so they come barreling through there screaming at you to get out of the way with brand new skiers scrambling to move fast enough when it's also super crowded. In summary only reason I'm not giving one star is because the facilities and the resort itself were great but it's management leaves much to be desired. I had a crew of 17 people. Not one of us had a pleasant experience and all mutually agreed to never come back. I've been to many ski resorts out west and east coast and am a double black diamond skier. This was by far the worst experience I've ever had.

If I could give this resort a negative 5 stars I would. We drove 5 hours to bring our daughter tubing here. We fully understood that we would have to purchase our tubing tickets on site and first come first serve. However we waited 2 hours, in the freezing cold, in a line that's literally in a parking lot so you're dodging vehicles or vice versa. After 2 hours we finally made it to the front of the line just for them to tell us they are sold out and we would have to wait there another 2 hours for the next session. My daughter was in tears and freezing cold. There is no organization to how this system operates. Really should be an online ticketing option. On top of that, the gift shop was trash. They don't even want you going in there to get warm while you're standing in 20 degree weather for hours on end. The snack bar is so crammed there's hardly any room to stand. Overall we had a 0/10 experience and would recommend that no one goes there ever.

Read the reviews. They are all the same. It's quite sad that folks are taking advantage of their customers. And why on earth can you not sell your lift tickets online?? Claiming to have COVID precautions but allow hundreds of people to stand in line like sardines. Comical.

Pitiful customer service, obvious the owner cares about 1 thing and that's money bc covid outbreaks are not in their thoughts of running a business. Oversold mountain and long tight lines with no social distance.

Great place for skiing in the southeast. Sugar has some decent runs almost a mile long, and a small park with tubes, etc. --though it's not open all that often. Morning skiing/boarding is the best, even in cold weather it tends to get icy and slick by early afternoon from overuse. The location has several lifts but back to the overuse, they can get some good sized lines when people head in with the half day passes at noon --that said, the larger five seater lift which manages to fit six during busy hours keeps the lines flowing. They like to heavily make powder which can be a PITA sometimes --often aimed at the lifts and main through runs which can get annoying. Food is pretty good at the lodge, though that said can get pretty pricey --even more so that lodges out west which is something. Their ski school is fantastic. I put two kids through their school over two-three visits and they've become incredible, confident, skiers. That's certainly a asset of Sugars. The location is easy to get to and easily spotted from the main roads. Parking is great and I've rarely had to take a bus to get to the slopes. Always enjoy heading here even if spoiled by spots out west.

Had a blast here on a ski trip with friends! Love how it's so close to Raleigh. The amenities were nice and cozy. The snow is so beautiful. I suggest everybody in the state of North Carolina travel here at least once.

We were very happy to hear that they were open and had COVID guidelines in place, so we decided to go. We thought limited lift tickets and limited parking meant that they were selling a reduced number of tickets to allow social distancing. When we arrived and saw the extremely long lines and that parking was full on 1/16 and 1/17, we originally thought that it was because they were disorganized on selling the lift tickets. When we actually skied on 1/17 after buying our lift ticket the night prior, we discovered there was no parking available and no direction on where to find any parking. We had to circle between parking lots for an hour until we found someone leaving. In the future, I would have given this place a 4 star rating, but today I am giving them only 1 star since I have never seen this place so crowded with angry people trying to find parking. Our lesson is never go here on the weekend. Skiing on 1/19 during the week was perfect.

BEWARE!!! Sugar Mountain employees handling of your credit cards! Visited for our family Christmas 12/22/21-12/26/21, only to come home with fraudulent charges on our cards. Contacted the business office immediately, only to be told 24 hours later that they did a thorough investigation and they would no longer be available for discussion. Made multiple calls and sent multiple emails asking that the resort manager contact me, and their response was that he is not available. Who runs a business like this?!?!

There aren't many options for skiing in North Carolina. I get that. But Sugar Mountain was absolutely horrible. Think about the dirtiest Walmart for skiing and that's Sugar Mountain. After it took well over an hour of waiting in line to ride a bus to the ski resort, we waited quite a while longer to try and access tubing. Our party waited in line for about two hours to buy tickets to tube. Most of us decided not to even tube at this point, so we purchased tickets for the kids. They were able to get a couple of runs in after waiting in insane lines for each of the few slopes to tube. I can't imagine ever coming back here. Horrible experience.

This place only sees people as a dollar sign. ZERO customer service. I cannot reach anyone. My family of 6 paid close to $600 to ski the weekend before thanksgiving. We were all beginners. Because it was early season, only one lift was open.. the most advanced lift. We were never warned before purchasing, or even after directly asking the attendant who scans your pass to get in the lift if it was hard. 4 people took the lift up and turned right around. Myself and my daughter got stuck in the slope. It took us 2 1/2 hours to get down the slope and ski patrol had to assist us. Thankfully we weren't hurt!

Awful experience. We made the 3 hr trip just to go snow tubing, aligning all of our plans to meet their process of getting in line an hour early, etc. We park and ride what looks like a prison bus up the hill for about maybe 500 ft. Once we get to the snow tubing section, we are horrified to see there is one run and it's pathetic. PATHETIC! So we look up other places while standing in line for ice skating. Waited an hour and attendant comes out to say their atm has been down for two hours and it's cash only. We weren't carrying enough cash for the 6 of us. Why did they not say something earlier??? Awful awful experience and highly recommend you GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!!

We were excited to visit as first-timers. Had to almost beg for Information. Owner needs to give some customer service training to every member of staff. Just so Unfriendly and some really rude. The nasty people in the building to sign up for lessons and the even nastier men that operate the tubing park.

Find somewhere else. This resort stinks and they dont care about their customers. There is snow somewhere else, run away an find it. This is NOT for you...trust me.

Attended during the holiday season with my two sons. On a short list of the worse customer experiences that I've ever had. Waited for 3+ hours. One time down the mountain and my son's ski boot didn't fit right. Tried to find ANYONE to assist, and there is no way that was happening with how short staffed they were. We left and only got the typical "no refunds" language since we signed the consent form.

We wanted to get away for some holiday skiing with the family. First time to Sugar Mountain. Slopes were well groomed with snow blowing supplementing snowfall. We stayed in a Villa overlooking the resort and was able to walk to the lodge. Traffic was a nightmare if you drove in. Ticketing is archaic. You must stand in line each day to purchase next day's lift tickets. Kids ski school sold out in 20 minutes. Staff was friendly and helpful. We were able to book a private lesson with Ellie and our daughter had a great time on the magic carpet slope. If you go ... recommend you stay close and plan queuing daily for tickets.

If it rained the night before, they decide to blow snow the next morning while the temps are near freezing. Makes a lot of sense to make the runs a frozen tundra. Everyone was falling and you couldn't see a thing. Tripping over people while ski'ing is just a hazard. Worst ski resort I've ever been to. Don't waste your money, go to Beech Mountain instead.

This place is awful! They don't accept any reservations online. You will stand in line for over an hour for rentals and the employees are all about 16yrs old and are all totally rude! I will NEVER go back to this place. My sons gloves and husbands ski's were taken. They were rentals and there is no identifying marks on them so you just have the luck of the draw if you ever put your ski's down. When my husband went to get another pair of ski's, they made him look through 100's of receipts for his paperwork and told him he will be charged $150 if his original ski's are not returned at the end of the night. It's a complete, unorganized mess at this place.

Let me say... I do not know where the bad reviews come from. It is our first time ever snowboarding and we had a blast!! Firstly, timing is everything! If you have small kids I think you should pick and choose the battles you are wanting to deal with for the day lol. We are a family of four with a 9 year old and 12 year old. We got there at around 7:10-7:15 and got parking right in front ( it makes a big difference at the end of the day, when your tired, feet hurt etc) I did see a bus and I was very glad I did not have to get on it. If 7 is too early it really didn't start to get packed until around 8-9 but I mean it went from like 10 people to a couple hundred within that hour. Just something to keep in mind. Let me hit on the bathrooms I was the first one to use the bathroom at 7 am and it was not clean. Toilet paper, paper towels on the floor, so just imagine during the day when hundreds of people have been using it. Hold it if you can. We did the weekday special and it allowed us to have an hour and half of a snowboard lesson (you can choose skiing too) board rental, boots, and binding, plus our lift ticket. We did rent helmets and purchased the rental insurance. For four of us the price came to 410$. That is not bad for a full day rental (8-4:30pm). The ski lift was not bad wait, it went very fast and there are of lot of areas to practice for beginners. It was a very enjoyable time and a great experience. We will most definitely be back!