Ever since Covid-19, we have been exploring a lot more places in our home state! One of our favorite things to do is spending a day on the slopes.
Beech Mountain is about 90 miles away which equals to a little more than 2 hours of driving. Be aware that the last 30 miles are mountain miles and the steep, winding roads just take longer!
We wanted to provide some tips before you plan on spending the day in Mountains.
Buy Lift Passes online:
There are various types of lift passes to choose from. Originally we picked the day pass (9am-5pm), however we didn’t realize you would have to leave our house by 6 am to be on the slopes at 9! We ended up switching our ticket from 1pm-close, which gave us plenty of time to ski and snowboard.
Rent/ reserve your equipment ahead of time:
Stefanie has a snowboard, but Zach rented skis online from Ski Country Sports in Banner Elk and picked them up before hitting the slopes. It’s a good thing we did, because the store was packed with people trying to rent gear.
Be sure to wear both your masks, because this is a tight space with a lot of people. Definitely the most COVID-risky activity of the day, unfortunately.
Parking:
There is limited parking on top of the mountain, which is absolutely no problem. You can park in the overflow lot and a ski bus will come pick you up. It appears the bus runs every 15 minutes, or whenever the friendly, heavily accented mountain men who drive the buses can get there. Again, keep this in mind that it will extend the time needed to be on the slopes. Parking is for free, which is a nice perk.
Pick up your lift pass:
The pass purchased online is not the actual lift ticket. Before putting on your gear, make sure you pick up your ticket. The lady in the ticket booth was super friendly and switched our day pass to the 1pm to close pass. It is the same price and it gave us the option to ski past 5pm.
Check the slope report:
Based on the snow conditions, maybe only a certain amount of slopes and lifts are open. The Oz run in Beech Mountain happens to be on the sunny side and hasn’t been open the couple times Stefanie went. We got lucky on our most recent trip and the beautiful blue colored slope was open. The ski patrol did provide information that the slope will be closed earlier than the rest of the ski resort. So make sure you take advantages of those slopes that close early.
Don’t miss out on the Top of the Mountain Bar:
The Sky Bar on the top gives your European Alps vibes. If you ever spent some time skiing in Europe than you know Apres ski and drinks are huge. So make sure you take a break and enjoy a beer on top of the mountain and enjoy the views.
Do be aware that during COVID, the hut containing the bar only serves a few customers at a time, so you’ll have to wait in line on the outdoor patio.
Mountain Food:
Don’t expect too much, so pack some light snacks to eat throughout the day. The Beech Mountain Brewing Company provided a limited menu of burgers and salads. The food was just what we needed after a couple hours of shredding the slopes and taking some mini shots on the lift. COVID Note: Mask usage was not enforced within the Lodge, therefore it was definitely more uncomfortable to stand in line for food.
Don’t miss the Mountain Sunset:
I haven’t experienced too many sunsets in the mountains, so when the time hit 5:30 pm we took the ski lift to the top and experienced one of the most beautiful sunsets ever. Everyone was walking towards the west to get that perfect pictures with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the backdrop. It was an absolute advantage to change our lift passes to the twilight tickets. We would have not been able to witness that beautiful moment.
Overall Opinion:
We are extremely lucky to live in the beautiful state of North Carolina. Beech Mountain has 7 chair lifts and about 17 different runs. This is not Colorado or the Alps but we are grateful to be able to spend a day in the mountains without planning an entire weekend!
The city of Beech mountain seemed super cute! Lots of winter lights were wrapped around trees which gave us winter wonderland vibes. We do want to plan a weekend in the mountains, preferably a ski in, ski out cabin and we can’t wait to trying all the little different mountain restaurants.
Feel free to message, comment or contact us for any questions. Follow Stepke_adventures on Instagram for fun travel tips and recommendations.