The main base lodge has an adequate cafeteria (the View Haus) and a very old school wood-panelled sports bar (the Beech Tree Bar and Grill). On the mountain, skiers have a few selections for lunchtime fare. The adjacent town of Beech Mountain is the highest incorporated town in the Eastern United States. The closest large town is Banner Elk at the bottom of the Beech Mountain Parkway. The resort has a small mountaintop village near the slopes, consisting of the ski resort base lodge, a handful of restaurants, a retail shop, and an ice skating rink. True expert skiers will find more challenging offerings across the valley at Sugar, most notably the double black diamond Whoopdedoo run. They won’t get a real expert skier’s heart pumping, but are steeper than some of the other black diamonds at other resorts in the region, excluding Sugar Mountain. Both are wide slopes of a moderatly steep pitch. There are two black diamond runs at Beech Mountain – Southern Star and White Lightning. The Oz chair also tends to have a shorter liftline. Although it does not drop the fall vertical of the mountain, it is our favorite run on the mountain because it is the only true trail (the other runs are more wide slopes than trails). This lone blue trail is serviced by its own fixed grip quad with a vertical drop in the 500 ft.
On the other side of the summit is the Oz Run. Lower Shawneehaw is also serviced by its own double chair (Lift #1), which is usually far less crowded than the summit quad. The lack of beginners on the upper slopes makes them far more pleasant towards the top than as they run headlong into the beginner terrain at the bottom. The slopes are wide and moderately pitched. Both trails merge together into Lower Shawneehaw as they turn left and back towards the base. Robin’s Run and Shawneehaw are the main two trails with a short connector (Crossover) linking the two together. From the top of the express quad, the majority of blue trails are found to the skier’s right. Intermediate skiers will find plenty of options at Beech. The result is a mixing bowl of fallen beginners and schussing intermediates which can be intimidating for first timers. Children have a separate J-Bar lift for ski school lessons. Unfortunately, they also happen to be part of the runouts to trails higher up the mountain. These runs are where adult beginners learn to ski.
There are two short green trails – Freestyle and Crossover – serviced by two double chairs. Beech Mountain Beginner Skiingīeginners have limited options at Beech. On the back side of the resort (known as the “Land of Oz”), a single intermediate run is serviced by a fixed grip quad. On weekends, outrageously long lines can build. A first generation detachable quad brings skiers from the base to the summit, though the ride is far slower than one would expect from an express lift. All but one of the resort’s 16 runs is located the front side of the mountain. The ski resort is divided into two main faces. There are a number of small eateries and shops on top of the hill but the “village” of Beech Mountain is really exists just to cater to the resort guests. The resort has a peculiar feel owing to the fact that it is dotted with octagonally-shaped houses on stilts (imagine oceanside houses in the Outer Banks and you’ll get the idea). This high base elevation combined with 84 inches average annual snowfall and an efficient snowmaking system covering 100% of its slopes makes Beech Mountain the most snowsure ski resort in the region. Perched atop a peak in the western North Carolina high country, Beech Mountain holds the distinction of being the highest ski resort in the eastern United States with a summit elevation of 5,506 ft.īeech Mountain offers an 830 feet drop with an exceedingly high base elevation of almost 4,700 feet.
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