App Ski Mountain in Boone NC
Before the first flake of snow hits the slopes, before
the first lift ticket is sold, workers at Appalachian Ski Mountain are
working to ensure that the 2009-10 season is the best yet in the nearly
five decade history of the resort. In fact, operating the ski resort has
become a yearlong effort for the Moretz family and their employees.
"This
past summer we took 1,500 truckloads of material out as we increased
the capacity of our lake," said Brad Moretz. "The lake is both rain-fed
and spring-fed and we installed a new pumping system."
The newly
enlarged lake-now over 40 feet deep-will feed new snow-making machines
that will cover the slopes in a matter of a few days as soon as
nighttime temperatures reach the lower 20s.
"When we have ideal,
around-the-clock temperatures, we can pump six million gallons of water
out of the lake per day and turn it into snow," said Moretz. "We've
added 20 fully-automated snow guns over the past three years, so we can
cover all the slopes with over a foot of snow in no time at all."
The
lake is just one of many changes Appalachian Ski Mountain made during
the off-season in 2009. They expanded the indoor ski and snowboard
rental area by moving all of the poles to outdoor storage facilities.
"We've
got three to four thousands sets of poles here," said Moretz. "That
frees up a lot of space inside. We've got twice as many snowboards as we
had last year."
According to the App Ski Mountain Web site, the slopes may open on Sunday.
"The
current weather forecast is projecting snowmaking temperatures
beginning some time Thursday. According to the forecast, we may enjoy a
60 hour stretch of snowmaking with nightly lows of 25, 20, and 17 on
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights," the Web site stated.
"If
this forecast proves to be true, Appalachian Ski Mtn. will expect to
open for skiing and snowboarding Sunday morning, December 6. Given this
amount of snowmaking weather, a majority of slopes, along with all
chairlifts and the conveyor lift could be open on our first day of
skiing. We would also expect for the Appal Jam and Appaljack Terrain
Parks to be open for day one.
"On Sunday, highs in the low 30's
are forecast. To give our guests the best possible experience, we will
not make snow on open slopes during the day session.
"We will
also begin night skiing on a seven nights a week schedule as of Sunday.
We will expect to be making dry, skiing-quality snow with our 20' tower
guns during the night session."
With its new emphasis on
snowboarding, and a new terrain park for snowboarders, Appalachian Ski
Mountain has been designated by Burton Snowboards as on official "Learn
to Ride Center."
The new terrain park is the third terrain park for
Appalachian Ski Mountain, allowing for more entry-level training for
snowboarders just learning how to jump over obstacles, ride handrails
and other tricks.
"We have added this new terrain park to
provide entry-level park riders an opportunity to develop their skills
in a non-intimidating environment with other park riders of the same
skill level," said terrain park director Drew Stanley. "We are currently
fabricating new and unique features specifically designed for the
riders using this new terrain park. And we plan to introduce one new
custom feature to the terrain parks each month."
Stanley stated
that the terrain parks will feature over a dozen competitions this year
with sponsors and prizes, in addition to five "Fresh Friday" events
where the slopes will introduce new features in the terrain parks. The
terrain park competitions regularly attract 65-70 of the best trick
snowboarders in the country.
Along with the added terrain park,
the ski resort has added heavy duty snowboards and helmets to its rental
facilities. Last year, the skiing and snowboarding industry estimated
that over 70% of children ages 14 and under wore helmets while enjoying
those winter sports.
Another new feature at the terrain parks
will be "Ladies Park Night" on three Saturdays during the season. The
events are aimed to attract more women snowboarders to the terrain parks
and will feature free instruction from a "trick tip advisor." According
to Stanley, last year's Ladies' events attracted snowboarders whose
ages ranged from 9 to 50.
Through its longtime association with
French-Swiss Ski College, Appalachian Ski Mountain has become the
premiere destination for beginning skiers and snowboarders. This year
Appalachian Ski Mountain is offering a package that include slope
ticket, rental equipment and a one-hour group lesson with French-Swiss
Ski College instructors. The package is $42 for skiing lessons and $54
for snowboarding lessons.
The resort also offers those lessons for skiers ages five through 14 at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels.
French-Swiss
Ski College is also in charge of the resort's Junior Race Training for
kids who are interested in participating in the High Country Junior
Alpine Race Series.
This year Appalachian Ski Mountain is
opening a new slope, "Appal Top," along with the new terrain park. It is
also offering midnight skiing on weekends from December 26 through
February 20. It also plans to extend its season until April 11, making
it the longest scheduled season in North Carolina skiing history.
"The
Midnight Blast weekends should be good for everybody," said Brad
Moretz. "The skiers and snowboarders get more time on the slopes and
then they are more likely to spend a night in one of our area hotels
rather than drive back home."
Appalachian Ski Mountain has also
conducted a complete entrance sidewalk renovation during the off-season.
The improvements include heated sidewalks adjacent to the Base Lodge
and handicapped ramp entrance and strut-gate entrance stairways.
Not Just Skiers
Believe
it or not, Appalachian Ski Mountain has become a popular wedding
destination. Many couples choose to start their special day with a
chairlift ride to a mountain top ceremony.
Whether it is for the
wedding reception, ceremony, rehearsal dinner or the whole shebang, the
resort has all of the amenities for indoor or outdoor events.
Unlike
many ski resorts that only offer basic, cafeteria-style dining options,
Appalachian Ski Mountain has banquet facilities and two chefs working
in the lodge's kitchen.
"All of our burgers are fresh, not
frozen, our pizza is made in house, and we offer two specials with fresh
vegetables every day," said Carla Fitzwater, food and beverage director
for Appalachian Ski Mountain.
"This is a real restaurant. We
offer salmon, crab-cakes, pecan-encrusted trout, shrimp and grits,
barbecue ribs and homemade soups.
"Ski resorts rely on hot foods
like chili, coffee and hot chocolate. They have to be good. Ours is the
best. We offer a three-bean chili that people rave about."
Appalachian
Ski Mountain has also earned a reputation among folks in the High
Country as a place to do a little Christmas shopping. With two separate
stores-one for skis and snowboards and one for clothing and
accessories-the resort has one of the largest selections of winter
sports gear in the country.
"Our selection covers a wide price
range," said Brenda Moretz. "We've got everything to outfit someone for a
day or for a season."
Ready for Cold Weather
Prior to ski
season, Appalachian Ski Mountain employs approximately 30 full-time
workers. Once the slopes are open, that number jumps to nearly 300
employees.
Of course, Appalachian Ski Mountain, like most others
in the eastern half of the country, has had to delay its opening
because of unseasonably warm weather this November.
"We usually
open for business the Friday before Thanksgiving," said Moretz last
week. "This week there is only one ski resort on the entire Eastern
Seaboard open and it's in Maine. But if we can get some ideal conditions
at night with the low humidity and temperatures in the high teens or
low twenties, we could open in a day. If the temperatures were around 26
at night, we could open in two or three days."
According to
Brad Moretz, Appalachian Ski Mountain has invested in over $3 million in
renovations and improvements over the past three years.
"It
allowed us to extend our season last year to March 30th and this year
we're shooting for April 11th. It ends up extending the tourist season
for the whole area."
For more information, call Appalachian Ski Mountain at (828) 295-7828, or visit www.appskimtn.com