While we have seen only a trace of snow in the Triangle so far this winter, the North Carolina mountains continue to get a steady stream of snow and customers to the ski resorts.

One of the few things you can do and naturally social distance is hit the slopes to ski or snowboard.

Sugar Mountain has seen an increase in attendance this year compared to last year, thanks in large part to a bigger midweek crowd.

“We definitely see people spreading out and coming more midweek,” explained Kim Jochl, vice president and director of Marketing and Merchandising of Sugar Mountain. “They’re still coming pretty heavy during the weekends and holidays, but we are seeing an increase in attendance during the midweek as well.”

Snow production continues at Sugar Mountain but that is to help maintain the condition of the slopes despite the almost constant snowfall in the mountains.

“We’ve had 50 inches of natural snowfall so far, but that’s certainly not enough to keep us open and to keep the slopes in really good shape, so we do continue to make snow and build on that base to ensure we have a good, solid, strong base when some warm weather does come in,” said Jochl.

As with every other business, Sugar Mountain has to occasionally remind guests that their policies are for their protection and their ability to remain open during the pandemic.

“We do have those challenging people here and there. They’re everywhere. We continue to be as strong and enforce all of the policies that we have in place, and we will continue to do so. We’re not going to let down our guard with people who don’t want to comply and don’t want to cooperate,” stated Jochl.

Their goal is to continue to be allowed to be open through the Winter season, especially with two big holidays on the same weekend in February – Presidents’ Day and Valentine’s Day. For more on their COVID rules and restrictions, click here.