First Family Ski Trip - Beech Mountain, NC
Growing up, we went on A LOT of family ski trips. We went to Utah, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Canada - you name it on the West Coast, and our family probably went there. It was a holiday tradition and we went every year over the Christmas and New Year break. Those memories will stick with me forever and as a dad now - I wanted to provide my kids that same setting in hopes of inspiring many family ski trips to come.
My daughter was itching to go skiing during Winter break and we decided on a last-minute daddy/daughter trip. This would be the first ski trip with the kids and we decided to go to Beech Mountain in North Carolina to test the experience. My daughter LOVES snow and she is pretty adventurous (and it helps she has great balance). I had high hopes that she would love skiing, but my many trips to the West Coast left me in a lot of doubt about North Carolina skiing and whether we would be just sliding down sheets of ice on the mountain. Regardless of that fear, it made sense to do a five-hour drive to ski rather than fly cross-country for our first ski trip. So we booked last minute accommodations, packed our winter clothes and headed off to the mountains!
Our itinerary was pretty straightforward:
Day 1: travel, check-in, snow tubing and ski rental
Day 2: one-hour private lesson for my daughter, skiing all day, then quick dinner near the mountain
Day 3: ski all day and nice dinner in Banner Elk
Day 4: pack up and head back home
We chose Beech Mountain due to its proximity to Atlanta, its high elevation, and being near a nice town like Banner Elk. My brother went to college in Banner Elk and I have been to that town numerous times before. It is a small town, but it has lots of great restaurants and a fun central area you can (briefly) walk around. Banner Elk is only 15-20 minutes away but its up a very winding and steep mountain road.
We arrived just in time for our tubing session, which was part of the resort at the bottom of the mountain. The tubing hill was right next to the first parking lot at the entrance to the resort (although the tickets and main entrance are closer to the middle parking lot). We had a great time tubing, more from the excitement of the trip and “snow” on the ground as the tubing hill wasn’t as spectacular as others we have been to. The hill was pretty impressive, but the speed was not the same. Most tubes would stop before the end and you had to walk your tube off the snow to the magic carpet heading back to the top.
Don’t get me wrong, it was a very nice setup. But for the cost and other tubing spots we have hit in the mountains, it wasn’t the best. The session is for 90 minutes, and we had our fill of tubing in the first 60 minutes. We left and headed to the condo to check in and go to dinner.
The next day was our first day on the ski mountain. We got there early as the private lessons are first come first serve and I really wanted my daughter to get a good 1 hour of instruction before we hit the slope together. We got a lesson for 9am and went to the locker room to get suited up.
My daughter did great, as expected. The instructor was really good and gave my daughter the tips she needed to make it on the mountain and develop. During that one hour lesson, I was able to leave and check out the mountain. I was very curious after all my years out West, how the snow and terrain would compare. There was no comparison - but I reminded myself why I was here. . .and it was for my daughter’s first skiing experience.
After my daughter got her ski legs, we did the bunny slope two more times and she was ready. We headed down to the ski lift that serviced the beginner’s area and she did great getting in line and navigating the lift gate.
We did the “green” beginner trails for about 2 hours and then headed to lunch. My daughter was loving it, and she was really getting the hang of it. She didn’t realize (or care) that the mountain was a sheet of ice. I didnt really care either, it was great seeing her develop on the slopes.
We ate lunch at the lodge, which was pretty basic and expensive as you would expect. But it had all the essentials and she was rejuvenated with a hot cocoa and side of fries.
After a quick lunch, we headed back to the mountain. We did one quick run on the bunny slopes to warm up the legs and then headed to the “green” lift. After 2 runs, my daughter was bored and wanted to head to the next level up. We went to another lift that serviced some "blue” intermediate runs.
She did great. We did this run for the rest of the afternoon and it was a nice mix of some steeper slopes, and a longer run to really get into a rhythm. The big downside to this route was the snow blowers that pelt you as you get off the lift and start the run. The fake snow freezes on your goggles and freezes any part of your ski not covered up. Not a very enjoyable experience. We finished up around 4pm that afternoon. A good solid first day of skiing.
We got back to the condo and cleaned up. That is when the magic happened. It started snowing. . .and snowing hard. It was so nice seeing this town transform from a mountain with fake snow to a ski town with real snow everywhere. My daughter was thrilled. It was time to go to dinner, but she wanted to play in the snow, which was quickly accumulating. We spent 1 hour building a snow man in the parking lot, which she lovely named Fred.
I put my 4Runner in four-wheel drive and we headed to dinner. I am really glad I did because the snow was still coming down hard and the restaurant was up a steep slope off the main road. My daughter LOVES Mexican night, and we had some nice cheese dip to warm up, staring out the window watching the snow continue to come down.
We got back to the condo and unfortunately another guest from a condo nearby had decided to murder Fred. The snowman was no more - just a heap of snow mixed in with the rest of the accumulating snow on the ground. My daughter was upset as to why someone would do such a heinous act.
We slept great and woke up early to hit the mountain the fresh snow. The snow was much better on the mountain, but they still had the snow blowers on. We did a couple of runs on the beginner slope and then the intermediate slope. After lunch, my daughter was ready to tackle the top of the mountain! Although there were some advanced “black” runs on this lift, we stuck to the main blue intermediate run. She did good - even though it was a lot more crowded and parts were much steeper. We skied all day and finished up around the same time as the day before. What a great contrast from the day before. The snow wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t a sheet of ice like the day earlier.’
After our 2 days of skiing, we went to Banner Elk for a nice warm meal. The roads were in great shape, even though the snow came down close to 3 inches in the past 24 hours. We were both starving and scarfed down all the bread and pasta they brought our way.
Truly a memorable daddy/daughter trip. My daughter was such a natural on the slopes and rarely complained about the cold (other than the snow blowers). Check out my other blogs on where to eat and more details about our second trip with my son and wife included as well!
Cheers!