{"id":10616,"date":"2016-12-15T13:50:44","date_gmt":"2016-12-15T18:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beverly-hanks.com\/blog\/?p=10616"},"modified":"2016-12-15T13:50:44","modified_gmt":"2016-12-15T18:50:44","slug":"cataloochee-ski-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naibeverly-hanks.com\/blog\/cataloochee-ski-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Coming Down the Mountain: Skiing in WNC"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a feeling that Chris Bates just can\u2019t shake.
\n\u201cBeing outside, in the winter, on the mountain\u2014there\u2019s nothing like it,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a sense of exhilaration when you\u2019re on a pair of skis. It\u2019s a rush I\u2019ve never gotten enough of.\u201d
\nSitting inside the main lodge at Cataloochee Ski Area<\/a> high above Maggie Valley<\/a>, Bates has been the general manager of the business for the last 17 years. Gazing out the windows onto the snowy slopes, the troves of eager skiers and snowboarders already cruising down the mountain, Bates can\u2019t help to be excited that the 54th season at \u201cCat\u201d is underway.
\n

\"Coming

Of the many goals Cataloochee Ski Area is focusing on for the future, expanding its “Learn to Ski” program has become a top priority.<\/em><\/p><\/div>
\n 
\n\u201cSome of it is relief,\u201d he chuckled. \u201cTypically, we\u2019d have already been open for three weeks by now, but with the warm fall we had, we had to wait. And, with the recent cold snap, we were able to coat the first few trails with snow within one day.\u201d
\n\u201cCoat,\u201d as in the state-of-the-art snowmaking equipment that has put \u201cCat\u201d on the map in recent years as not only one of the first resorts to open nationally, but also one of the most efficient and high-tech in terms of what they\u2019re able to do with where they are situated and how (or if) the weather cooperates with them.
\n\u201cWith our location, we realize we\u2019re going to have warm and cold days, where we need to capitalize on our cold days,\u201d Bates said. \u201cWhat used to take us four or five days to make enough snow for the trails now takes between eight and 10 hours.\u201d
\nBut, Bates noted with a slight grin, it isn\u2019t just all about business when figuring out when to open the \u201cCat.\u201d
\n\u201cA lot of it is that we\u2019re skiers who run this company. When it comes to getting out there and getting the mountain ready\u2014we want to get out and ski, too,\u201d he said. \u201cOur initial design years ago was where we could work within a day to make enough snow to open, and we\u2019ve done that.\u201d
\nStepping into the lodge around lunchtime, Ski Patrol Director Wayne Morgan kicks the snow off his boots. Grabbing a nearby table, he removes his gloves, facemask, goggles, helmet, scarf, and jacket, only to reveal a large smile as droplets of melted snow fall from his hair.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s total freedom up there,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t know really how to explain it. You come down that hill with the biggest grin on your face, which says it all.\u201d
\nIn his 12th season at Cataloochee, Morgan sees the ski area as something special.
\n\u201cAll the employees are like family here,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat it comes down to here is one thing: snow. Any day on the mountain is a good day.\u201d
\n <\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt\u2019s total freedom up there. You come down that hill with the biggest grin on your face, which says it all.\u201d \u2014Wayne Morgan, Cataloochee Ski Area ski patrol director<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Growing up on the coast of North Carolina, where sandy beaches and flip-flops reign supreme, Morgan didn\u2019t try skiing until he went to college in the mountains near Boone, home to Sugar Mountain and Beech Mountain. He then spent his career as an educator in Henderson County<\/a>. But he never stopped skiing. After working at Wolf Laurel (Mars Hill<\/a>) and a ski shop near Asheville, he was approached about being in ski patrol, a position held to this day.
\n\u201cAnd I get to go work and do this everyday?\u201d he laughed. \u201cFrom growing up on the beach, once I got to the mountains, I never left.\u201d
\nOriginally from New Jersey, Bates, who learned how to ski at age three, has been involved in this industry for most of his life. Working in and around ski around in the northeast, he eventually landed in Haywood County<\/a>, a place he felt his talents and aspirations could thrive.
\n\u201cAnd in the last 17 years, we\u2019ve doubled our terrain [to 50 acres], we\u2019ve achieved our goals in terms of snowmaking, where now our focus is shifting to the whole experience,\u201d he said.
\nWith a trademark family-friendly atmosphere, \u201cCat\u201d has always looked at ways to hone in on what makes the mountain great\u2014the people who ski and snowboard it daily. It\u2019s about making sure the first time skier\/snowboarder has an equally pleasant experience compared to a veteran snow hound.
\n\u201cIf we can make their first day or two on the a snow a lot more conducive to learning and having fun, then they will come away from the mountain excited and wanting to become skiers or snowboarders. That\u2019s where it all starts,\u201d Bates said.
\nAlongside their expanding \u201cLearn to Ski\u201d programs, \u201cCat\u201d is also increasing its rental options, where any and all can simply head up the mountain, pick up the gear they need, and immediately hit the slopes.
\n\u201cWe get around 140 days of skiing here, which is something unique to North Carolina and the southeast in general,\u201d Bates said. \u201cIt\u2019s a great feeling to see people pulling into the parking lot today\u2014all smiles, all ready to go skiing.\u201d
\n

\"cataloochee_ski_area\"

Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley has become a mainstay and storied mountain playground for skiers and snowboards from Western North Carolina and beyond.<\/em><\/p><\/div>
\n 
\nThis post is adapted from our annual <\/i>Welcome to Western North Carolina magazine. <\/i>Click here<\/i><\/a> to read more online, or <\/i>click here<\/i><\/a> to order your own free copy.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a feeling that Chris Bates just can\u2019t shake. \u201cBeing outside, in the winter, on the mountain\u2014there\u2019s nothing like it,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a sense of exhilaration when you\u2019re on a pair of skis. It\u2019s a rush I\u2019ve never gotten enough of.\u201d Sitting inside the main lodge at Cataloochee Ski Area high above Maggie Valley,… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":10617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,2],"tags":[3,100,95,7],"class_list":["post-10616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buy-local","category-commercial","tag-commercial","tag-outdoor-recreation","tag-welcome-magazine","tag-wnc-businesses"],"acf":[],"featured_image":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naibeverly-hanks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naibeverly-hanks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naibeverly-hanks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naibeverly-hanks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naibeverly-hanks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.naibeverly-hanks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naibeverly-hanks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naibeverly-hanks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naibeverly-hanks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naibeverly-hanks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}