Cataloochee Ski Area wins the opening day race yet again

Nov. 18—Just 36 hours. That's all it took from the moment Cataloochee Ski Area fired up its snow machines last Saturday night until the slopes opened for the season on Monday morning, Nov. 14.

The rapid-fire snow making capabilities of Cataloochee — with a fleet of 150 snow guns — once again catapulted the ski area to the front of the pack in the race to open for the season. Cataloochee, which routinely claims the title of first ski area in the Southeast to open, tied with Sugar Mountain this year.

By Thursday, Cataloochee and Sugar remained the only two who had managed to pull off such an early opening.

"We ran straight from 11 o'clock Saturday night until 10 o'clock Monday morning," said Chris Bates, general manager of Cataloochee.

While the win to open first obviously feels good, that's not the goal, Bates said.

"We don't play it for the competition, we play it for the guests," Bates said. "It is all based on a commitment to get open so people can get out and enjoy the mountain."

Rumors of Cataloochee's impending opening flew through the ski and snowboard community over the weekend as fast as the flakes shooting out of the snow guns.

"We've been on the webcam all day watching at the base get laid down," said Neil Smith, among throngs of eager snowboarders gearing up for the season at Flipside Boards in Maggie Valley Sunday afternoon.

"We came and looked around to see if we liked anything, and sure enough," said his daughter, 15-year-old Ava Smith, holding up a brand-new snowboard.

For the Smiths, ski and snowboard season is the most cherished time of year.

"Cataloochee is a place where we can go and bond as a family," said Neil. "We're up there 50 times a year. This is our thing."

Jason Simmons, outfitting his son Blue with a new board for the season, echoed the sentiment.

"Spending time with my kids — that's what it's all about," Simmons said.

For his son, however, it was all about the snowboard he'd just picked out.

"I'm excited to get on the slopes and test out my new board," said Blue.

The science of snow

Cataloochee Ski Area isn't the coldest or highest-elevation ski area in the Southern Appalachians. But it's first-to-the-punch reputation is credited to its snow-making capabilities — not only the 150 snow guns, but the finely-tuned science of making snow.

The formula is partly about temperature, partly about humidity.

"The lower the humidity, the warmer you can make snow," Bates explained. "It comes down to the atmosphere's ability to evaporate water. Evaporative cooling — that's how we can make snow when it's not below freezing."

Likewise, if the humidity is high, the temperature has to be below 32 degrees to make snow. So the snow crews rely on what's called a "wet bulb" thermometer reading.

Cataloochee can't run all 150 snow guns at once. There's limitations in how much water can be drawn from its onsite pond, and how much electrical load it can pull. So snow makers have to pick and chose which runs to target.

When Cataloochee opened this week, however, it had laid down enough snow in short order to even have some of the upper runs open.

"It's the first time we had the top of the mountain open starting on opening day," Bates said.

Still, with only so much capacity, snow-making efforts will remain focused on core runs initially.

"We want to build a decent base before we move off them," Bates said. "Right now, it's about ensuring Thanksgiving holiday next week, and Christmas is not that far away. We want to make sure we have a good enough base in case the weather gets fickle."

It's the ski industry's version of making hay while the sun shines.

Ski season forecast

Cataloochee has posted gangbuster seasons the past several years — witnessed by Haywood County tourism numbers that continue to grow winter over winter.

COVID was particularly good for the ski industry. Tired of being cooped up and with Christmas trips to Dsiney decidedly off the table, people turned to skiing instead.

The 2020 bump carried into the next winter, as well, and Bates hopes those who discovered the pastime will keep coming.

"Every form of outdoor recreation experienced a lot of interest during COVID, and we hope people have found a new wintertime activity everybody can enjoy," Bates said.

Cataloochee's preparations for the season included 20 new snow guns, 500 new pairs of skis and snowboards and a new grooming machine — which is no small investment.

"Probably the equivalent of buying a house at today's inflated prices," Bates said.