North Carolina Ski Resorts Set to Open for Season After Hurricane Helene

A snow storm at Keystone Resort in Keystone, Colorado. Dreamstime/TNS

North Carolina’s mountains, covered by their first snowfall of the year last week, presented a peaceful scene just weeks after unprecedented flooding and landslides, triggered by Hurricane Helene, devastated the region, leaving hundreds dead and communities such as Asheville essentially cut off.

In the wake of the disaster, two ski resorts close to Asheville announced they plan to open for the season on schedule.

Hatley Pointe, a boutique ski resort less than an hour’s drive outside of Asheville, said that while its team continues to provide recovery assistance, its mountain will be open for the season.

“While we continue our recovery efforts together, we’re also focused on delivering the mountain that your family can find joy and reprieve in,” the ski resort stated on Facebook. “Please know that our resort remains on track to open for the season, and we’re committed to offering a place of solace, adventure, and community healing.”

An employee at Hatley Pointe confirmed that the resort suffered some minor damage but is targeting Nov. 29 as its opening day.

A little farther away, in the Great Smoky Mountains, Cataloochee Ski Area and Tube World shared pictures of the season’s first snowfall in an Oct. 16 social media post. The resort reminded its followers that season passes were on sale. It mentioned that it suffered some Helene-related damage.

“We are grateful to have fared storm Helene as well as we did, and for the ability to extend our available resources to families in need,” the resort posted on Sept. 30. “Necessary repairs to the area are underway and we are full speed ahead, as well as on schedule, for the upcoming season.”

The Epoch Times has reached out to Cataloochee Ski Area to confirm an anticipated opening date.

Ski Season Underway in the Rockies

The North American ski season has officially begun in Colorado, with Wolf Creek Ski Area opening on Oct. 22. However, most resorts don’t open until late November, and the start and duration of every ski season is ultimately determined by the weather and amount of snowfall.

Vail Resorts is preparing to welcome back guests at its 37 resorts across North America, including Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont, Park City in Utah, and its namesake resort in Colorado.

Snowmaking machines are often used during this stage of preparations. A Vail spokesperson said the machines allow the resorts to “provide a more consistent and reliable early season snow experience” and help resorts open “more terrain, more quickly in the early season.”

“We are excited to have experienced first snowfalls and to have started up our snow guns at a number of our resorts, including Keystone Ski Resort in Colorado, which is always one of the first resorts in the country to open,” the Vail Resorts spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an Oct. 22 email. ”The season is nearly here, and we can’t wait to begin welcoming guests.”

The early snowfall has continued to hit the northern corners of the Rocky Mountains. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s forecast of La Niña anticipates colder temperatures and above-average snowfall for the northern half of the Lower 48.

Developing in the Pacific Ocean, La Niña brings colder waters to the ocean surface, pushing the jet stream to the north. This causes warmer-than-normal temperatures in the south and colder-than-normal temperatures in the north.