This story was originally published by Carolina Public Press.
Looking to hit the slopes this winter in Western North Carolina? For the ski industry in the mountains, 2026 is about more than just powder. It’s about proving the mountains are back.
Tropical Storm Helene hit less than two months before ski season started last winter. On Sugar Mountain in Avery County, the ski patrol building went up in flames, the parking lot buckled, falling trees knocked down the night-light system, the ski shop flooded and minor landslides marred the mountain.
Ironically, after all that, last year was a very good weather year for skiing. It snowed 76 inches on Sugar Mountain.
“That definitely made us work very, very hard to recover from Helene and the damage that she did to the ski area,” Kim Jochl, president of the NC Ski Association and vice president at Sugar Mountain Ski Resort, told Carolina Public Press.
“It speaks to the resiliency of the people who live here, the people who work here. They understand the value of working hard so that we can open when the snow flies and the temperatures drop.”
As hard as Jochl and her colleagues worked to recover, it was impossible for last ski season to be a true economic boon for the region. Many, at the time, believed the mountains were completely out of commission.
Jochl hopes this year will be a repeat of last year’s voluminous snowfall. Early signs suggested she may get lucky. When David Jackson, president of the Boone Chamber of Commerce, looked out his window on Dec. 9, it looked like a picture-perfect snowy winter postcard.
“We need a win, and this is an opportunity for a win,” Jackson told CPP that day. “People can see that this area of the state is healed, and can continue to offer something that no other area in the state can.”
Ski industry workforce challenges
Finding enough people to staff the ski slopes is a challenge every year, but after Helene, it’s an even bigger concern.
Winter sports in Western North Carolina are fueled by seasonal employees who bounce between summer and winter jobs. This summer, those warm-weather jobs, like rafting and hiking tours, were stilted by the physical and economic woes of Helene. In response, some workers moved elsewhere or sought more consistent employment.
“It’s just taken a little bit longer for some of the resorts to get what they need in terms of employment,” Jackson said.
“It’s been harder this year across the board, whether that’s directly at the resorts or at the restaurants and hoteliers that support that tourism. It’s been weighing on the minds of businesses much more so than we hoped it would, certainly at this stage of recovery.”
At Sugar Mountain, Jochl has relied on foreign labor for 60 of the ski resort positions, an increase of 20 positions from last year.
That labor has helped the ski mountains bounce back.
“The ski areas, from a business perspective, have moved on,” Jochl said. “Everything’s been fixed.”
Pocketbook problems
The ski resorts may be back in full force. But that doesn’t mean the skiers are.
Many Americans are tightening their belts this year, thanks to persistent inflation, trade wars, and political instability. Huddled around the kitchen table, reviewing the yearly budget, a ski trip could be the first thing on the chopping block for some families.
“North Carolina prospects (meaning they have interest in travel to our state) list the top three concerns impacting their decision to take a leisure trip as inflationary pressures on household budgets, availability of great travel deals and concerns about personal finances,” Marlise Taylor, director of tourism research at VisitNC, told CPP.
“The good news for us is that North Carolina has historically performed relatively well in times of economic uncertainty as compared to other states. Our geographic location and variety of affordable activities tend to still be attractive during these times.”
Still, Jochl believes in one simple principle: if there’s lots of snow, there will be lots of skiers.
“It seems like people find a way to ski no matter what challenges they face in their life,” she said.
Is climate change affecting WNC slopes?
Jochl has been measuring the yearly snowfall on Sugar Mountain for 24 years. She doesn’t see a pattern of dwindling snowfall due to climate change.
“It’s random,” she said. “We don’t really see any downturn towards higher temperatures or less snowfall. The climate changes every year.”
But looking at her data, a couple troubling patterns do arise.
Between the winter of 2001-2002 and the winter of 2012-2013, it snowed an average of 82.6 inches per year. From the winter of 2013-2014 to last year, it snowed an average of only 63.6 inches. That’s a 23% decline in average annual snowfall between the two halves of her data.
What’s more, out of those first 12 seasons, five had snowfall greater than 100 inches. Since 2014, there have been zero seasons with snowfall greater than 100 inches.
Still, this year is already proving strong for snowfall in the mountains. With winter just getting underway, Sugar Mountain has seen 16 inches of snow.
“Our message to ski visitors this year is, first of all: thank you for coming back,” Jackson said. “You knew that we had it in us.”
Carolina Public Press is an independent, in-depth and investigative nonprofit news service for North Carolina.