It comes as a surprise to some that there are any ski areas in the southern US states, but perhaps less so that their numbers continue to diminish as climate change and perhaps more importantly consumer habits change make them more difficult to keep viable.
Good news then that Ober Gatlinburg in East Tennessee has announced a new steep ski run is being built this summer, ready to open next winter.
The black diamond run will run east down from the top of the Black Lift, taking skiers and snowboarders down a 200m long, 15 metres wide descent with 100% snow making cover and floodlighting for night skiing.
“We are excited to offer a new slope to our guests. This will be the first new slope Ober Gatlinburg has added since Mogul Ridge in 1987,” says Bruce Anders, Ober Gatlinburg’s President. “This expansion of skiable acreage for advanced skiers will also allow more space for events.”
“So many people have been coming here so many years it’s a pleasure to be able to increase our skiable acreage,” Kate Barido from Ober Gatlinburg told local media, “It WILL kind of veers off into the woods a little bit so you have more of a tree cover.”
Ober Gatlinburg Ski Area and Amusement Park is Tennessee’s only ski area and reports that new snow making technology has made the new run possible.
