Blue Ridge
Skiing near Banner Elk
Skiing near Banner Elk, North Carolina: which High Country areas are close, without guessed ticket prices.
Last updated October 15, 2026.
Sugar Mountain Resort is the home hill, in the Town of Sugar Mountain beside Banner Elk. Beech Mountain Resort is the other large area, up in the Town of Beech Mountain. Appalachian Ski Mountain is the farther option, in Blowing Rock. None of the three is a slope inside downtown Banner Elk. Snowmaking carries the season. Check the resort for current hours, ticket prices, and opening day.
Sugar Mountain Resort
Town of Sugar Mountain, beside Banner Elk
The slopes are in the Town of Sugar Mountain, which shares a valley with Banner Elk and is often given a Banner Elk mailing address. Sugar Mountain and Banner Elk are neighbors, not the same town. It's one of the two large ski areas in this part of Avery County, with Beech Mountain the other. Check the resort for current ticket prices and season dates.
Beech Mountain Resort
In the Town of Beech Mountain
The resort is on the mountain, inside the town. Winter is skiing and snowboarding. In warmer months the same resort has run a lift-served bike park. Eastern ski areas depend on snowmaking, so opening day moves with the cold. Check the resort for current hours, ticket prices, and which slopes are open.
Appalachian Ski Mountain
Blowing Rock
The resort's published address is in Blowing Rock, on the Boone side of the High Country. It's the closest of these three areas to downtown Boone and to Blowing Rock village. It sits lower than Beech and Sugar. Check the resort for current ticket prices and season dates.