Cataloochee Ski Area

The people that work here is TERRIBLE. Everyone has attitude and seems like they are so upset that they have to work here. I came to rental section upstairs, the lady there gave me a bib and I asked her if she has pants instead of bib. And I was very nice and polite. And of course I was in a good mood since I was on vacation. And all she said is «do u see any pants here?». I was shocked. Speechless. I came downstairs for a bottle of water and saw a line of people getting food. I came to the cashier and asked a young lady there where can I pay for my water and do I have to get in line? I was simply just asking her a question. This is what she said «if u think that cutting line is ok then just go ahead and do it?» I dont know what to write anymore. Maybe they think this is only place offers ski service so they can do whatever that want, treat the customers however they want. Because of this place I lost my last hope for human. SERIOUSLY. I left this place mad. And this totally ruined my trip. THANKS FOR NOTHING.

Tube world is a great place for snow tubing. Runs are long and fast. Plenty of lanes so even at capacity does not seem too crowded. Staff is friendly. Will definitely go again.

Yesterday was my first time snow boarding and I couldn’t have ask for a better place to learn (wipe out). We just had a pretty big snow storm come thru so it was much busier than what it normally is (according to the regulars) but never felt overwhelmed by how many people were on the slopes at any given time. ESP after 6pm things really start to settle. Line is almost non existent around 8. It was a bit pricer than what I expected (but that blame can mostly be placed on my brother, he told me tickets were $ 40 cheaper than they actually were. But prices I think went up due to the recent snow storm. Buses pick u up at each parking lot so no need to park and walk down to the lodge. Also the drivers were down to earth and knowledgeable. Few more runs and def will be buying a season pass once I up my boarding game. Will be back!

Always have a blast at Cataloochee! For a small ski resort, Very nice staff who are very helpful. My opinion, for ski areas in the Southeast Cataloochee is my favorite!!!

I read the reviews so I wasn’t expecting the day to be wonderful. but I can say my family had a blast! We got there early — there was NO Wait for tickets or equipment. One of ours was a difficult fit for boots and the guys were great! I lost the key to one of my lockers and they immediately helped me. We had an injury with one of our girls. the staff was very caring and kind. Overall our family had a really great day and would recommend this as a wonderful 1 – 2 day visit for anyone wanting to learn to ski or brush up before a big ski trip out west. My advice… don’t show up at 9−10am expecting no lines… there will be lines! Get there at 830 and breeze through.

My family & I had a great time at cataloochee. Very helpful staff in the lodge and on the chairlifts, good rental equipment and a variety of solid runs for beginners and intermediates. I have skied from the alps to the Rockies and I’ll take whatever snow I can get, whether it’s real or made through a machine. If you value just the passion of being on the mountain, you’ll have a blast. If you’re looking for double diamonds, long runs or moguls, then enjoy cataloochee as a warm up.
We went on the last 2 days of the season = perfect! Thanks to everyone there!!!

Don’t visit here during the winter weekend or you will be disappointed with the skiing. It’s SO CROWDED on weekends. The slopes are ok for the east coast but if you can, drive another hour north to Wolf Ridge to ski. More runs and nicer slopes. I will say the staff at CAT are very sweet but we won’t ski here again. Maggie Valley is just a nasty place. Restaurants weren’t good, hotels were awful… just seems like a very poor place and people don’t take pride in their establishments. Such a shame.

My wife’s Valentines Day present to me was a trip to Tube World. It was pretty crowded, being a Saturday and a «holiday» (Hallmark Holiday, anyway). The parking lot was pretty full and I had to wait until someone left before I could get a spot. Fortunately, several people were leaving so it wasn’t a long wait. The line to get our passes moved pretty quickly (we prepaid online and had printed the reservation confirmation). A 2 hour pass costs $ 25 per person. In that amount of time, I was able to go down the hill probably 8 – 9 times, which was okay. The staff members were all friendly and gave safety instructions before anyone was allowed to go down the hill. They also kept things moving quickly so that people could get as many runs in during the two hour period as possible. At one point the lift/​conveyor belt that carries you up the hill stopped working briefly because too many people had gotten on it at one time, but they got it running again after a minute or two. I had a lot of fun and felt like a kid again. Some reviews I read said it is dangerous, but I did not get that sense at all. The workers made sure the coast was clear before sending down another wave of tubers and there are safety signs posted. The bean bag/​hay bale barrier at the bottom of the hill does not hurt when you collide with it, as I collided with it during the majority of my runs. I think some people just like to complain about everything, and unfortunately many of them do so on Unilocal

Cheap and good enough for non-​advanced skiiers like my boyfriend and I! It’s the first place I’ve ever skiied that had snow makers. It was kind of annoying to have it blowing at you and made it colder, but hey there’s no snow in North Carolina in the middle of December so I’ll take what I can get :)
Would definitely go back again because, cheap-​ish skiing!

Arriving can be a little confusing if you’ve never been here before. Be sure to look out for signs and don’t focus in on the scenery until you’ve arrived. I got a pretty good deal online for beginners classes & equipment. There are nice bunny hills and an area for kids. I had a great time and had a few wipe outs. Be sure to be ready for the rain anytime.

Great Ski Area, awesome instructors if you’re into lessons. They offer an awesome 5 class pack w 2 hour lessons, lift tickets and at the end of the 5 days you get a free set of Élan Ski’s for only 299. Definitely a great value if you’re local or in town for a while, as lift tickets alone are about $ 60 a piece.
The staff are helpful but definitely overloaded, they need more hands during busy season.
The runs are great, something for every skill level and you are rarely bothered by Ski Patrol like you are when Skiing out west.
A bit pricey but worth the money, the smaller hills get crowded, so try to go on a weekday or evening if you’re just starting out. Rentals are well cared for and the local people are very helpful, far less judgement than out west as well.
Overall great experience, only 4 stars because I’ve visit twice and they were belong snow directly at the lifts which makes for an uncomfortable ride up the mountain.

Tube world was just perfection
Fun plenty of fun
I went with my family 9 of us
We had a blast
Def would redo if I come back to NC.
Excellent service
I went facing down
Facing up
Spinner a couple if times
Best time ever!!!

This is a simple ski area. Nothing fancy. Lift tickets are inexpensive. If you arrive early on a weekend, the lines for tickets, gear and the lifts aren’t long.

What an awesome experience! I snow board here several times every year. The staff is very professional even when customers are jerks. I have seen this first hand. The management team will make sure that everyone enjoys their vacation and aims to please! The lift crew has made my experience an outstanding one. I have been to many slopes and by far best in NC. Highly recommend.

Unfortunately, this is the closest ski resort from Atlanta (~3 hrs). I’ve been here about 3 – 4 times, the slopes have always been super icy and there have always been brown spots everywhere. I got lucky yesterday bc it snowed there fri — sun so I actually enjoyed it. The blue run down from the top of the mountain is my favorite. I think it’s called Snowbird.
The staff is pretty friendly. The resort could organize the lift lines better though. There were about 4 lines at every lift, but there wasn’t anyone to direct the lines so people just kinda had to fight for their turn… quite chaotic & frustrating.
I think Cataloochee is worth a day trip if you really want to snowboard/​ski, given that the snow condition is decent. It’ll get pretty boring if you spend more than one day here bc there aren’t too many runs.

Cataloochee is the place to be for beginners/​intermediate snowboarders and skiers. It has a great learning environment and the instructors are extremely patient and helpful. They have a few slopes and 2 ski lift areas. They have great packages and deals for everyone and they really are awesome steals for anyone on a budget. Great for groups to enjoy and experience something like never before. I had an amazing time here. I started off snowboarding for the first day and beginning of the second day but soon found out that I was much better at skiing. The package I chose was called the Drive, Dive, and Stay at the Ramada which has many amenities that i’ll let you check out for yourself and see which package best fits your needs. Their website is
I’m definitely coming back next year and staying a lot longer!

Still an awesome place to go for a short ski trip!
This is the first time I went during January. Definitely a lot colder than the Spring months, but not unbearable. They changed the format of the beginners/​intermediate lessons. It used to be just 10 people max for a lesson. Now it’s kind of based on 4 stations. You can have people at station 1 learning the basics of putting on a board. The people at station 4 can be learning how to fully stop with a snow board with both feet strapped in. The only problem with these lessons was there were TOO MANY people!!! 15 – 20 people in one beginner lesson is just completely overwhelming. The instructors cannot really watch over everyone or give personal advice. Then there are people just popping in and out of the lessons, so the instructor has to re-​explain what is going on. I wish the lessons were how they used to be!
Instead of buying food at the Ski Area, we brought our own microwavable food. They have a microwave by the bar. You just have to ask the bar tender for permission to use it! Definitely saves some money. Free water! And they give out lots of free sauces for your food, even big things of marinara sauce!
My friend unfortunately had an accident on the slopes. Luckily, the Cataloochee Ski Patrol are the nicest people ever! They rescued her down from the mountain and were super kind/​caring. They learn your name and really make you feel like you’re almost being attended to by your own family. They were more than willing to help move my friend to a comfy spot in the ski lounge, while the rest of us finished our boarding for the day. They also made sure to give her enough ice for the road trip home.
We stayed at the Ramada Limited based off the Drive, Slide, and Stay package. Great hotel! Nothing fancy, but it does have an awesome view! Ask for the Creekside rooms! Wake up early for breakfast if you want any bagels! They also have a nice indoor hot tub, which is perfect after a long day up on the slopes. The staff is super friendly. I guess it’s not too busy, so they do remember faces. The complimentary soaps/​shampoos they have smell sooo good! It’s a sugared citrus smell! Everyone on the trip kept asking the house keeping staff for more.

I have been to Cataloochee 4 times over the past year and had a blast each time. The slopes and atmosphere aren’t comparable to some other ski resorts, but for it’s location, Cataloochee gets a 5 out of 5. With only about a three hour drive from Atlanta, they have great rates– especially for groups of 15 or more. We just got back from a trip where it was $ 30 a person for a day’s lift ticket and equipment rental. As a whole, I would say the black diamonds are more like hard blues and the blues are more like hard greens, but it’s perfect for a group of beginners such as mine. Patty, the group sales director, is very helpful and accommodating. We arrive at 10:00 on Saturday and she had us geared up and on the slopes by 10:15.
Here’s a video of my group at the slopes:

Props to Cataloochee for making it possible to ski/​snowboard in 40-​something-​degree weather! It was so crowded over the opening weekend (10 cans for annual canned drive = free lift ticket!), but I still had plenty of chances to try the 3 lifts that were running and make a fool of myself on the snowboard.
They have black diamond runs… but it was evident that not all diamonds are the same. The black/​blue/​etc labels are «relative», according to their website. Blacks at Cataloochee are comparable to blues out in the West.
But hey, Cataloochee is convenient. It does the job for skiers/​snowboarders in the Southeast. Rental and returns are very easy. $ 30 for snowboard and cheaper for skis. They said if snowboarding didn’t work out for me I could bring it back and switch to skis (my comfort zone).
The lodge is easy to access and move around in. They have lockers for 75 cents– bring quarters! There are hot water and microwave at the bar if you want to munch on cup ramen and microwave burritos in the lodge area overlooking the slopes.
It was a pleasant way to kick off the ski/​snowboard season. I can see myself returning for a day trip.

For beginners like us, this slope was great. There weren’t a lot of beginner runs and we got stuck on a blue slope and almost passed out from the sheer terror! We went after Christmas so it was the most crowded and most expensive.
We did the ski school which was a bit long to be useful. Probably could have figured out the basics alone.
The bottom of the slope was crowded with people so stopping is scary if your options are b– slam into some children or b– wipe out spectacularly.
I would prefer to go back to a resort with more variety in order to work my way up to blues.