Matt Lorelli
^Honorable mention: Cataloochee Ski Area, NC (Elev. 5,400 ft.)
North Carolina and West Virginia are home to the highest lift-serviced skiing east of The Mississippi River. I know, that came as a shock to me as well.
Clearly peak elevation does not equate to the best skiing because West Virginia and North Carolina simply do not compete with New England when it comes to snowfall and terrain.
It’s still pretty neat that a couple of these mountains have higher peak elevations than all of New England, and even some ski areas in the Pacific Northwest.
Let’s take a look at the stats of the highest lift-serviced elevations from states east of The Mississippi to see how northeast states compare to southeast states.
New Hampshire- Cannon Mountain
Peak Elevation: 4,080′
Fun Fact: Cannon Mountain was American ski legend Bode Miller’s home mountain as a child. He lived in nearby Franconia, NH.
Vermont- Killington Mountain Resort
Peak Elevation: 4,241′
Fun Fact: Killington has arguably the most robust snow-making system in the east. Their snow guns allow “The Beast of The East” to open as early as October and stay open into June.
Maine- Sugarloaf Ski Resort
Peak Elevation: 4,237′
Fun Fact: Sugarloaf is home to the only lift-serviced above tree-line skiing in the east.
New york- Whiteface mountain
Peak Elevation: 4,386′
Fun Fact: Whiteface offers almost 300 additional feet of elevation if you’re willing to hike to The Slides. Whiteface also hosted the Olympic Downhill events in 1932 and 1980.
West Virginia- Snowshoe Mountain Resort
Peak Elevation: 4,848′
Fun Fact: Snowshoe averages a whopping 180″ of annual snowfall. That’s almost 100″ more than Beech Mountain Resort. Snowshoe is also an “upside-down” mountain with it’s lodging and resort village located at the top of the resort.
North Carolina- Beech Mountain Resort
Peak Elevation: 5,506′
Fun Fact: Beech Mountain is the second highest ski resort east of the Rocky Mountains. It’s only beat by Terry Peak, SD with a peak elevation at 7,100′.
