Winter Arrives in the Carolina High Country

With the first day of Winter came the first major snow storm for the mountains above 4,000 feet. The stream, above, flows near the Sugar Mountain ski resort above 5,000 feet. On Tuesday, this area saw rain and temps in the 50’s. Mud covered the ski slopes where there had been machine snow only a week before.

Icy water cascades between snow covered rocks as the temperature dips into the teens.

A rocky Grandfather Mountain managed to catch some of the snow blown around by 50 mph winds.

Skiers at Sugar Mountain are dwarfed by snow encrusted trees as a blue sky replaces the clouds of the previous morning. Sub-freezing weather with wind chills in the single digits brought out only the most hardy of souls.

Ghostlike sillouettes brave the elements as manmade snow cuts visibility to ten feet, and casts a large shadow over the entire slope.

A young child gets some well deserved instruction from an adult as snowboards and skis await the return of their thawed-out owners.

A snowy sunset makes for a surreal scene as the wind lifts the manmade flakes.

Yours truly stops long enough to appreciate the pre-Christmas snow near Sugar Mountain. Looks like someone will have a white Christmas in the North Carolina High Country this year…

• December 22, 2012
• Grandfather Mountain, Rivers, Streams, and Creeks, Sugar Mountain, Winter
• 9 Comments