1. Appalachian Ski Mountain

1. Appalachian Ski Mountain

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Blowing Rock, NC

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Appalachian Ski Mountain

3.3 (91 reviews)
Open 9:00 am - 10:00 pm

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Reviews With Photos - Appalachian Ski Mountain

Hyoun K.

First time snowboarder here. I knew I wanted to try it and between App, Beech, & Sugar, I knew App was probably the most beginner friendly (from reading other reviews). I now have 1 full day of snowboarding under my belt and couldn't be more pleased. I pre-purchased all the snowboarding clothing prior to flying into Charlotte. I reserved my ticket, terrain pass (not knowing what that was), and snowboard, boots, and bindings online. App tried to streamline the process by sending me an email a day before on what to do when I get there, but it was a little overwhelming. Here's what I did: Step 1: Check in at the counter, get your ticket and locker rental out of the way. I don't know if lockers are cash only because I had cash on me. You get $5 back upon return of the key. Step 2: Go to your locker, throw all your stuff that you don't need in there. Step 3: Get your rental equipment and put it on so you can make sure there aren't any issues. Walk back to your locker and toss your shoes in there. Step 4: Hit the slopes or go to the meeting area for your instructor. I did rent a session with the French-Swiss Ski College and it was really beneficial. I watched a lot of YouTube beginner snowboard videos but it really helps when a person who knows what they're doing tells you what you're doing wrong. This was enough to get me set for the rest of my time there. Ryan Click was my instructor. He was awesome. By the end of my day, I was doing the Blue Square slope - Strudel without falling and was coordinated enough to record it on my phone while going all the way down. I'd highly recommend this place!!!

Qiongqiong M.

I saw a lot of conflicting reviews but I truly think it's a really fun ski resort. I came on a weekday day in early March, it was empty. I was able to have some of the skii slopes all to myself!!! Instructors were so helpful. Definitely got better and was able to go on harder blues one after the lesson! Food was surprisingly good. Slopes were made of fake snow for sure and melted during lunch but it's not really their fault since temp has been weird this yr. Overall I had lots of fun here! I always come here because it's closer to Chapel Hill where I live.

View from the parking lot.
Jody S.

I took my son to App Ski for his first time skiing. I signed him up for the Skiwee lessons (half day) and I hung out watching to see if he liked it enough to come back the next day. He definitely did. The instructors at the Skiwee class were great and very caring for the kids. There ere all ages from 4-10 and the instructors were great with them all. My son was the oldest and he said he didn't learn much but based on what he was able to do on the slopes the next day, I think he learned more than he realized. He had the basics of slowing, stopping and slight turns and just needed some time on the snow. Overall experience with App Ski was pretty good. Professionalism and kindness of the staff varies quite a bit but for the most part, everyone was great. The slopes are well cared for and offer alot of variety for NC skiing. The restaurant has good food and plenty of options. We ordered two cheese burgers with fries, a side of cauliflower, a side of fried green beans and two soft drinks and it came out to $42. A little steep but there aren't any other options close by. I wish they served beer or wine and had a lookout area inside to watch. Overall, great experience and we will be back.

Slopes at night
Skye D.

For a small, east coast experience, it was great! Drive from Atlanta with three 13-year-olds and two 19-year-olds. The younger kids needed snowboard lessons and they were effective and affordable. Rental helmet, boards, and boots were good quality and the customer service was positive. The kids liked the food selection. The place is small enough that they can be independent and there's just enough variety to keep them entertained for a week. We were pleasantly surprised at how well the slopes were maintained and how deep the snow was, even when the temps got warm (like 60 degrees!) Will definitely go again next time we wait too long to get tickets to CO.

ski stand

10/10 was amazing so exhilarating!! i was raised by the beach so i've never attempted snow sports but this was sooooo worth it! took me a little bit to get the hang of it, but they do have lessons! i went with a group and we had a blast i'll definitely be back soon! all the employees were so awesome and helpful from the front gate all the way to the top of the slopes, even the lifeguard people were great!

Stephanie J.

This was our first ski trip and we are more than happy! The staff were so helpful and nice! We had no idea what we're doing in regards to skiing, but we figured it out. Ski lessons are available for purchases, but we just went and winged it! Make sure you dress appropriately for the mountain! Will come back!

Appalachian Ski Resort

This might be a nice little place for beginners on weekdays but wow, this place is not set up to handle weekend crowds. Here are some pros and cons to help you decide where to spend your time and money skiing in WNC: Pro: You can purchase your LIFT CARD and sign your waivers online before you arrive, making it very fast to get on the slopes. Pro: The wide RUNS were great for beginners and those who want to avoid beginners since there was enough room to safely pass them. Pro: Lift OPERATORS seemed safety focused and were paying attention. Pro: Most STAFF were friendly and helpful. There were several who acted too busy/ important to talk. Pro tip: take your nametag off if your job does not include being nice to the public. Pro: The FOOD was tasty and not as outrageously priced as some places. Con: PARKING and DROP OFF. There is no drop off close to the lodge. You have to walk pretty far with your gear. You also have to pay $2 for parking which just feels like they are trying to squeeze their guests. Con: This is the only ski resort we've been to that doesn't offer a half day lift ticket. You have to buy a full-priced full-day ticket. We spent $150 to ski for 2 hours before the wind got too bad to ski. It seems bonkers not to have the half day option for a place with beginners who usually aren't up for a full day. Con: This is NOWHERE TO SIT indoors! This is just shocking for a place that brands itself as family friendly: This resort has ZERO indoor seating for people who are not actively eating in the restaurant dining areas. We watched staff continuously kick people out who had finished eating or who brought their own snacks. "No picnicking" signs are everywhere. That is perfectly reasonable for a restaurant but not for a ski resort! Where are people supposed to go?? Case in point: we watched a mother with 2 young children whose husband and older children were skiing be told she couldn't sit at the table if she was done eating. The food line is easily 10-15 minutes long and people are swooping in on tables as soon as you get up. Was she supposed to leave her toddlers at the table while she went to buy more food when they weren't even hungry? Take them and hope no one took her table? Then what, after they finished their second round of food? Go sit outside in the 7 degree weather? It makes absolutely no sense. It must be a new policy because so many people were upset and vowed never to come back. Con: There are no ski/ board racks at the entrance of the lodge. Skis and snowboard are not allowed in the main part of the lodge. You have to drag your gear all the way downstairs, through long hallways then outside to stow your gear while you check in, eat, use the restroom, etc. One staff member said we could leave our gear near the entrance while we got settled but I honestly have no idea what other people do other than drag it all the way through the building and outside then come back. It seems like the vast majority of people are first timers and rent their gear so maybe this isn't an issue for the masses but still, it seems like a big oversight. Overall: We give this place a C- Not a failing grade, but we know they can do much, much better

Joe P.

One of North Carolina's most accessible ski destinations, App Ski Mountain is a great place for beginners to learn the sport, and a surprisingly decent spot for intermediate skiers to enjoy a few hours of fun on the slopes. Less than 2 hours from Charlotte, it's close enough for a day trip -- which is perfect, because it won't take most visitors very long to get bored on the hill and its handful of trails. But their French Swiss Ski College is outstanding, with friendly instructors and super-affordable lessons to help novice skiers of all ages learn the basics. My daughter saw significant improvement in her control and her turns after just a single one-hour lesson, and the mountain's wide intermediate hill gave her lots of room to improve as the day went on. Lift tickets and rentals can be purchased in advance (and actually MUST be, in the Time of COVID), and I was extremely impressed with how quickly we were able to get our gear and hit the slopes. Their rental operation is fast and efficient -- the only downside is the locker rental, which required us to wait in the lift ticket line for 15 minutes at the end of the day to return the key and recover our deposit. The 4 trails are accessed by 3 modern and efficient lifts, and the lines moved pretty fast on our visit. Strudel, the easiest trail, has a forgiving grade but is too narrow and overcrowded with novice snowboarders to create the right environment for beginners to practice. My daughter and I moved to the much wider Appel trail, which beginners will want to access from a midway point on the lift. Even the 'Black Diamond' Upper Appel is a great trail to learn on, and the nearby Orchard Run has some challenging turns. There's even a narrow, advanced trail with moguls for the more experienced skier. Food in the restaurant is predictably poor, and tables are hard to come by at peak times. Parking, however, was close and convenient, so you may want to consider packing a cooler and tailgating it when you need to recharge. All said, App Ski Mountain is a terrific place for Charlotteans to get in some basic skiing without spending hours in the car. And if for those just getting into the sport, it provides a friendly (and extremely affordable) environment to get started.

Large grass and dirt patches.

If you plan on snowboarding here, I would not recommend. I've been to a dozen ski resorts, and this has by far the worst customer service. On December 29th, my girlfriend and I drove up from Charleston, SC where I'm stationed on one of the rare occasions I get time off work. She really wanted to learn how to snowboard, so we paid $330 for rentals and tickets. When we got there, I already noticed a severe lack of snow. They have the machines to make it, but they hadn't been used in at least 3 days. Every hill had large patches of grass and dirt showing through and the snow that did exist was slushy and not good condition for a first timer. All of their black diamond slopes we're shut down because of this. It was also severely overcrowded, because they announced a 50% off ticket prices for skiing only. Despite this, we already paid for the trip so we were going to make the most of it. We picked up our rental gear and went outside. I spent the first 2 hours teaching my girlfriend the basics, then we decided to take a little break for food. When we came back outside, someone had stolen my rental snowboard. We went to the rental office to report it and to get a replacement, only to be told I had to rent another if I wanted to continue snowboarding for the remaining 12 hours I paid for. All they did was announce the missing snowboard and hoped for people on the slope to stop and check their boards. We checked back in for the next 4 hours and no one had returned the board. They will issue another set of skis if they are stolen, but not snowboards. So for the remainder of our time there, my girlfriend and I did not get to snowboard with each other. She got to go down a few more slopes while we hoped for someone to turn it in. Another man said the same thing happened to his daughter. And when someone tried to turn in his board, the guys at the rental office gave it back to the person returning it because it wasn't his board that he rented. It was the daughter's missing snowboard, but they didn't bother to check if it was the missing one. The only reason the daughter got her board back is because they happened to be walking into the office and overheard the conversation about that guy returning the wrong snowboard. Overall, just very poor management and even worse treatment towards it's customers. Skiers take precedence here over snowboarders. Only skiers got the 50% off slope discount despite the horrible snow condition for everyone and only ski rentals will get a free replacement if they are stolen. Choose any resort besides this one.

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Review Highlights - Appalachian Ski Mountain

Appalachian Ski Mountain didn't just teach us technique - they changed our entire perception of skiing.

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Mast Store Annex

Mast Store Annex

4.6
(5 reviews)
6.8 mi

The Mast Store Annex is located in Valle Crucis, NC, about 2 tenths of a mile from the Original…read moreMast General Store. But it has a completely different layout, is smaller, and sells a different inventory. The building was built in 1909 by R.L. Lowe, a competing merchant. John and Faye Cooper preserved this location, officially opening it in 1982 because they needed more space for their growing business. The building has a much more open layout than the Original store and even sells ice cream outside! The Annex features a massive candy barrel room with hundreds of varieties of candies, from saltwater taffy to chocolates to old-fashioned hard candies. This location also carries more of the rugged outdoor wear, camping supplies, backpacking gear, and sleeping bags Because the two buildings feature completely separate inventory layouts, I didn't end up buying anything here. My arms were completely full with items at the original store, so I didn't go back for the rest of the stuff I wanted and just planned to get it at the other store instead. Once I got to the Annex and realized they didn't carry the same items, I almost drove back to the original store to get them, but ultimately didn't. Make sure to buy everything you want at whichever building you are at before leaving their parking lot!

I've visited a number of Mast Store locations so this store's inventory looked familiar, I stopped…read moreat this location before finding out the main store is located only a few hundred yards up the road maybe that a visit for another time. The products here have always been of good quality and there's always a great selection. This store brand has always been a sort of a novelty in my opinion although the description is "general store" all but one location I have visited is very upscale and resembles more of a general merchandise retailer offering lots of clothing and outdoor supplies verses what the original intent was at its inception. It's a great place to browse and find something unique - the staff here was very friendly and engaging it's worth stopping in...

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Mast Store Annex
Mast Store Annex
Mast Store Annex

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Columbia Factory Store

Columbia Factory Store

5.0
(1 review)
2.4 mi

I grew up in the area but moved away and visit every couple years. We had not been to the outlet in…read moreabout 4 years since before the pandemic but were visiting and had a chance to shop here for the first time. It was nice to see all the jacket options, t-shirts, shorts, vests, socks, hats, shoes, etc. the staff were super nice and approachable and there are 2 changing rooms in the back right corner when you walk in. Prices are great (obviously outlet range), and they have lots of sizes. ----TL;DR---- Pros: plenty of parking, good prices, friendly staff, good selection Cons: none Bottom Line: if you need some Columbia sportswear brand gear, here's the place to shop

From the owner: Our Columbia factory store is located in Blowing Rock, North Carolina at Shoppes on the Parkway. We…read morecarry innovative outerwear, sportswear, footwear, and accessories for outdoor enthusiasts of all levels. Stop by our outlet store before you take on your next adventure this fall and winter. We have men's and women's snow boots, winter jackets, ski pants, and gloves to keep you warm this season. Whether sledding Blue Ridge Parkway, skiing the slopes on Appalachian Ski Mountain, snowboarding Beech Mountain Ski Resort, or cross-country skiing at Sugar Mountain Resort, we have the equipment to fuel your outdoor thrills. Shop our large inventory of performance products that will keep you warm, dry, cool, and protected year-round.

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Columbia Factory Store
Columbia Factory Store
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First Tracks

First Tracks

2.8
(25 reviews)
2.1 mi

We had a group of 6 people rent boards as walk ins and they made it easy and convenient. They even…read moreprovided boards as it pertains to our experience level even without being asked. If you plan to buy clothes here they are a little expensive but the board and ski rental prices are very competitive. They also have a convenient drop box outside so we were able to enjoy the full 3 days we rented and deposited the boards in the drop box after they were closed. Which is nice because you don't have to rush a boarding session to return the boards on time. Over all great place, made our vacation easy and simple and I would definitely recommend. Although we have not been to the other shops near by so take it with a grain of salt but "First track" is a great option in my opinion.

I will always support an honest business…read more We rented skis for our 9 year old. Unfortunately another family grabbed his and we were out of luck. We put in requests at the ski resort and a few shops by the slopes to keep an eye out. As expected, we had to pay the fee for the "lost skis" but we're assured if they were turned in we would get a refund. My husband followed up after a week and the skis were not turned in. Several weeks later he got a call that they were located and a refund would be issued within the next 3-4 hours. And it was!! We learned to use Lockard after this experience. But we are so thankful the staff were honest and followed up with us as promised. Highly recommend this company for rental needs.

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First Tracks
Your Family Ski and Snowboard Destination!
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Appalachian Ski Mountain - skishops - Updated July 2026

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