Cataloochee Ski Area is getting a new chairlift.
The mountain located about an hour of west of Asheville, North Carolina has purchased a new chairlift from Doppelmayr USA to replace the Omigosh double. Once installed, the 2,800 foot quad chairlift will bring riders 740 feet to the midpoint and summit of the mountain.
SkiSoutheast’s Mike Doble broke the news in a blog post on Sunday. Construction is set to begin in May 2025. It should be completed for the start of next season.
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Photo: Cataloochee Ski Area
Cataloochee has been around since 1961, and was the first ski area in North Carolina, when it opened. It is perhaps most famous for being the mountain that snowboarder Zeb Powell learned to ride on. Though his riding has taken him everywhere from Vermont to Aspen to Japan, he returns to North Carolina every season, and tries to hit all of the mountains before the brief season in the region comes to an end.
As of January 7, 2024, Cataloochee had 15 of 18 trails open, and was spinning all five lifts. It was benefitting from the cold temperatures that have swept across the east coast, as natural snowfall was in the forecast.
The upgrade could come at a time in which Cataloochee feels it needs to step things up to compete with its newest neighbor. Hatley Pointe Resort is located 69 miles northeast of Maggie Valley along the Tennessee border, and recently opened this season after rebranding itself. The ski area in Mars Hill used to be called Wolf Laurel, then Wolf Ridge, and it was gritty and aging. Then Deborah Hatley and her husband David purchased it with the intent of turning into a boutique resort. That’s something the region doesn’t have, particularly in that part of the state.
Across the state in North Carolina’s High Country, Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain Resort have also gotten new lift additions in the last couple of years.
This season is a unique one for the folks in western North Carolina in particular, due to the damage that was caused in the region by Hurricane Helene in the fall. As of January 7, 2025, there are 103 verified storm-related deaths in North Carolina alone due to the storm. Hundreds of business were shuttered, and a region that was already experiencing an increase in homelessness has been battling an increase since the storm.
Related: From North Carolina Hills to X Games Gold: The Zeb Powell Story
