Tennessee Ski Area Guide -- Very Complete

• Ober Gatlinburg, Gatlinburg • 32 skiable acres on 600' vertical
  Specs: Summit elevation: 3300'; Base elevation: 2700'. 5 Lifts: 1 tram, 2 quads, 1 double, 1 surface. Uphill Capacity: 6000/hr. Terrain Mix: 25-50-25. Longest Run: 5,000'. Season: usually mid-December through early March, 7 days. Night Skiing Mon-Sat. Rentals. Annual Snowfall: 35". Snowmaking: 100%.
  The SKInny: Best skiing in Tennessee! That being said, this is a small, novice-type ski area with doubtful snow conditions, and masses of inexperienced skiers. But that's ok -- they're either here for the wax museums and ticky-tacky tourist strip, or because this is the closest down home ski area. Recognizing that skiing is at best a novelty in Tennessee, Ober Gatlinburg does a great job considering all the odds stacked against it. Locals with nowhere else to go can find good value here, as long as they avoid the mobs during Christmas, MLK Weekend, and President's Weekend. When OG isn't crowded, the lifts and slopes are quite pleasant. Even the expert skier can feel slightly challenged on Mogul Ridge.
  Signature Trail: Bear Run.



• Smoky Mountain Snowsports School, Gatlinburg
  The SKInny: This is the ski instruction arm of Ober Gatlinburg, where you can instruct groups, get individual lessons, rent skis, rent ski jackets, or whatever else you might need to get involved in snow sports.

Below: Gatlinburg Ski Lodge circa 1970

Key

Lifts We don't consider a ski area's tubing-only lifts as part of the total. Signature Trail Is mostly subjective. Whether it's history, reputation, the view, or degree of difficulty...it's the run you have to do, even if it isn't necessarily the best the resort has to offer.

Finally, a note about ski area statistics: Although it's hard to believe, some ski areas are (gasp!) less than truthful with their numbers. Like the guy who lies about his, uh, shoe size, some ski areas believe that inflated numbers make their resort sound more appealling. When these numbers are obviously questionable, we put a note: (?!) and will attempt to verify the legitimacy of the claim.

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