Sugar Mountain Resort’s sixth annual Summit Crawl, a sturdy hike to the mountain’s 5,300-foot peak via Easy Street, Gunther’s Way, and Northridge slopes, kicks off at 9 a.m. Monday, July 4 for all competitors.

A local’s favorite and Sugar’s best kept secret, Oma’s Meadow, a wide-open, long-intermediate-cruiser slope, located steps away from Sugar Ski & Country Club, will get the lift it deserves. A high-speed, detachable, four-passenger chairlift will be installed this summer replacing the current two-passenger, fixed-grip chairlift.

A fresh, new winter season begins today at North Carolina’s Sugar Mountain Resort. With temperatures below freezing for most of the last 72 hours and a brisk Northwesterly wind, the team of snowmakers and their machines have laid down ample snow for opening day. The Summit Express chairlift which runs to the mountain’s peak is open. Accessible slopes include Northridge, Switchback, and Upper and Lower Flying Mile.

The falling leaves, brisk days, and nightly temperatures near freezing are tantalizing reminders that a fresh, new winter season is quickly approaching and Sugar Mountain Resort has made improvements and upgrades to tease the snow enthusiast even more.