A few long time DCSki members may remember mention of a book by Randy Johnson called Southern Snow, published in 1986.  Turns out he’s been working on an updated version.  The UNC Press is releasing the new version at the end of 2016 as a paperback book.  It’s already available as a eBook.  Not only covers the remaining ski areas/resorts, also has info about backcountry snow adventures from Maryland on south.  It's on my reading list!

10/26/19, Watauga Democrat (Boone, NC local paper)

'Southern Snow' revisited: Randy Johnson updates iconic guide to winter sports in the South
https://www.wataugademocrat.com/community/southern-snow-revisited-randy-johnson-updates-iconic-guide-to-winter/article_fa5f9b63-d09c-5550-ab57-94716317ace6.html

Southern Snow, The New Guide to Winter Sports from Maryland to the Southern Appalachians, 2019
https://uncpress.org/book/9781469654201/southern-snow/

Southern Snow, The Winter Guide to Dixie, 1986
https://www.amazon.com/Southern-Snow-Randy-Johnson/dp/0910146624

I own Southern Snow, it's a great resource esp. for historical perspective and details

I'm looking forward to  getting the update

kemperski wrote:

I own Southern Snow, it's a great resource esp. for historical perspective and details

 

I'm looking forward to  getting the update

On my reading list for after I finish the updated Ski Inc. and then get Chris Diamond's first book that ended in 2016.  He wanted to write the second given how much shifted between 2016 and 2019 with the creation of Alterra.

I had a copy of the first edition, but can't find it now.  It is intriguing in pointing out the existence of high treeless meadows, in NC and TN, called balds, that are occasionally skied by backcountry enthusiasts.  Cataloochee, mentioned in another thread, has a bald area just past the out of bounds line.  I skied there once and asked if it was ever open.  The answer was a resounding no.  I didn't understand why not and have never been there since.  It is obvious both on the trail map and from the lift.  There is also a road there, why not park and skin up?  I guess that southern ski culture differs from New England with its wink, wink, nudge attitude toward out of bounds.  Perhaps there is less concern there, once a skier is no longer visible in the trees.
https://cataloochee.com/the-mountain/trail-map/ 

Denis wrote:

I had a copy of the first edition, but can't find it now.  It is intriguing in pointing out the existence of high treeless meadows, in NC and TN, called balds, that are occasionally skied by backcountry enthusiasts.  Cataloochee, mentioned in another thread, has a bald area just past the out of bounds line.  I skied there once and asked if it was ever open.  The answer was a resounding no.  I didn't understand why not and have never been there since.  It is obvious both on the trail map and from the lift.  There is also a road there, why not park and skin up?  I guess that southern ski culture differs from New England with its wink, wink, nudge attitude toward out of bounds.  Perhaps there is less concern there, once a skier is no longer visible in the trees.
https://cataloochee.com/the-mountain/trail-map/ 

 

You talked to the wrong people at Cat or in a way that they weren't going to tell you the real story.  That area is called The Meadow.  When there is enough snow, it does open.  However, the land is private and not part of Cataloochee.  The neighbors are friendly but I doubt they want folks thinking it's fine to wander over at any time.  From what I found in SkiSE, the Meadows was open in 2004, 2006, 2014, and 2018.  The snow doesn't usually last more than a day or two.

https://www.skisoutheast.com/base-depths-nearly-bombproof/ - 12/13/2018

"Cataloochee: 100% open. The Meadow is still open . . . Day 5! It really goes to show how well the natural snow is holding up at Cataloochee. Get a memorable meadow run before the melting begins. They are skiing on 19 slopes accessed by 4 lifts today."

https://www.skisoutheast.com/cataloochee-ski-area-ae-2132004-by-dana-mathew-bolden/ - 2/14/2004

"We arrived at Cataloochee at 9:00am.  We knew from the snow report that the High Meadow runs were open for the first time in six years.  By the time we passed the High Meadows, skiers and boarders were already tearing ”˜em up.  . . .  When we arrived at the top of 5,400 foot Moody Top, we were greeted by beautiful knee-deep powder with only a few dozen tracks in it over the huge expanse of the High Meadows!  It was truly awesome skiing.  It took us a bit of trial and error to adapt from our normal hard packed machine worked surface technique to a technique appropriate to the very soft powder.  We made several of the famous mile-long Meadow runs in quick succession.  It was truly fun to come skiing out of the woods at the top of Easy Way . . ."

Good to hear about The Meadow.  If the snow is there somebody should get to use it.  Should it open this season I hope somebody on this forum will get to ski it and post a report for us.  Not me, I now live too far away.