Skiing and snowboarding are more popular than ever at ski resorts in the North Carolina mountains. This is particularly true in the Banner Elk area, where parking lots and lift lines regularly fill up on weekends at Beech Mountain Resort and Sugar Mountain Resort.
While there’s nothing better than a great ski weekend in Banner Elk, skiers with flexible schedules are discovering big advantages to visiting the slopes midweek. The two main advantages are midweek ski discounts and increased time on the slopes.
Skiers and snowboarders who book midweek ski trips save nearly 40% on lift tickets and 25% on equipment rentals. Tubing and ice skating are less expensive, too, and lodging rates are reduced by as much as one-third compared to weekend prices.
Here’s a look at savings for midweek ski visits (Monday-Friday) during the 2024-25 season:
- Save 39% on lift tickets at Beech Mountain Resort
- Save 38% on lift tickets at Sugar Mountain Resort
- Save 28% on ice skating Sugar Mountain Resort
- Save 25% on equipment rentals at Sugar Mountain Resort
- Save 20% on snow tubing at Sugar Mountain Resort
- Save 18% on snow tubing at Beech Mountain Resort
- Equipment rental savings up to 25% are also available at Banner Elk’s off-slope ski shops: Ski Country Sports, The Ski Shack and Edge of the World Snowboard Shop.
Less Lines Equal More Enjoyment
Equally impressive to the cash savings are the time savings.
Skiers and boarders visiting during weekdays report lift lines are much shorter and their time spent on the slopes is much longer. Rental equipment lines and ticket booth lines are also greatly reduced. And parking near the slopes is much easier midweek.
Aprés ski, skiers happily notice that quicker wait times are the norm at Banner Elk’s amazing collection of restaurants and coffee shops.
All that extra time and savings makes it possible to work in a visit to Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster.
Wilderness Run is North Carolina’s premier alpine coaster and remains open year-round, even in the snow.
Stack Up Savings with Midweek Lodging
When it comes to lodging, midweek visits provide a lower price tag on cabins, vacation homes, bed-and-breakfast inns and hotels.
Midweek visits usually offer more lodging choices, too, as weekends tend to book up well in advance. To see what’s available for your midweek ski trip, check out this comprehensive listing of Banner Elk lodging properties.
Lodging operators very much welcome guests who visit during the week. They appreciate the mid-week revenue and some have more flexibility to adjust rates, check-in times and check-out times.
More Tips for Grabbing Ski Season Deals
Another way to save money on your North Carolina ski trip is to consider night skiing. Night time can be the right time as both Beech Mountain Resort and Sugar Mountain Resort reduce lift ticket rates for midweek night skiing, which is defined as Sunday through Thursday nights.
Sugar Mountain offers 24% off night skiing during the week, while Beech Mountain offers 26% off night skiing.
Beech Mountain also has three special midweek nights providing deeper price reductions. Tuesday nights are Student Night, with $20 lift tickets for enrolled students from kindergarten through college. Wednesday nights are Men’s Night, with $20 lift tickets for males, and Thursday nights are Ladies’ Night, with $20 tickets for females.
And don’t forget skiing trips in early spring!
Sugar Mountain’s “March Madness” rates kick in March 10, 2025, offering midweek lift ticket discounts at more than 50% off regular-season weekend rates.