North Carolina’s Sugar Mountain Resort plans to capture its earliest opening date on record, opening the Upper and Lower Flying Mile slopes for skiing and snowboarding this Wednesday, October 31, 2012. The Summit #1 Lift will be in operation to the 3/4’s station. The Sandy storm has brought several inches of snow to Sugar Mountain, and the resort is adding its own through around-the-clock snowmaking, which began Sunday evening. Temperatures are forecast to remain in the low to mid-twenties through Wednesday at the 5,300-foot high resort.

In its 43-year history, Sugar Mountain’s previous earliest opening date was November 5 in 1976. In 2011, Sugar Mountain opened on November 12. The resort historically takes advantage of early-season low temperatures to open some slopes as soon as possible, but these openings can be fleeting if milder temperatures return. Be sure to check with Sugar Mountain at www.skisugar.com or 800-SUGAR-MT to verify operating conditions before making a trip.

A webcam shot from Sugar Mountain on Monday, October 29, 2012. Photo provided by Sugar Mountain Resort.