If you’re itching for a ski trip but want to skip the plane flight, several options are located within a few hours’ drive from Chattanooga. These Southeastern resorts may not have the mounds of snow you might find in other areas of the country, but their accessibility and increasingly advanced snowmaking capabilities make them worthy of consideration for a day on the slopes.
Ober Mountain: Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Photo contributed by Ober Mountain / The Ober Mountain Resort in the Great Smoky Mountains was previously named Ober Gatlinburg until new owners renamed it in 2022.Distance from Chattanooga: About three hours
Why go: Tennessee’s only ski resort, Ober is only a few hours away in the Great Smoky Mountains, where you have plenty of other outdoor activities to choose from if the weather doesn’t cooperate. The resort, which has nine trails and a terrain park, underwent a rebranding as Ober Mountain (it was previously Ober Gatlinburg) when it was sold to the owners of Yee-Haw Brewing Company in 2022. The mountain’s sit-down restaurant has been converted to a ’70s-themed bar, and the new owners also plan to introduce more year-round activities, including mountain biking.