Driving up the narrow mountain road to the resort you pass by the various cabins on each side, their rooftops blanketed with snow, chimneys smoking. At the peak the valley comes into view, for miles out it’s completely white. The only things sticking out are the tops of the pine trees in the distance.  People head down from the packed parking lot toward the main lodge, wrapped in their scarfs and other winter gear, clutching their boards and skis to their bodies in the cold. Some patrons note that “Cataloochee certainly isn’t the largest resort in the area but offers a sort of hometown feel.” A cloud of snow blows through and settles on the front mat when they open the door. Many take a moment to brush the snow off of their coats before getting in line for a lift ticket. Behind the ticket counter are hundreds of boards, skis, and boots of all shapes and sizes stacked on wooden shelfs. People of all ages sit or stand around bright metal benches strapping into their boots and talking to their friends. Others rent one of the bright yellow lockers on the wall to store their things. On the second floor to the right is the cafeteria. There are long wooden picnic style tables lined up in rows, packed to the edges with skiers and snowboarders. Most are eating a slice of pizza and sharing their craziest stories about a line that they hit or a secret spot off the main trail with some amazing powder. Others are looking out of the gigantic windows arranged on the front side of the lodge, watching people come down from the end of their runs slashing powder to slow their speed. One girl wearing a striped blue and green coat sits by the window with a bowl of lucky charms. There’s no milk in the bowl, she picks at the dry cereal and only eats the marshmallows. Her gaze is blank as she concentrates on the slope in an almost trance like state. Those of age are huddled up around the bar in the back, knocking back a few drinks and merrily celebrating the tricks they threw down. A large crowd of people are lined up to fit in the tiny gear shop in the back of the lodge. A large sign on the wall reads “50% off preseason sale” in red cursive letters.

Outside at the base of the chairlifts people congregate in large groups, some standing or laying in the snow, others checking their gear and pointing at the different trails. Riders on the lifts shout down and waive when someone lands a trick. Everyone acknowledges each other and waives back. The trees have been cleared for the lift which provides people with a 360 degree view of the mountain as the lift slowly creaks to the top. A gust of wind blows and shakes the chair a bit, the boy on board wearing an oversized grey North Face coat pulls up his face mask for a little extra warmth. A lot of the teenage riders slide off the lift and head for the terrain park. The park at Cat isn’t very big but has a few well placed rails, boxes, and lips to perform tricks on. A lot of the park riders say that “If a better park was closer such as Beech, or Appalachian Ski Mountain we would go there, but we make it work and have fun here.” People sit on the banks at each side of the run and watch other riders.  This one particular boy was trying to land a backside lip slide on one of the longer rails. He was wearing a blue and brown 686 jacket and overly baggy khaki snow pants that made him look short even though he was average height. He took a lot of hard falls one after the other. for one he landed flat on his chest causing his face to slam into the snow. He looked up and spat a clump of snow out of his mouth, stood up swiftly slapped his board and walked back up to the top of the rail. “This is the one” a rider exclaimed sitting off to the side. As if on cue he leapt in landing hard on the rail, his right foot directly over the rails center his hands out to the side for balance. When he landed it he let out a loud scream and shook his hands above his head in excitement. His friends ran over to him and tackled him into the snow, all laughing and smiling.

At lunch time an event was held for the novice youth snowboarders and skiers. About 10 ski instructors dressed in red Jackets with the Cataloochee logo on the sleeve led the children to the bunny hill to practice turns. An instructor takes off her polarized Oakley goggles and starts to relay instructions. The skin around her eyes is a few shades lighter than the rest of her face and a few other instructors crack some friendly jokes about how much she wears her goggles on the slopes. Parents said that “Since Cataloochee isn’t a huge resort there are smaller crowds and less experienced riders, it’s a good place to bring the kids and introduce them to the sport in a safe way.” The instructors helped the kids steer by holding their shoulders, similar to the technique used to teach someone how to ride a bike. They slid away left and right some losing complete control and lightly falling in a puff of snow. Others got the hang of it pretty quickly and zig zagged in between the others smiling gleefully. A boy in a full set of brown snow overalls and a blue helmet shows off his skill by going faster than all the others. He leans forward and puts his arms behind his back, the blonde hair sticking out from behind his ears flops in the wind as he picks up speed. He doesn’t turn a single time and is down the bunny slope giving high fives to the instructors before the other kids have gotten their balance. When the day was over people flocked back to the main lodge. Many of them stopped on the bottom floor to wring the water out of their clothes, get their things, and hug their friends goodbye. As they started the walk back to their cars fresh snow started to fall. The lights of the lodge shined through the flakes and with the absence of people the mountain was quiet.