It is beautiful to ride above the clouds in the tram.

Grizzly opened once again on 2-12-06 thanks to snow machines and the 10" gift from Mother Nature.

The snack room at Ober Gatlinburg is a good place to eat lunch and warm up by the fire.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature can be a bit stingy with her snow in the mountains of Tennessee! The snowblowers are a necessary "evil" in order to have enough snow.

Kenny and Kris at Winterplace, WV. This resort is located just off the interstate, for easy access.

At 3300 feet, Ober Chute is the highest point of the ski resort. This part of the resort is not open every year; a lot depends on how much cold weather and how much water is in storage for making snow. On the day this photo was taken (Feb. 12, 2006) Ober Gatlinburg was reveling in 10 inches of fresh powder!!! Two weeks earlier the resort was in danger of having to close due to unseasonably warm weather. Oh the joys of skiing in the southeast! :)

Members of the Ski patrol often practice their skills on the slopes of Ober Gatlinburg.

Ober Gatlinburg opened a Snowtube park in Jan. 2009. It costs $20 on weekdays and $25 on holidays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Yes, Tennessee does have a ski resort! Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort is located in Gatlinburg just outside the Smokies. It is the closest place for us to ski, just 1-1/2 hours from Oak Ridge. I'm in charge of the Winter Sports Program at the elementary school where I teach, we go to Gatlinburg 4 weekends in Jan. and Feb.

Winterplace Resort is fairly large, by southeastern standards. It is popular with school and church groups, so be ready for very large crowds on busy days.

White-out conditions at Gatlinburg! I never dreamed I'd live to see such a sight!

Ober Gatlinburg can't be outdone by the western ski resorts, it even has its own version of a bead, lei and panty tree! :)

The Snowtube park is next to the main slope.

The winter of 2003 - 04 was a very good year in Gatlinburg. The second expert-level slope, Grizzly, was able to be opened for the first time in 7 years!

The two tram gondolas pass in the middle of the mountain. Notice the shadows on the ground.

Mogul Ridge is the only "bump run" at Gatlinburg.

The Ober Gatlinburg resort has an indoor skating rink that is open year-round.

The Ober Gatlinburg Tram station is located in the town of Gatlinburg 2 miles below the resort. The ride costs $9.50 to go to the top of the mountain. Visitors can also take Ski Mountain Road up to the top. New gondolas were installed in May 2007, the old one is in the yard. The Gatlinburg "Space Needle" can be seen in the background.

A lovely view of snow-covered Mt. Leconte in the Smoky Mountains. This picture was taken from the Gatlinburg tram. The tram travels 2 miles from the town of Gatlinburg to the ski resort.

Ober Gatlinburg resort as seen from the arriving tram.