Local

Sugar Mountain Ski Resort makes enough snow to open for season

AVERY COUNTY, N.C. — The recent cold weather allowed ski resorts in the North Carolina mountains to start making snow over the weekend. Sugar Mountain Ski Resort made enough snow to officially open on Monday morning.

It isn’t the earliest the resort has ever opened but it is early for North Carolina ski resorts -- and it has a huge impact on mountain tourism. Sugar Mountain alone employs as many as 500 workers when it’s fully up and running.

>> In the video at the top of this page, reporter Dave Faherty visited Avery County where he found out the nationwide labor shortage is also impacting the ski industry.

(WATCH BELOW: TIMELAPSE: Snow on Sugar Mountain in Avery County)