Sugar Mountain

Probably the best of a handful of resorts in what might appear to be an unlikely state for skiing – North Carolina. For a southern ski area, Sugar Mountain Resort at Banner Elk, 160km from Charlotte, has 20 runs and a very respectable vertical drop of 1,200ft – easily the biggest in the state. It's a genuinely enjoyable mountain, with skiing up to 5,300ft served by eight lifts, including five chairs. There's a snowboard park and a tubing run which is lit after hours. The longest run is 2.5km – quite something for North Carolina.