Those of us from heavily mountainous states are pretty used to having a large number of options when it comes to ski areas to choose from. Maine has around 20, Colorado and California have around 30, and New York has closer to 50. But not all states have that luxury. Some have just a handful of ski areas, some have just two ski areas, and some have none whatsoever. Four states in the U.S.A. are limited to just a single ski area, and those areas aren’t always reliably open during the winter.
Maryland
Maryland’s single ski resort, Wisp Resort, is actually quite large. It has 33 runs, 11 total lifts (counting four surface lifts), 132 total skiable acres, and 118 acres of snowmaking and night skiing. At this point in the season, Wisp Resort is 100% open with both groomed and ungroomed runs.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island’s only ski area, Yawgoo Valley, is not always open throughout the winter. Today, Friday, January 31, Yawgoo is closed, but the mountain will reopen tomorrow, February 1. The area was 36 acres of skiable terrain, 2 double chair lifts and 2 rope tows. Snowmaking is possible on 100% of the mountain, and night skiing can happen on every trail.
Tennessee
Tennessee’s Ober Mountain, like any ski resort, opens and closes as the weather allows, but their season typically runs from mid December to early March. The ski area has three total lifts (plus one scenic lift, but that’s not for skiing or snowboarding) and plenty of trails to keep people entertained. Currently all three chairlifts and seven trails are open, and their snow base is at 30-45 inches.
Alabama
Alabama is easily the most surprising state to have a ski area on this list, but Cloudmont Ski and Gold Resort does open to skiers and snowboarders on occasion. This year, Cloudmont fully opened to skiers and snowboarder for the first time in five years, but that’s already come to an end. They were open over MLK weekend, and up until January 28, hosting both night and day skiing, depending on the day.