About 2-3 hours north is Cataloochee and Wolf Laurel, Small < 700 vertical skiing. Limited terrain. But great for day trips. Another hour and half north is Sugar and Beech mountain 1000+ vertical with more challenging terrain and longer seasons. But the weekends can be impossibly crowded. Also being a New England skier most of my life southern skiing is something to see to be believed. Many on the beginner slopes have never seen snow let alone know anything about the skier responsiblity code. But it's skiing!