North Carolina Has One Of The Best Ski Towns In North America
To prepare for the upcoming skiing season USA Today‘s 10BEST named a North Carolina ski town one of the best in North America.
To elaborate on the definition of a ski town, here, there are a few requirements. First of all (and most obvious) it has to have proper winter weather. As such, the majority of these towns are located in the northern part of North America. Next, the town must be close to ski mountains. Lastly, unique elements like après ski pubs, and ice skating rinks add to the winter charm of the area. On that point, 10BEST states, “It’s about great accommodation options, a small-town vibe, or a historic atmosphere.”
Of the 10 small ski towns ranked here eight of them are in America and two are in Canada. Coincidentally, New Mexico bookends the list with Taos being #10 and Red River ranking #1. Aside from New Mexico, the only other town that was in a southern region of North America was the best ski town in North Carolina.
Banner Elk Ranked #6
Situated in the Blue Ridge Mountain range, Banner Elk is conveniently right between Sugar Mountain Resort to the south, and Beech Mountain Resort to the north. In fact, Banner Elk calls themselves “North Carolina’s Ski Town.” In addition, the area is filled with restaurants that offer a wide-range of cuisine interests. This includes après ski lodges, pubs, and high-end fine-dining options.
“Besides hitting the slopes, you can take a ride down the Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster, go wine tasting at the Banner Elk Winery, indulge in great food, or go snow tubing,” 10BEST explains.
Sugar Mountain is open. They have some great seasonal kickoff events coming up soon. This includes a pre-season ski clinic with two-time Olympian, Krista Schmidinger, and a “Santa ski and snowboard day.”
Three Outside The Box Options To Be The Next Carolina Panthers Coach
By now, you are well aware that the Carolina Panthers fired their head coach, Frank Reich, after just eleven games. It’s been a rough year so far, sitting at the bottom of the NFC South at 1-10. However, there are three potential new coaches who might be able to completely turn the Panthers around.
To set the stage here, let’s get right to the point. These are three outside-the-box and unconventional choices. Meaning, I have gotten away from the standard process of backfilling an NFL coaching vacancy with simply another NFL coach.
With all due respect to interim head coach Chris Tabor, let’s assume “interim” will be taken seriously. Tabor was previously the team’s special teams coordinator. So, here, we are thinking outside of the organization to fill Reich’s seat.
But Why?
There are three reasons I am considering a “curveball” method. To start, owner David Tepper is a unique personality. Tepper has been known to make quick and instinctive decisions. Furthermore, he is heavily involved (and invested) in the team’s success. Reich apparently had to meet with Tepper after each game to review what had transpired. The second reason for my choices here is simply because I believe these NFL minds would actually be great at this gig. Now, I have zero NFL experience. However, I did play football for ten years, and I have actually interacted with two of the three options listed.
Lastly, we’ve seen a few out-of-the-ordinary NFL coaching choices in the past few seasons. Though he did not get the job, the Indianapolis Colts hired their previous Pro Bowl Center, Jeff Saturday, to be their interim coach last season. Saturday had never been an NFL coach previously.
So, yes, it would be simple for me to suggest common (and very worthy) names like Ben Johnson, the Offensive Coordinator for the Detroit Lions, or Steve Wilks, current Defensive Coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers (with a Panthers history). Nonetheless, let’s follow Tepper’s path of taking a calculated risk. Here are three creative options for the Carolina Panthers to consider hiring as their next head coach.
Jeff Gorra is a Boston-based writer who has been with Beasley Media Group since the beginning of 2023. He writes about restaurants and food, as well as sports and rock music. His experience also includes show hosting and in-depth creative writing in rock and reggae dub music. Jeff’s an avid surfer, New York Giants, and Pearl Jam fan, however, if you make unforgettable pizza, he is sure to find you.
