BEECH MOUNTAIN, N.C. (WJHL) – For many people, cold weather drives them indoors. However, the chilly temperatures at Beech Mountain Ski Resort provide a perfect reason to go outside and enjoy the slopes.

As temperatures in the region continue to drop, the weather creates an excellent opportunity for skiing or snowboarding.

“Cold weather can blow snow,” said Nathan Andrews from Charlotte, North Carolina. “Get a better foundation, longer season, it’s all good.”

“For the East Coast, this is probably the best you’re going to get around this time,” said Landon Greer from Wilmington, North Carolina.

Michael Stanford, patrol and risk management director for the resort, said the crowds begin to grow during the Holiday season, and it’s only the start.

“The holiday period is really where our biggest attendance is here,” said Stanford. “And that usually kicks off the week before Christmas and runs all the way through New Year’s. And even some into next week, we’ll still see a large crowd out here enjoying the slopes.”

Ahead of the cold snap’s arrival, Stanford said a lot of preparation goes into preparing the resort to brace for the temperature drops.

“The first thing we do is make sure all our facilities are prepared for that,” Stanford said. “Because obviously, we’ve got to have the facilities to operate. So we make sure we’ve got extra heaters, make sure he’s turned on everywhere and, you know, take preparations. From a standpoint of our lifts and our equipment, we’ll keep an eye on them. We’ll make sure that we’re not exceeding the temperature that they’re required to operate in.”

The resort is located near parts of the state that sustained damage from Hurricane Helene. Three months later, the resort is happy to see the crowds return.

“I think not only the town,” said Stanford. “[But] the resort [and] the state of North Carolina has done a great job to make sure that we get tourism back to the Western North Carolina area.”

The tourists themselves are grateful to be back.

“It’s really good to see how far they’ve come,” said Preston Bayley from Carolina Beach, North Carolina. “All the streets and houses on the side of the road, they all look good. There’s more streams and more rivers now, so it’s pretty now.”

“It’s just a great, great thing,” said Andrews. “Great to see that they’re doing well and that the economy is also going to be booming.”

Stanford reminds those looking to hit the slopes to dress appropriately due to the increased risk of frostbite.

“You want to make sure that you’ve got ski pants,” said Stanford. “Proper ski jacket, gloves are important, face coverings. When we get temperatures that get down into the negative digits, we have to worry about things like frostbite, so you want to make sure all your skin’s covered so you don’t suffer from a frostbite, frostnip injury.”