The Great Smoky Mountains. Known for the blue/grey fog that hovers above the the mountains. The fog looks like smoke, hence the name. We have been here a handful of times during my life, including the time we married in a small ceremony here. (Big weddings have never been my cup of tea.) BUT we have never been to try our hand at skiing. We have never tried skiing anywhere. So this might be better titled, “An Idiot’s Guide to Skiing.”

Funny enough, I do NOT enjoy cold weather or heights so skiing was something low on my bucket list. I do believe in living life to the fullest and experiencing as much travel and activities as possible. So when opportunities to try new things arise, we take them.

Ober Gatlinburg is the place for all of your snow activities. From skiing, snowboarding, ice skating and tubing. There is a ton more to do even during the other seasons. You can get to Ober Gatlinburg by riding the Aerial Tram or driving. I recommend the tram. If you plan on skiing, snowboarding or tubing, I would advise you be there at opening. It gets really busy throughout the day.

We own zero of the equipment needed for skiing, but Ober Gatlinburg offers rentals for most of the items you will need: snow bibs, ski boots, ski’s, etc. They do not rent gloves or googles. So make sure you have waterproof gloves and goggles. You can also rent jackets, but, by chance, we had both worn waterproof jackets.

*One thing to note. If you have never been skiing before, it is mandatory that you complete ski school.
**(This is Lewis with our ski school instructor.)**

Ski school took about an hour. It covered all the basics, including how to get your ski’s on and off. You learn how to turn and how to stop. Although, I could never master stopping. Once class is over you can stay on the practice slope as long as you want. Or if you feel confident enough, you can hit the bigger slopes.

Over the next two days, we hiked a trail to Laurel Falls and explored Cades Cove. We also ventured across the SkyBridge. Enjoy a few of my favorite images below. If you’ve been skiing before, let me know where you went and how you like it. Or if you’ve never been and have questions, drop them below!