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Ober Gatlinburg

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Coordinates: 35°42′11″N 83°33′28″W / 35.70306°N 83.55778°W / 35.70306; -83.55778
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Ober Mountain Adventure Park & Ski Area
LocationGatlinburg, Tennessee, USA
Coordinates35°42′11″N 83°33′28″W / 35.70306°N 83.55778°W / 35.70306; -83.55778
Vertical526 feet (160 m)
Top elevation3,208 feet (978 m)[1]
Base elevation2,682 feet (817 m)
Trails10 total
- 20% beginner
- 60% intermediate
- 20% advanced
Lift system6 total (2 quad chairlifts, 2 double chairlifts, 2 surface lifts)
Terrain parksLower Bear
Snowmakingyes
Night skiingyes
Websitehttps://obergatlinburg.com

Ober Mountain Adventure Park & Ski Area, formerly known as Ober Gatlinburg, is a ski area and amusement park located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, that was established in 1962. The area also contains a large mall with indoor amusements, an indoor ice skating rink, snack bars, a restaurant, and stores. An aerial tramway connects Ober Mountain to downtown Gatlinburg, which is about 3 miles east.

Ski trail

History

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The ski area opened in 1962 as Gatlinburg Ski Resort. In 1973, Claude Anders opened the Gatlinburg Aerial Tramway. In 1974, the Gatlinburg Ski Resort began to go out of business due to publicity from a bad lift accident. It was bought the Anders Family in 1975 and merged with the Gatlinburg Aerial Tramway.

In 1977, it was renamed Ober Gatlinburg,[2][3] which is German for "Upper Gatlinburg" or "Top of Gatlinburg."[4] The upper mall opened in 1982.[4] Snow tubing was added to the resort in 2008.[3] In 2012, the resort installed a snowmaking system, which allows them to open earlier in the season, before natural snow occurs.[5] In 2017, it upgraded the snowmaking system, particularly focusing on Cub Way.[2] In 2022, the resort was sold to new owners, who renamed the resort from "Ober Gatlinburg" to "Ober Mountain Adventure Park & Ski Area."[6]

Slopes

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Slopes Length Drop
Alpine Way 2900' / 884m 279' / 85m
Upper Bear Run 3200' / 975m 393' / 120m
Lower Bear Run 1600' / 488m 160' / 49m
Castle Run 1900' / 579m 163' / 50m
Cub Way 2300' / 701m 163' / 50m
Grizzly 3800' / 1158m 556' / 170m
Mogul Ridge   0300' / 90m 235' / 72m
Yeti's Run 700' / 213m 120' / 36m
Ober Chute 4400' / 1340m 556' / 170m
Ski School  Teaching Area Gentle Slope

A multi-lane snow tubing hill has lanes that are approximately 400 feet (122 m) long with a 50 feet (15 m) vertical drop. The tubing hill is serviced by a magic carpet, as is the ski school slope.

Lifts

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Scenic Lift

The Scenic Lift is a double lift that runs to the summit of Mount Harrison, where there is a scenic overlook. The lift is 3,019 feet (920 m) long and rises 779 feet (237 m) in elevation.[7] The Blue Lift is also a double lift that terminates at the Alpine Way slope and the alpine slide. The Red Lift and the Black Lift are quad lifts.[1]

Aerial tramway

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The aerial tramway coming down from the mountain in October 2023.

The aerial tramway departs from downtown Gatlinburg and travels west to the resort. The system was built in 1973 by Von Roll Ltd.[4] and has two 120-passenger cabins. They were replaced by Doppelmayr in 2020. The 2.1 miles (3.4 km) tram ride runs 17 miles per hour (27 km/h) and takes about 10 minutes.[8]

Amusement park

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The amusement park portion of Ober Mountain is open year-round. Animals native to the Great Smoky Mountains, including black bears, are available for viewing.[9] Other attractions include: an alpine slide, the Ski Mountain Coaster, indoor ice skating, ice bumper cars, snow tubing, a rock climbing wall, and a carousel.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Slope Report". obergatlinburg.com. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  2. ^ a b Laws, Matt (2017-10-24). "History of Ski | Ober Gatlinburg". Ski Southeast. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  3. ^ a b Stroud, Emily (2013-02-01). "Ober Gatlinburg has rich history and lots to do". Sevierville - Sevier News. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  4. ^ a b c "What is "Ober Gatlinburg"?". Ober Gatlinburg. 2019-08-02. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  5. ^ Willett, Hugh (October 2, 2012). "Ober Gatlinburg invests in new snow-making equipment". www.knoxnews.com. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  6. ^ "Ober Gatlinburg Under New Ownership: 3 Changes the Sevier County Natives Have in Store". Visit My Smokies. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Scenic Chairlift". Ober Gatlinburg. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  8. ^ "Aerial Tramway". Ober Gatlinburg. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  9. ^ "Wildlife Encounter". Ober Gatlinburg. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  10. ^ "Current Activities & Rates". Ober Gatlinburg. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
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