Understanding Madison County’s wintertime tourist draw for skiing and other winter sports, The Hatley family saw an opportunity to revitalize the former Wolf Laurel Ski Resort and is currently performing major renovations on the property now called Hatley Pointe.

The ski area near Mars Hill has been incredibly popular with locals for many years, according to Hatley Pointe’s Creative and Marketing Director Matt Rossetti. While Beech and Sugar Mountain are larger ski resort areas far from interstate travel routes, they are very popular, even often overcrowded, and harder to get to. 

Located just off I-26 near the Tennessee state line, the Madison County ski area is easily accessible for people from Asheville and Johnson City, TN. Compared to resort areas in the High Country, this location is also more convenient for visitors from Charlotte, Atlanta, GA, and Charleston, SC.

Younger generations of travelers tend to seek vacations based on things to do rather than just places to go, according to Rossetti. Having a place with activities is important in attracting tourists and providing a place to anchor a trip, especially in the otherwise slower tourist season during the winter.

“They are traveling to have some sort of experience,” Rossetti said. “Having a mountain with a lot of recreation activities offers something for people to center their visit around, providing travelers more value for their trip.”

With a goal of increasing tourist capacity in the area, the new owners plan to expand activities to the mountain while maintaining a friendly feel rather than a corporate vibe found at some other ski resort areas. Snow infrastructure repairs were underway in early 2024 to reach a higher safety standard and better snow quality, and plans are underway to offer snow tubing and ice skating in addition to skiing and snowboarding.

In 2024 and 2025, the resort will open a lodge with a café bar and restaurant. The slopes will become multi-purpose, incorporating things like scenic chair lift rides and mountain biking trails as well as other family friendly activities for any season. Longer-term plans include the potential to add more lodging, long-and short-term rentals, as well as homes for sale.

“The company is looking to expand beyond a simple ski resort and build an entire ski town,” Rossetti said. “It’s very aspirational, but it can exist here and the community is open to the idea. They have been looking for that kind of investment and care here.”

The surrounding Madison County communities see the value of increasing tourism to the area, according to Rossetti. Those who own nearby small businesses have the potential to see more visitor traffic, and vacation rental owners will see an increase in their revenue.

“Since the recession in the mid-2000s, the area has kind of been neglected by investors,” Rossetti said. “By revitalizing and adding to a greater resort area, it provides a chance for that investment to return to the whole community. It opens the door for a lot of opportunities.”

Visitation to the Wolf Laurel/Madison County area has been down over the last decade, and Rossetti said they are interested to see what their seasonal capacity will be. Maintaining a symbiotic relationship with nearby cities like Asheville is important, as the tourism draw of each area plays off each other. If there is bad weather on the mountain, visitors can venture into the city for the day. Others visiting the city can easily take part of a day to enjoy the activities offered in the ski resort area.

To increase public knowledge of upcoming visitation opportunities in the area, the company has been partnering with local tourism bureaus like Visit NC and Hot Springs Tourism to spread the word about the resort area. Conversely, the resort has received a multitude of inquiries from regular tourists asking when they will be able to come visit again. 

“People are seeing ‘their mountain’ being given the love and attention they feel it deserves, and they are thrilled,” Rossetti said. “We have heard from people who used to vacation here and are ready to return to the area as well as our neighbors from nearby towns. There is lots of nostalgia surrounding a wintertime ski trip to the mountains, and we are ready to renew that feeling for visitors.”