Gunther Jochl Receives North Carolina Tourism’s Winner’s Circle Award

After leading Sugar Mountain Ski Resort for nearly 50 years, North Carolina Secretary of Commerce, Lee Lilley and Visit NC Director, Wit Tuttell presented Gunther Jochl with the Winner’s Circle Award at a special luncheon during the 2026 Visit North Carolina Tourism Conference held March 16-18 at the Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa in Asheville, North Carolina.

On a stage in the Grand Ballroom in front of almost 600 North Carolina travel and tourism industry leaders and influencers, Mr. Jochl first gave special thanks to his wife, Kimberley, “who is an integral part of the operation and the success of Sugar Mountain Resort.” He went on to recognize two additional key people, “Erich Schmidinger, who’s been with me at Sugar Mountain for 30 years. And my son, Andrew, who joined us in 2015. Each of them is here today along with their wives. It’s all about a great team,” he added visibly choked up.

Mr. Jochl went on to say that when he arrived in Sugar Mountain in 1976, “winter sports tourism in the North Carolina High Country was almost nonexistent. Now it is Western North Carolina’s winter economic engine. As the number of skiers grew, so did the economy. More lodging, more restaurants, more ski shops, more gas stations, more grocery stores, more jobs, better healthcare, a stronger school system, and so much more. Today, North Carolina Ski Areas introduce more people to the sports of skiing and snowboarding than any other state in the country. I am very proud to be a part of this growth. Again, thank you so much for this honor.”

The Winner’s Circle Award is a celebration of leaders who have made significant contributions to the success and growth of North Carolina’s travel and hospitality industry. A recipient’s work exemplifies tourism’s best practices with a statewide impact on tourism. Winner’s Circle Award recipients are nominated by the North Carolina tourism industry and selected by the team at Visit NC.

Just prior to the awards ceremony, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein took to the podium after a standing ovation, “North Carolina is a place worth visiting and worth coming back to again and again. Whether you’re skiing in our mountains in the winter or swimming along the Outer Banks in the summer or watching NASCAR races in the spring or fall, our state offers something for everyone to rediscover what makes North Carolina unforgettable.”

With five inches of fresh snow, temperatures in the single digits, and snowmaking roaring the past few days, Sugar Mountain Ski Resort remains open and unforgettable with a 27-61” base covering 14 slopes and with five lifts in operation. The tubing park is also open with six lanes. For current conditions please call 828-898-4521 or visit www.skisugar.com. In the meantime, view the many webcams scattered around the mountain for a real-time look at Sugar Mountain.

Sugar Mountain Resort is North Carolina’s largest snow-sports resort. It strives to provide the most electrifying skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, tubing, and snowshoeing experience possible. Historical winter season opening dates and annual natural snowfall totals can be found here.

Sugar is Sweeter!