Opening in 1962 as northwestern North Carolina's first ski area, Appalachian Ski Mtn. transformed Blowing Rock from a summer town, where only one restaurant and one motel stayed open during its inaugural winter, into a year-round vacation destination. Original developer Bill Thalheimer chose Blowing Rock because of its climate and acclaim as “the best known (summer) vacation destination between Newport, Rhode Island, and Palm Beach.” The inspiration for bringing skiing to North Carolina also came from the advent of snowmaking technology, the notoriety of 1960's snowiest winter on record, and excitement from the U.S.-hosted Winter Olympics of 1960. Appalachian Ski Mtn. has been owned and operated by the D. Grady Moretz, Jr. family since 1968 and is renowned for its snowmaking capability, which can provide snowy slopes from mid-November to April. Known as “The Place to Learn to Ski and Snowboard,” and for its French-Swiss Ski College, terrain parks, and outdoor ice arena, it is the major catalyst for Blowing Rock's winter economy.