Take an Ice and Relaxing Trip to the Brevard Area with Insider Karsten Delap

Hi, I’m Karsten Delap, International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations certified Mountain Guide, rope access technician and co-owner of Pisgah Climbing School. In case my resume didn’t give it away, I’m a longtime outdoor enthusiast, and I’ve been calling Brevard home since 2004. I came here thinking it’d be a great steppingstone to moving out west, but then I never left. There was just no reason to! 

The climbing and small-town feel is what drew me here. Growing up in a small town, it felt like home immediately, thanks in part to these activities and adventures that I still love today.

Ice climbing

Brevard is full of great climbing spots, which of course leads to one of my favorite winter activities: ice climbing! We consider all our ice hidden gems, and some of the waterfalls here freeze in the coldest of winters and become awesome ice climbs. I only recommend doing this with a trained professional. Pisgah Climbing School offers ice climbs in these areas: 

Man beginning to ice climb up wall of ice with people on ground watching him.
Karsten at Sam's Knob
  • Highway 215: Sitting right next to the road, this spot provides quality ice climbing that’s a great introduction to North Carolina ice climbing. 
  • Sam's Knob: This is a great moderate area and even offers multi-pitch. It provides a little bit of North Carolina “rhodeneering” to get to it and is a solid intro for some bigger ice in the Black Mountains. 
  • Celo Knob in the Black Mountain Range: This has one of the longest WI (water ice) routes in the East. Left Wishbone is nearly 2,000 feet long with some WI3 climbing on it. This is perfect for a longer-day outing and is also good training for objectives in bigger ranges. 
  • Whiteside: I’ve already climbed Whiteside this winter! It has mixed lines and WI5 lines that will put you to the test. Whiteside also offers some great moderate and beginning ice climbs, plus the well-known WI3 Starshine. 

Other favorite wintertime activities

There are so many more activities I also recommend. Hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, fly-fishing – basically if you like anything outdoors, you’ll love the Brevard area. Most of these activities offer adventure at any level, so you can find something that’s family friendly if needed. The area is open for business year-round, so winter is a great time to come by and go outside.

Places to warm up

Whether you’re staying for a weekend or in town for a day trip, you’ll need some caffeine and sustenance.

Accommodations

  • Pilot Cove: The three cabin options here are designed to sit among the trees, giving you a front-row seat to nature and direct access to outdoor recreation straight from your cabin. 
  • Foggy Bottom Cabins: These newly renovated 1950s cabins come fully equipped with kitchens, screened-in porches, and spaces to clean your bikes and other outdoor gear.

Meals 

The Velvet Cup coffee truck outside of outdoor gear rental shop.
The Velvet Cup
  • Velvet Cup: A coffee truck that’s ideal for a quick coffee outside the entrance to Pisgah National Forest. 
  • Cup and Saucer: Another good place for coffee and breakfast.  
  • Pisgah Bakehouse: For lunch, I love their brick oven pizzas and smash burgers.

Find more winter travel inspo with Insider Steve Reinhold. And connect with nature like never before by following the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace, which help ensure you have the knowledge to protect North Carolina’s natural beauty so others can experience it in the same way.

Updated December 17, 2024
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