I have never enjoyed any ski resort as much as i enjoy Ober.

The lodge is huge, there's an ice rink, an arcade, and an upstairs restaurant with a fantastic view of the outer area. I only go during winter for snowboarding, and judging from some of the reviews that would be the best time to visit. Website has a webcam that you can watch, and when i see the snow blowers on, i get excited.

The food is tasty, the staff are helpful, and the rentals aren't as bad as most places, though that strong stinky-feet smell is still a thing (it IS a rental room, after all). speaking of rentals, they are in amazing condition. though i miss the old step-in rentals (loved the boot design and how the system felt, got the same system for my personal board), i understand why they switched to the strap-on system, even though i have a hard time with them.

the other attractions are lots of fun as well. There's an alpine slide, the alpine coaster, snow tubing, and the tramway which im counting as an attraction because of the sights you see. If your operator is an older man with a long beard, you're going to have lots of laughs. The arcade has quite a few games, but they aren't very exciting, and as of my last visit they still use paper tickets.

and now for the negatives. For starters, sometimes the staff clearly have a problem at times. one time I sped up on the alpine slide because there was an angry wasp trying to sting me, and i was called a "F***ing wuss". I can die from a bee sting in that situation, so that was not appreciated. The lift attendants don't care about your personal well-being. too many times have i seen someone nearly break their ankle because they accidentally bumped their board or turned their skis. When i asked (more like screaming from pain) to stop the lift to fix my board, they ignored me and kept the lift moving. as a result, i twisted my left knee and had to find someone to carry me down, as ski patrol seemed to think a twisted knee wasn't worth their time.

The alpine coaster was clearly rushed. the joints have a lot of space, and create a jerking motion each time you hit them. If you can't handle sharp lurches, I recommend the coaster near town on the way to pigeon forge. it's much smoother.

The positives far outweigh the negative, and they're not even consistent. the staff issues seem to be more mood-based than deliberate, and despite that, i still enjoy every trip out there.