Replying to Skiing nearish Athens, GA?

Hey all, I'm a Midwesterner, but spending a year in Athens, GA for grad school. I'm planning on taking a weekend with some classmates sometime over the winter to probably head up to NC skiing and was looking for some input from some locals. Looks like app and sugar are both about 4.5 hrs away and Cataloochee is just under 3 hrs.

I'm just looking for the hill with the most variety and best vibe... and good bars wouldn't hurt either. A decent park would be fun but is less of a priority since I'll probably spend most the time teaching my friends.

So yeah, any opinion on those three areas you've got, or if there are any other good areas to look at please let me know. Thanks!