It's been a rough start to the ski season. Abnormally high temperatures have made snowmaking difficult to sustain. Vermont's larger and higher-altitude resorts made snow early on and have worked diligently to retain and expand coverage. We enjoyed some spring-like skiing at Smugglers' Notch over a week ago, for example.
Today you can make turns at eight Vermont ski resorts. (See our post about <link http: www.skimaven.com post the-question-everyone-is-asking-when-will-vermont-ski-resorts-open _top external-link-new-window internal>ski resort opening dates, here.) Two Nordic ski areas are also offering very limited skiing due to their snowmaking capabilities (Craftsbury and Rikert). This past weekend featured a good stretch of snowmaking weather plus some natural snowfall.
But for the small- and mid-sized ski areas, it's been a struggle. Pico has yet to open for the season and they report on their website, “Although we have made some progress with snowmaking on Fools Gold and Lower Pike, each productive weather window has been followed by warm, wet weather.”
Burke Mountain and Magic Mountain have again pushed back their projected opening dates; they are now slated for January. Other resorts such as Bolton Valley are waiting to see what the weather has in store before putting out a planned opening date. [UPDATE: Bolton recently said they will open on December 26 but they have postponed that opening date again.] Bromley has been open this season but is closed for this midweek with plans to reopen on December 26.
This holiday period is an important one for Vermont ski resorts and our neighbors who work for them, so we're all rooting for cold weather to return ASAP. Fortunately, the resorts also offer fun holiday activities off the slopes, as well. They range from bonfires to cookie decorating to ice skating.
But dear Santa, please help us by ushering in chilly temps and a few snowflakes. We'd be forever grateful – and we'll leave you some extra cookies on Christmas Eve!
Photo: Skiing at Mount Snow, Vermont, on December 21, 2015. Courtesy of the resort's Facebook page.
