A Thanksgiving Eve storm got skiers thinking about snow earlier than normal, increasing traffic on some area slopes during the holiday break.
While slope operators note that they are proficient at making snow, the fact remains that when people see snow falling, they are more likely to bust out the skis.
Getting a jump on many other resorts, Jack Frost Big Boulder in Blakeslee opened for a few days last week. On Friday, the resort opened at 10 a.m. with plans to begin regular hours starting today.
General Manager Jim Davenport described the combination of natural and man-made snow as the equivalent of mid-winter conditions.
“We will continue to make snow as long as conditions allow,” he said.
Slopes will open at Camelback Mountain Resort in Tannersville from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Sunday, then close early next week through Thursday with a goal of opening for the season Friday, Dec. 5, said Brian Bossuyt, director of sales and marketing. Camelback plans to have nine trails and four lifts up and running with 10 inches of natural snow plus man-made making for a nice packed powder.
At Elk Mountain Ski Resort in Union Dale, General Manager Greg Confer said he would make a decision today on when to open.
Elk made snow all day Friday and, as of Friday morning, has six or seven trails in good shape. Mr. Confer said he’d like to have 10 good trails, of Elk’s 27, ready before starting the lifts. He’ll base his decision on how great the threat of rain would be.
“We don’t want to open if it’s just going to rain,” he said. “We are going to shoot for the middle of next week.”
Montage Mountain Resorts has tested snow-making equipment and has begun making snow, said Sarah Farrell, director of sales and marketing. “We are all very excited about the snow,” she said. “We’d like to open as soon as conditions and the weather allow.”
Montage is shooting for next week, Ms. Farrell said.
This weekend will have cold temperatures, especially at night, that will be ideal for snow making, said AccuWeather meteorologist Carl Erickson. Some flurries today could lead up to an inch of additional accumulation in some places. The beginning of the week will get wet, however, with above-freezing temperatures and rain Monday.
Contact the writer: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com