On the 15th day of spring, nature is being kinder to skiers than daffodils.
The slopes are still open at some Poconos ski mountains at the end of an above-average season for most regional resorts.
Camelback Mountain Resort in Tannersville is open daily through Saturday and the Big Boulder section of Jack Frost Big Boulder Ski Area in Kidder Twp. is still open on weekends.
Other regional ski areas have enough snow to be open if it weren't for a seasonal waning of interest, said Gregg Confer, general manager of Elk Mountain Ski Resort near Union Dale, which closed for the season on March 29.
"Right now we could easily be open for two weeks," he said. "We have no bare spots on the hill. It's unbelievable."
The winter's long and steady chill helped make up for a slow start to the ski season and created fairly consistent conditions for snowmaking.
"We're definitely a weather-driven business," Jack Frost general manager Mark Daubert said. "We didn't get a lot of natural snow in terms of big snows, but once the cold air got here we were able to make snow."
Small but persistent periods of snowfall and cold weather in population hubs like Philadelphia kept winter sports on people's minds and drew visitors to the mountains after a year when mild temperatures kept people away.
Snö Mountain at Montage, which closed for the season on March 20, had a better-than-average winter, general manager Mark Verrastro said. The ski area was particularly pleased with the steady turnout of beginners and families.
"We seemed to be attracting a lot of first-time skiers for lessons and families getting off the couch for the winter," he said. "There was a sustained cold front and people were looking for things to do."
Mr. Confer said both the Elk management and its skiers were "thrilled" with the season, the snow surface and the weather.
Local skiers stayed local, he said.
Contact the writer: llegere@timesshamrock.com