| A slow start to the ski season for the New England | | | | as my family was going to Sugarbush for 8 days |
| ski resorts is difficult for those of us with high | | | | over the February vacation and I was worried about |
| anxiety levels and that just want to get out to the | | | | having limited skiing and riding the entire week. My |
| slopes. It is by no means any indication of how the | | | | worries went out the window the day before we |
| overall ski season will play out. In fact, there have | | | | were leaving. The Valentines storm dropped an |
| been some great ski seasons when things were slow | | | | average of four feet throughout the Northern ski |
| to get started early on. | | | | areas. Vacation saved. Sugarbush and Mad River Glen |
| The days of bragging rights for the first to be open | | | | were both 100% open the entire week with |
| and the last to close are somewhat of a memory. | | | | conditions that rival those out west. |
| Many seasons the resorts have to close after their | | | | The season did not end there. In March most of the |
| initial startup because of a washout storm or | | | | northern areas received a few more feet of snow |
| unseasonably warm temperatures that prevent 24/7 | | | | except for some rain early in the month. The rain |
| snowmaking. | | | | was early enough not to wipe out the conditions and |
| I have done some research for trends in snowfall | | | | anything lost was replenished. |
| amounts and temperatures at the Northeastern ski | | | | April. While kids were starting spring sports and |
| areas to see if there is any correlation between | | | | everybody is planting shrubs and lawns, shining their |
| seasons with a slow start and the effect of the | | | | golf clubs or whatever, the ski areas were getting |
| overall conditions for the rest of the winter and really | | | | pounded by snow. We went to Killington for the |
| can't conclude that what happens in November and | | | | Sunshine Daydream festival the weekend of April 14 |
| December makes or breaks a good ski year. | | | | and they could have been running almost to capacity |
| A perfect example of a slow start ski season is 06 | | | | if the seasonal workers hadn't gone home. It was |
| 07. The skiing throughout New England for the | | | | unbelievable. |
| holidays was absolutely terrible with some of the | | | | The key for Eastern skiers and riders is to maintain |
| southern areas barely able to open. January was not | | | | reasonable early season expectations. Some seasons |
| much better until about the 3rd week when | | | | start slow but will end up awesome as the example |
| temperatures finally dropped and many places got up | | | | above shows. So don't panic when there are no good |
| to 2 feet of snow so trail counts increased and | | | | snow reports in November and early December. |
| conditions were improving daily. | | | | History shows that a tough start has nothing to do |
| Finally February arrived. I had been panicking all winter | | | | with how the overall season will go into the books. |