Each year, as the air turns crisp and winter approaches, the Capital District’s favorite skiing destinations prepare to make snow to start the season before natural flakes begin to fall.
It has become a necessity for many area mountains to begin making snow in the fall, as hitting the slopes over Thanksgiving weekend has become a tradition for families looking for outdoor adventures instead of shopping centers. A stable opening weekend can also portend success in the rest of the year.
Staff at Gore Mountain began making snow before Election Day, with the intent to open on Friday, Nov. 23. After acquiring 160 high-efficiency tower guns to help produce snow in 2011, Gore spokeswoman Emily Stanton said several more were purchased this year with three additional grooming tractors.
“Snowmaking all depends on the weather,” she said. “We’ve learned our lesson and this year we’re starting earlier than in the past.”
About 2 feet of snow is needed to cover the 37 acres of terrain to make skiing optimal at Gore. So far, only 70 snow guns have been needed as temperatures have been falling into the teens at high altitudes.
Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid has also started to make snow with the intent on opening after Thanksgiving. Whiteface Mountain is operated by the same management group as Gore.
“We’ve had some ideal snowmaking temperatures,” said Whiteface spokesman Jon Lundin. “Obviously the weather last year affected our numbers. The previous year was a banner year for snowmaking and last year we just didn’t have it.”
Snow is being made on two trails so far, Lower Valley and Fox, with more expected to be white by the end of the month. Lundin said because of public demand, new snow guns have also been installed on Hoyt’s High Trail on Lookout Mountain. The trail was cut in 2008, but had been left to be covered naturally.
“We were letting Mother Nature take its course, but she wasn’t cooperating,” said Lundin. “We saw the demand was there, so we took the opportunity to do something about it.”
The staff at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in Hancock, Mass. has developed a five-phase plan to get the mountain covered by Christmas. Area ski destinations are now doing their best to attract winter sports enthusiasts even if there isn’t natural snow on the ground. Many resorts are also offering special deals for those still feeling the stings of the recession.
Jiminy Peak plans to put in 250 snowmaking hours in order to cover its 140 acres of terrain by Christmas.
“In order to execute this new snowmaking strategy, Jiminy invested nearly $300,000 in snowmaking improvements including the purchase of 40 additional snow guns and more hoses. Our collection of guns is now at 441 guns and 882 hoses that cover 39 snowmaking trails,” said the company in a news release.
While ski area operators have done their best to take nature out of the equation when it comes to snow, weather remains a top concern.
“A common challenge for all of us to overcome is when people don’t like the weather, they don’t think it will be fun to visit the mountain, but it is,” said Gore’s Stanton. Lundin called it the “out of sight, out of mind” effect.
Locally, Kate Michener of Maple Ski Ridge in Rotterdam, said she expects the ski and snowboarding destination to be open by mid December.
“We’re on target to open then,” she said, adding it took about 1,000 man-hours to keep the hill covered last year with its seven snow machines. “The problem is people are ready to do winter activities when the think it feels like winter.”
Michener said the number of skiers was down overall last year, but the same amount season passes sold remained consistent. She said most people who came had a great time because there were fewer skiers on the slopes. Still, the businesses had lost revenues.
To make up for last year, Maple Ski Ridge opted to stay open year-round and hosted events like 5-K runs, craft fairs and a fall festival. They are also celebrating their 50th year in business with five generations of the same family working on the hill. Michener said they are proud to be able to provide fun, recreational activities to the community for so many decades, but now their goal is getting people back on the slopes.
“Even though Mother Nature might not provide a great season, we can provide snow,” she said. “We need people to realize that even if it isn’t in your backyard, we have snow.”