Snow Zone

Click here to the piece I wrote this weekend.

What a difference a few days make.

Many resorts including Stratton Mountain in southern Vermont again have 100 percent of their terrain. That’s remarkable considering the damage from Monday’s torrential rain.

Several days of cold temperatures provided the salvation allowing snowmakers to cover the slopes again. Photo above is from Ascutney in Vermont that is reporting 30 trails open today, mainly intermediate and novice trails.

Weather looks good for the days ahead with an increasing chance of snow later in the week.

Happy sliding!

It’s going to be a great weekend for skiing and snowboarding. Sure, it will be a little cold, but it’s a lot better than that miserable rain and warm temperatures earlier this week.

Since Monday, ski areas have worked overtime making snow and grooming after heavy rains did a number on trails. Expect between 80 percent of terrain open at most areas.

Saturday looks like the pick of the weekend with sunny skies and temps in the 20s.

Video marks the 75th anniversary of the Stowe, VT. ski patrol.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell today announced improvements to the long-closed Powder Ridge ski area in Middlefield.

While there remains some uncertainty on The Ridge’s return as a true ski area, it does offer some hope.

Here’s Rell’s official announcement:

 Governor Rell: State Assisting Middlefield with Utility Upgrades at Powder Ridge Property 

 Improvements Will Create 25 Full-Time, 200 Part-Time Jobs

     Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that the state will help the Town of Middlefield make much-needed improvements to the former site of the Powder Ridge Ski Resort, allowing a developer to build a year-round recreational facility that will create 25 full-time jobs and as many as 200 seasonal jobs.

            “Powder Ridge was a Connecticut institution for 50 years, serving as a vibrant winter destination for scores of residents and vacationers,” Governor Rell said. “Now dormant and in disrepair, Powder Ridge can recover its former glory. These improvements will pave the way for a new owner with a vision of restoring the mountain as an economic engine – not just in the winter but all year round.

            “It is easy to see the opportunities this investment will help create,” the Governor said. “From an economic development perspective, it brings new jobs and new tax revenues for the town, while the state’s investment leverages the millions of dollars that the new developer will be investing in the project. From the tourism perspective, the project revives a cultural asset and brings new recreational and entertainment benefits to residents of the region and the state as a whole. And from a quality of life perspective, we will once again see families and visitors roaming this lovely property again and enjoying all this beautiful setting has to offer – all year round.”

            The town took ownership of the roughly 250-acre property on Powder Hill Road last year. The town plans improvements on two fronts:

• Electrical upgrades: Three new transformers; underground cables and wiring hookups; and pumps and compressors at the base for snowmaking.
• Septic system upgrades: Excavation; new tanks; pump chamber flow tanks; granular back fill; topsoil, fill; and other requirements for the new system.

            Through the Department of Economic and Community Development, the state will provide a $540,000 grant to Middlefield. The improvements will make it possible for the partnership of CDF & Associates of Windham, N.Y., and Snow Time of York, Pa., to buy 125 acres and operate a four season, outdoor recreational park. The partners will commit an additional $2 million to $3 million to improve the restaurant, ski lodge and chairlifts.

New England snowboarders are well represented on the U.S. Olympic Team.

Among them is Mount Snow, Vermont native Kelly Clark, left, who will be heading back to the Winter Olympics after being selected to the U.S. team earlier this week. Clark won a gold medal in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake.

The 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada begin Feb. 12.

Other New Englanders include Lindsey Jacobellis from Stratton Mountain; Scotty Lago, Seabrook, N.H.; Hannah Teter, Belmont, Vt.; Seth Wescott, Sugarloaf, Maine; and Michelle Gorgone, Boston.

The following is the 2010 U.S. OLYMPIC SNOWBOARDING TEAM
(name, hometown, age as of opening ceremonies, birthdate, (past Olympics))

Halfpipe Men
Greg Bretz, Mammoth Lakes, CA, 19, 12/19/1990
Scotty Lago, Seabrook, NH, 22, 11/12/1987
Louie Vito, Sandy, UT, 21, 3/20/1988
Shaun White, Carlsbad, CA, 23, 9/3/1986 (2006)

Halfpipe Women
Gretchen Bleiler, Aspen, CO, 28, 04/10/1981 (2006)
Kelly Clark, W. Dover, VT, 26, 07/26/1983 (2002, 2006)
Elena Hight, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 20, 08/17/1989 (2006)
Hannah Teter, Belmont, VT, 23, 01/27/1987 (2006)

SBX Men
Nick Baumgartner, Iron River, MI, 28, 12/17/1981
Nate Holland, Squaw Valley, CA, 31, 11/8/1978 (2006)
Graham Watanabe, Sun Valley, ID, 27, 03/19/1982 (2006)
Seth Wescott, Sugarloaf, ME, 33, 06/28/1976 (2006)

SBX Women
Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, Girdwood, AK, 24, 04/17/1985
Faye Gulini, Salt Lake City, UT, 17, 03/24/1992
Lindsey Jacobellis, Stratton Mountain, VT, 24, 08/19/1985 (2006)

PGS Men
Tyler Jewell, Steamboat Springs, CO, 32, 02/21/1977 (2006)
Chris Klug, Aspen, CO, 37, 11/18/1972 (1998, 2002)

PGS Women
Michelle Gorgone, Boston, MA, 26, 10/18/1983 (2006)

Killington in Vermont has a new round of Deal Grabbers that end at 11:59 p.m. today.
The multi-day deals generally knock about $20 off a a regular $77 ticket. The more days, the more savings. Tickets need to be purchased online. The tickets must be used NEXT WEEK, valid Jan. 31, Feb. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, 2010. For details, go here.

Think I’ll stay on the groomed trails.

After Monday’s drenching rain and warm temperatures, ski areas will be trying to recover lost ground (and snow) today. Grooming will be the first order of business followed by a new round of snowmaking once the temperature dips again.

Across the Northeast trail counts have dropped because everyone just smacked with this rain. Snow conditions are all over the map; wet, frozen granular, loose granular and variable.

Unless, you got plans you can’t break … or lose money … it would be best to wait a day or two for ski areas to recover.

Today, Mount Snow in southern Vermont has limited amount of terrain open, down from about 100 percent a few days ago. It’s not that they lost that much snow, but the trails need to be closed so groomers can do their work.

Here’s how the Mount Snow folks explain it:

“The mountain is operating under a different set of circumstances this morning. We are opening with 29% this morning, which is sensible only with an explanation. The snow cats won’t groom wet snow that will eventually freeze; they’d rather wait until after it hardens to grind it up into loose granular that create skiable terrain. Having that been said, temperatures did not drop until around 3 a.m. which only gave us time to groom 11 trails for opening this morning. Trails will continue to be groomed during the day, and as each trail gets properly groomed we will announce its opening and update the snow report.”

Farther north in Vermont, Mad River Glen is closed “after Mother Nature gave us a good old fashion beatdown.” They are closed to preserve their snow. It’s Roll Back the Clock Day (with $3.50) has been rescheduled for April 1. Magic Mountin in southern Vermont is also closed and hopes to reopen Friday.

Catamount in Massachusetts says it needs another day to get this ready.

The good news? It’s getting cold again and there is a chance of snow later in the week. Let’s hope.

Pretty depressing news today in Ski Country as heavy rains soak Eastern ski areas.

Many ski areas, like Mohawk, Ski Sundown and Southington in Connecticut, Catamount and Ski Butternut  in Massachusetts  didn’t even bother to open today. The big reason? To cut their losses because who would bother to show up anyway.

Major northern New England resorts are open, but despite what PR people say about soft snow, it’s a miserable day out there. Check the radar for an update.

To make matters worse, high winds have closed some lifts. In Vermont, Mount Snow is charging half-day tickets because high winds are limiting lift operations.

Things will improve later this week when cold temperatures return. Hopefully, we’re all be walking on snow soon. The Snow Gods owe us.

The name of this video, from some German skiers, is make em’ wet … not from rain, but spraying snow.
It has nothing to so with the sucky rain we’re getting, but it’s a cool video to watch, with some awesome scenery.
Better days are coming. Certainly not today.