Game over, Game on...go skiing...

February 06, 2012|Heather Burke, Globe Staff

Newsflash — there is good skiing this season in New England

People, we have been over this before. Just because there is no snow in your backyard does not mean the skiing in the mountains is no good. You see, there is this not so modern invention called snowmaking.

Ski areas, particularly those in northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, have mid-winter ski conditions, deep base depths and most of their terrain open for your skiing and riding. Yes, it has been a lean year for natural snowfall, and there have been more rain events than any of us would like, but the skiing at Stowe, Jay Peak, Sugarbush, Bretton Woods and Loon, Sunday River, Saddleback and Sugarloaf (to name a few) are very good having received fresh snow in the past weeks on top of months of snowmaking.

Ironically I have skied three resorts in three states in the past three weeks, and at each the locals have said, “we are like the only resort with snow this season.” I personally love this passion, and protectiveness of their ski mountain above all others, so I do not bother correcting them.

I will however advise that the early bird gets the cord, the freshly groomed snow is really the best. Machine made snow does get firm (ok, even icy) as the day goes on, skiers and riders skid some of the softer snow off the slopes. On the flipside, manmade snow breaks down more slowly than natural, so snowmaking powerhouse resorts with deep snow depths are well set for spring skiing. But don’t wait that long.

Football is game over, it’s February, it’s time to go skiing. Stop looking at the brown ground in your backyard and go to the mountains.

Photo of Stowe by Greg Burke