Ski Season

DENVER -- The biggest October snowstorm to hit Colorado in several years dumped up to 20 inches yesterday, grounding flights, closing highways, knocking out electricity -- and jump-starting the ski season. At one point, snow was falling at a rate of about 3 inches an hour in Denver. A 125-mile corridor from Colorado Springs to the New Mexico line was under a blizzard warning. The storm began late Wednesday and turned highways wet and slushy in cities from Pueblo to Colorado Springs and Denver to Fort Collins.

Okay, so winter 2011-12 will go down in New England ski history as anything but the perfect ski season, reminded me of 1978-79. Low natural snow and record warm temps made it tough for skiers. But sometimes you just have to keep the faith, right Red Sox and Pats fans?! If you quit, cop out, blame the snow gods and just stop going, you are definitely not going to get that epic ski day. Not every ski day is perfect, but you have to put yourself out there to get the goods.

Last night, the kids from Famous Internet Skiers hit up Killington, where they reported a foot of snow at summit.  I think it's safe to say the East Coast ski season has begun.

How funny that it snowed Halloween, rained on Christmas, and snowed again on Easter in the mountains of New England - albeit just a flurry. Ski resort operators probably do not see the humor in Mother Nature's mercurial games. Hey, there are snow flurries in the forecast this week too, so the "funny" weather continues. Ha, ha. Ski season is not over, lifts are still turning at a few ski areas and there will be skiing next weekend, and perhaps even beyond. Wildcat is closed this week, with plans to reopen next weekend April 14-15.

Okay, so winter 2011-12 will go down in New England ski history as anything but the perfect ski season, reminded me of 1978-79. Low natural snow and record warm temps made it tough for skiers. But sometimes you just have to keep the faith, right Red Sox and Pats fans?! If you quit, cop out, blame the snow gods and just stop going, you are definitely not going to get that epic ski day. Not every ski day is perfect, but you have to put yourself out there to get the goods.

How funny that it snowed Halloween, rained on Christmas, and snowed again on Easter in the mountains of New England - albeit just a flurry. Ski resort operators probably do not see the humor in Mother Nature's mercurial games. Hey, there are snow flurries in the forecast this week too, so the "funny" weather continues. Ha, ha. Ski season is not over, lifts are still turning at a few ski areas and there will be skiing next weekend, and perhaps even beyond. Wildcat is closed this week, with plans to reopen next weekend April 14-15.

Vermont's 2011-2012 ski season is getting under way. The Killington and Mount Snow ski resorts plan to open one trail each on Saturday. The mountains that make up Killington resort received nine inches of snow in the last 24 hours. The resorts are welcoming the arrival of winter two months after their communities were cut off from the outside world by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene. Both resorts hope to be open Saturday and Sunday. After Sunday, operations will depend on conditions.

The manager of Maine’s Mount Abram Family Ski Resort in Greenwood says a ski lodge will be ready for customers when the ski season begins, now scheduled for Dec. 10. General Manager Kevin Rosenberg says the resort will be open for fall activities as well. Rosenberg says it’s unclear if the building will be repaired or demolished and a new one built. The fire didn’t spread far beyond the west wing of the lodge, but the entire building was damaged by smoke and water.

JEFFERSONVILLE, Vt. -- A winter storm blanketed parts of Vermont with fresh snow yesterday, and more was on the way, providing a timely boost to ski resorts for one of the biggest weeks in their year. Up to 3 inches of fresh snow fell overnight, and an additional 8 inches was possible in some areas through this morning , ending a drought that had made for a slow start to the ski season for businesses that depend on it. "It couldn't have come at a better time," said Chris Lenois, spokesman for Mount Snow resort.

All is right with the world, and New Englanders in particular have much to smile about. The New England Patriots are going to their seventh Super Bowl. And winter finally arrived in the mountains with last week?s snowstorms, albeit a little late for California, Utah, Colorado and The East. If the start to the ski season was painful - perhaps even ugly at times, so was the Patriot?s victory over the Ravens. But we New Englanders can be forgetful or at least forgiving, once we are winning.

With goggle tans and bare torsos on display at ski areas around New England, resorts that got a late start because of unusually mild weather in November and December are facing an early end to the season because of sweltering temperatures in March. Temperatures that soared into the 70s last weekend and into the 80s this week are wreaking havoc on spring skiing, driving some resorts to close several weeks earlier than usual. Just a few days ago, half the trails in Vermont and New Hampshire were open; now only about a quarter remain.

BRIDGTON, Maine - The half moon shone brightly but not enough to fully illuminate the snowy path. Instead, four headlamps created streams of light as we skied and snowboarded down a trail at the Shawnee Peak ski area, bound for a small rustic cabin. My partner, Jan Duprey, and I were sandwiched between a pair of ski patrollers turned porters who carried our backpacks filled with sleeping bags, slippers, food, and other necessities. Instead of a front-desk check-in, we rode the chairlift to the summit of western Maine's Pleasant Mountain.

All is right with the world, and New Englanders in particular have much to smile about. The New England Patriots are going to their seventh Super Bowl. And winter finally arrived in the mountains with last week?s snowstorms, albeit a little late for California, Utah, Colorado and The East. If the start to the ski season was painful - perhaps even ugly at times, so was the Patriot?s victory over the Ravens. But we New Englanders can be forgetful or at least forgiving, once we are winning.

On a recent sleety afternoon, ski teams from high schools in several suburbs south of Boston took a two-hour bus ride to compete at Ski Ward in Shrewsbury. The race was on, fingers crossed. "It was a go. They had the snow," said Steve Traister, athletic director at Milton High School, describing the relief he felt last Thursday when he zoomed in on slope conditions via webcam. "It wasn't perfect, but we didn't have to cancel," he said, before adding, "my God, though, it's pouring rain out here in Milton - what's it doing there?"

On a recent sleety afternoon, ski teams from high schools in several suburbs south of Boston took a two-hour bus ride to compete at Ski Ward in Shrewsbury. The race was on, fingers crossed. "It was a go. They had the snow," said Steve Traister, athletic director at Milton High School, describing the relief he felt last Thursday when he zoomed in on slope conditions via webcam. "It wasn't perfect, but we didn't have to cancel," he said, before adding, "my God, though, it's pouring rain out here in Milton - what's it doing there?"

Last night, the kids from Famous Internet Skiers hit up Killington, where they reported a foot of snow at summit.  I think it's safe to say the East Coast ski season has begun.

If the Rockies lose the World Series, most people in Colorado will go: A. into a deep depression. B. straight to the fridge and grab another cold Coors Light. C. skiing. If you answered C, then you understand Coloradans all too well and need not read any further. The 103d edition of the Fall Classic is not really a fair contest, not off the field, anyway. Having won 21 of their last 22 games entering last night's opener, the Rockies are the hottest team in baseball.

PORTLAND, Maine — An October inspection uncovered three problems with a Sugarloaf ski lift that derailed and fell to the ground this week, injuring eight people, but the issues appeared to be routine, according to an inspection report. An inspector found that the 35-year-old East Spillway lift needed a guard placed over a drive shaft running from an electric motor to a service brake and recommended that trees and brush be cut under the top section of the chair’s run. He also wrote that some of the numbers on the lift towers were missing or not visible.