JEFFERSONVILLE, Vt.-
A winter storm blanketed parts of Vermont with fresh snow Tuesday 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 8 inches more was possible in some areas through Wednesday morning, ending a drought that spelled slow early season business for ski areas that depend on it.
At Smugglers’ Notch, up to 2 inches fell.
“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Chris Lenois, spokesman for Mount Snow resort, which got an inch of snow overnight and expected up to 6 inches more Tuesday. “We look at this as the beginning of our true season. The fact that we’re able to talk about snow in the forecast, and the fact that we’ve been open since Thanksgiving, is driving traffic here.”
Mount Snow, in the southern Vermont town of Dover, had 24 trails and eight lifts open–only a fraction of its total operation, but enough for skiers left high and dry by last year’s unseasonably warm ski season.
“Last season was a struggle for the whole ski industry in the northeast,” Lenois said. “There’s definitely a pent-up demand. People are here and they’re ready to ski, regardless of how many trails we have open.”
For most of Vermont, it wasn’t a white Christmas. But snow fell overnight–3 inches in Bethel, about 2 1/2 in Northfield and Worcester–and total accumulations of 12 inches were possible before the storm passed, according to the National Weather Service, which posted a winter storm warning.
“It’s been a long time coming for many people,” said Weather Service meteorologist Eric Evenson, in Burlington. “This is the first situation where we’ve had a well-defined low pressure system. If the temperatures were much lower, we’d be seeing a lot more snow. It’s been a struggle this year to get the cold air we typically see in our area.”
Robert Mulcahy, president of Smugglers’ Notch Resort, said the resort’s business had been hampered by lack of snow and warm temperatures that made snowmaking difficult.
“It certainly has been different than anything I’ve experienced in my tenure at Smugglers’. We’ve had years where we didn’t have natural snow, but we were able to make it. This year’s been unusual because it’s been so warm. The local market is off substantially,” he said.
