joshua_segal;c-67251 wroteNewEnglandSkier13;c-67247 wrotejoshua_segal;c-67246 wrotenewpylong;c-67243 wroteThe only thing this season has going for it has been literally a month of non stop prime snowmaking conditions. Which has been awesome no doubt. However beyond that, the lack of snowfall has been pretty depressing.
For those who post season to date snowfall, including Killington, Jay, mad River, etc., etc., snowfall year to date has been normal.
That's why I said that ratings would vary widely, notice that all of the ski areas you listed are in Vermont. Maine and New Hampshire have had far below average snowfall.
They do every year. The new reality is that snowmaking, snowmaking weather, and grooming are as important criteria in the 21st century as is natural snow. This season to date has featured non-stop snowmaking weather since mid-December. The exception was the big rainstorm just after Xmas and it was welcomed by any of the areas that was "water challenged" this season.
As to Maine, most of the big players are reporting 75% or more open terrain. Noting history: Sugarloaf was one of the last holdouts on installing snowmaking, claiming that they didn't need it. This is climate change in action.
I assume that you are only referring to Sunday River, Saddleback, and Sugarloaf. The reality is that the majority of ski areas in this region still rely on natural snow as a major part of their offering, and that is why most ski areas in the state are less than half open. Quoggy Jo, Pinnacle, and Baker have yet to open at all. A significant part of the draw to many ski areas in this region is glade skiing, natural snow trails, and backcountry access. Snowmaking can never solve that. And, like I mentioned, cross country skiing is also a major draw to the state, and it is suffering greatly this season. Quarry Road and Black Mountain are the only two cross country ski areas in the state that make snow.
Even expert skiers who only ski at the mega resorts will have their experience negatively impacted in years like this by either not being able to access glades and natural trails or by conditions being very poor on that type of terrain. So even if the resort is theoretically 75% open, that remaining 25% is where many people would normally spend most of their day.
