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Eastern Resorts Suffering, Europe Not Far Behind

By J.D. O'Connor
December 27, 2006

Unfavorable conditions in the Eastern U.S. and Europe has prompted a host of cutbacks at resorts from Pennslvania to Switzerland. Pagan rituals, aggressive snowmaking, and creative administration has yet to sway the weather, and some areas say they can't hold out much longer.

"The European resorts have a history of painting the best picture possible," said Jean Devareaux, a British skier wintering in Chamonix. "Friends look at their Web sites and say 'My god, look at all the snow!' only to find the images are from late last year. They can't believe it's as sparse as it is here."

And while areas in Austria, France, Italy, and Switzerland struggle to keep their lifts running, their slopes covered, and the tourists coming, many of their American counterparts find themselves in the same boat.

"It's very frustrating because everyone is making the best effort to do the best they can, but you still have to rely on the weather," said Dick Barron, director of ski operations at Seven Springs in Champion, Pa. "We've had bad seasons in the past, but this is probably going to be the worst that I have seen, season-wise, as far as the weather is concerned."

Barron, who has been with Seven Springs for 38 years, said he is usually grooming 60 to 70 inches of fresh by this time of year. Instead, he's pushing 10 inches around and can only hope for more.

Tim Lyons, marketing director at Blue Knob Ski Resort in Blair County, said the area could only watch as Christmas - and their planned Boxing Day opening - slid by.

"To lose part of Christmas week, it is tough on the resort," he said.

Lyons said the resort is hoping temperatures will drop sufficiently to make snow this week, but he wasn't sure the weather gods would smile on him.

Some areas are pleading their case directly, and to whatever deity will listen.

Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie is hosting a "Sacrifice to the Snow Gods" party Friday. In an attempt to sway things their way, resort personnel and local skiers and boarders will toss their planks onto a sacrificial pyre in a last-ditch effort to gain a sympathetic ear.

All in all, areas from Pennsylvania to New York are trying to time their openings, opening and closing with the frequency of tenement windows.

Bear Creek opened three of its 22 trails Dec. 14, but closed four days later because the cold weather didn't stick around and it was too warm to make snow.

"For us not to be open right now, we're certainly feeling it," said Bear Creek spokeswoman Mary Bortz.

And she's not alone.

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Comments

Scary. 32 years in the business and this is by far the worst I've seen. Snowmaking technology takes us three steps forward while the increasing weather temperatures take us back four. We need to seriously start thinking outside the box about new types of gravity powered activities for the masses that can keep us operating year round? Take a look at what we are doing at the Wisp with our White Water Course. Right idea...but just a glimpse of the wild new things to come in the near future.

Posted by: Mike Sites | December 28, 2006 04:05 PM