Okay, SOME will argue the title of today’s FirsTrax post is click bait, but does that apply to April Fool’s Day? Really loud thunder rocked my windows this morning and about 0.5″ of rain has fallen since midnight. That certainly supported Sugar Mountain’s decision to close up after Thursday’s session.
…and NO, we had no snow, and NO, Sugar Mountain Resort is not open. It is, after all, April Fool’s Day!
The Photo of the Day, absent of any snowy conditions in the Southeast, is from Scott DW Smith, provided by Wolf creek Ski Area in Colorado. (Hey, I HAD to support my click-bait title!?!)
My two youngest daughters fell for my trick this morning. To defend both of them, they have heard me ranting on how crazy the weather has been this season. So as they texted me “good morning and asked what I was up to” I answered with, “After the rain last night, the temps dipped enough that we got a surprise 2″ of snow and that prompted Sugar to open for one more weekend – so I have to do the snow report.”
They both answered me with, “That is crazy and leave it to Sugar to do that.”
I replied, “Gotcha”.
Snowshoe Mountain is OPEN and THAT is NO April Fool’s Day Joke.
I know all of the team up at Snowshoe and there is no question that they were acting in favor of their fans and season pass holders when they announced extending the season through April 2nd a couple of weeks ago. At the time, Snowshoe’s conditions looked nearly in mid-season form. However, rains, more rains, heavy fog and more heavy fog have put a damper on those wishes for a great finishing weekend.
Some on social media have taken to some negative comments about how Snowshoe should have closed earlier and they should not be open as “sketch” as it looks.
Snowshoe just got “caught” with some bad luck. Unlike ski areas that are mostly just ski areas, Snowshoe books a lot of rooms and has to keep a level of staff working to handle dining, etc. When they made the decision to remain open, they were locked into it and unfortunately sometimes bets work out great and sometimes, not so much.
Trust us, Snowshoe is ONLY about delivering the best product available. It took some consistently tough weather conditions to reduce the base as much as it has, but they ARE open for two more days.
…and there are people who are thankful and who will be getting in a couple more runs.
Snowshoe Mountain posted this morning:
It’s looking more wet and windy than wild and wonderful here on the mountain this morning.
We are under a high wind warning (through 8PM) so there may be impacts to lift operations at times. The good news is that we’ll have a beautiful closing day on tap for tomorrow after this system moves on through. Spruce is open as a terrain park. Progression is open as a green ski trail. There are some thin areas and bare patches so ski/ride with caution.
Our season passholders can now say they skied in 6 months of the year here at Snowshoe – even in a down year for snowfall! Be sure to renew your pass before the renewal discount expires and prices jump at midnight tomorrow.
That reference to skiing in six separate months is a marketing coup that doesn’t happen in the Southeast all that often. Kudos to Snowshoe’s crew.
Snowshoe mentioned some high wind warnings. We are seeing forecasted winds as high as 60 mph for this afternoon here in the High Country of Western North Carolina. Sustained winds of from 25-35 mph are not anything to sneeze at either.
Snowshoe’s forecast is for winds in the 23-32 mph range, with peak winds to around 65 mph. I can only IMAGINE the wind tunnel that IS the “Village of Snowshoe” when those arrive this afternoon!
A CHANCE OF SNOW ON THE LAST DAY OF THE SEASON?
Yes, and THAT is also no April Fool’s Day joke. There is a 20% chance of light snow before 10am Sunday morning atop Snowshoe’s 4848′ elevations. We’re pulling for THEM and any of the on-mountain visitors who booked the trip and who are there today and Sunday.
Lack of Skiers is What Forces ALL Ski Resorts to Shut Down…
I was reading a Denver Post news story from yesterday (written by John Meyer) and it alluded to FIVE, Colorado ski areas that are closing this weekend, with another two to close next weekend…WITH TEN-TO-FOURTEEN FEET of base snow being reported!
Despite receiving more than 39 feet of snow since November, many resorts are closing, NOT for a lack of snow, but a lack of skier interest. Wolf Creek spokeswoman, Rosanne Pitcher supported what we have long reported and shared on this website. She shared:
“We found there’s too little people that have an interest in (April) skiing,” said Wolf Creek spokeswoman Rosanne Pitcher. “That’s always been our meter — if we don’t have enough skiers to make it worthwhile for us. The other thing is that more areas will be open surrounding us. Monarch is going to stay open late (April 16), Purgatory (April 23), Santa Fe (April 16). With that many other areas open around us, we just felt like we’re going to end it on the ninth.”
By the way, all of these closings come with the weather forecast of many of those areas expecting double-digit snowfall and another mountain storm system anticipated early next week.
Crazy weather. Right?
Today will be wild and woolly but if you’re one of the brave, few, diehards still playing here in the Southeast or anywhere, really – send us an email with comments and photos and we will share them. Email/SkiMail [email protected]
By the way, it doesn’t seem that you guys and gals (our readers and followers) are ready to call it quits. We’ve never had as many late season visitors as we are seeing right now. More than 70,000 over the last four days. Thank YOU for making what we do here at SkiSoutheast and ResortCams so worth it.