Let’s get the main notes out of the way first this morning and then enter into some more depth answering the top question on everyone’s mind – when will more normal winter weather return?
First, thanks to Colleen Comer for doing such a great job of serving as my replacement Friday morning. She did too well for my taste! Thanks a lot Colleen! You have an open invitation to fill in anytime!
I am on the road this morning and therefore since there’s not a heck of lot of individuality to “the happenings around the region” I am consolidating the SkiNC.com and SkiSoutheast.com notes today. (If you haven’t made it a habit to read SkiNC each morning and then hop over to SkiSoutheast, you really should because we try to provide a bit more insight as to what’s going on around the entire Southeast and Mid-Atlantic region.)
Some quick notes –
We are still tweaking the weather stations. The one at Beech Mountain has gone nuts as it is displaying some strange numbers this morning. Ignore them. We WISH the temps were as cold as it is displaying!
While you guys are in the “ignore mode ignore the fact some ski report forums are reporting that Sapphire Valley, Canaan Valley and Snowshoe Mountain made snow yesterday or last night. Not so. We don’t know where some of these guys get their data. The Southeastern Ski Areas Association is reporting all of the above made snow. For the record, no resort in the region received temps nearly close enough to fire them up.
Several emailers STILL are reflecting the opinions that the snow on the slopes have all melted away. Not only is that not happening, the conditions at MOST of the ski areas is such that the word “PLENTIFUL” comes to mind – as in PLENTIFUL SNOW DEPTH; PLENTIFUL TRAILS OPEN and more. The surface conditions at most resorts should be summarized as firmer in the morning (after the cool temps and groomers have done their thing) and soft and somewhat slushy in the late hours after the sun has done its thing. However, it should also be noted that the resorts have some area where the snow on the slopes are four feet deep or more. While those depths probably shouldn’t be figured into base depth averages…the fact still remains that there are areas of coverage that are VERY deep. That allows the groomers to work some maintenance magic on the slopes to the point that in the early hours of the day, there are probably very little or no bare spots. Later in the day after skier traffic, you can expect some thin coverage on some trails…and at SOME resorts maybe even a bare spot or two – but nothing like some of you are emailing questions about. Check out the webcams as they are good indicators.
Expect some under-developed snow today but the region’s many meteorologists are all saying that it shouldn’t be a wash-out kind of day.
Hit the slopes and check back here in a bit for an in-depth discussion of what the region’s weather experts are saying about the “return of winter”…and when and if that is going to happen anytime soon.
Thanks to Brad Panovich and Jeffrey Crum for sending me some material that we will share with you guys later today. I’m going to hit the slopes early and then get to that in-depth article. CHECK BACK LATER TODAY!
Until Next Time!
Be sure to check out www.SkiSoutheast.com for more news and stories for all of the Southeast’s ski areas.
Be sure to email photos, snow reports and comments to: [email protected]