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Where's the Winter? Story by Michelle Besaw Photos Courtesy of Matthew Andrews Warm weather lovers may have loved the decreased number of negative degree days, and the hours saved from shoveling driveways this winter season. But to those who bank on the feet of snow fall and the endless amount of winter fun, this season has been what many call a dud.
Especially in the North Country, ski resorts are a staple not only the winter economy, but also for the activity endured by avid skiers and riders. It's not news to locals that this winter has been not only warmer, but also lower in the snow category. If you can count on one hand the number of times you've had to shovel your driveway, clean snow off your car, and scrape ice off your windshield, you know this hasn't been a typical winter in Vermont and northern New York.
"I'm hoping for a more promising spring season." According to the Burlington Free Press, ski resort trail-passes were down 30 percent, at a 15 year low. Is this a result of a mild winter? Jesse Weller of Thousand Islands, New York got a Jay Peak season pass for his 21st birthday. At $275, Weller has only used his pass twice this winter season. While work and school have conflicts with his slope time, he also admits that the lack of snow and atypical winter conditions have influenced his decision to take less trips to the slopes. “I'm disappointed because it is the first year I've had a pass, and I feel like the warm winter hasn't allowed for me to use it. When I did go, it was sunny but very windy; however, the snow conditions were okay. I'm hoping for a more promising spring season.” Based on research by the Climate Change Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, the variation of annual temperature has gone up in the North Country between 2.6 and 3 degrees between the years 1899 and 2000. The variation in winter temperature has gone up between 6.1 and 7 degrees between 1970 and 2000. They also found that over the last 100 years, and even more so in the past 30 years, the Northeast has not only become warmer and wetter, but lakes have shown earlier dates of thawing and the sea surface temperatures are warmer. Two hundred and twenty dollars later, Scott Keegan, from Rochester, New York, received his Jay Peak season pass. Although he's only used it twice, he blames his lack of slope time on work, as well as the weather. It takes only six trips to pay off the pass, and Keegan feels that the spring will offer more opportunities. Like Weller, Keegan hopes for a promising spring season to validate the $220 dollar purchase. "We're happy to say that at Whiteface, we are about 20,000 skier/rider visits ahead of last year." On the contrary, Webb Travis of New Lebanon, New York said he bought a season's pass to Jiminey Park for $265 dollars. Over his winter break, Travis went over twenty times to enjoy himself on the new Coyote Ridge terrain park, which is for more advanced skiers and riders and includes a new half-pipe. “The conditions were perfect," said Travis who has been skiing for ten years. “I would definitely buy a pass again next year.” According to Travis, the population of skiers and riders has increased due to the terrain.
Sandy Caligiore, director of communications at Whiteface Mountain was pleased with the overall season. "We're happy to say that, at Whiteface, we are about 20,000 skier/rider visits ahead of last year." Caligiore also says that they had some things in their favor to promote their season. "Yes, the weather has been topsy-turvy. But we had two things in our favor: a great improvement to our snowmaking system before the season began, and great December weather that allowed us to make snow around the clock for 23 consecutive days." She said that these factors got them through the unusually warm holiday months. Being an Olympic year has also paid off for Whiteface. "We received great publicity during last year's 25th anniversary of the Lake Placid winter Olympics, and being an Olympic year creates heightened interest in Lake Placid," Caligiore says. Recent conditions have allowed for virtually the entire mountain to be open — even the double-black diamond slides. That being the case, Caligore anticipates a busy season. "We have two upcoming weeks this month which are Canadian school breaks," she says. "Included in this period are World Cup Snowboarding, and the snoe.down music festival." The forecast calls for typical winter weather after the warm spell. Caligiore says, "barring the unforeseen, it looks like skiing and riding will be good in April." Free passes seem to pay off. Matthew Andrews from Rome, New York, is an employee at Schuss Ski and Bike and receives free passes from the American Ski Corporation, excluding Jay Peak. Sometimes people seem to forget that the mountain tops receive a lot more snow than we see during the season. Andrews said Whiteface opened their "Slides" for the first time in three years. "The Avalanche Slides are made of rock and require a lot a snow in order for people to ski them," he says. As a four-year employee of Schuss Ski and Bike, Andrews hasn't seen that sales were lower, but went in rushes based on the weather. “It depends a lot on the weather for the season,” says Andrews. “The public always wants it.” |
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From
a Professor's Perspective "The jet stream basically stayed way north this winter, allowing a lot of mild Pacific air to flow longitudinally across the country." "Heating degree days are down almost 20 percent for Plattsburgh, which is a great relief to those who pay heating bills." |
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