Snow is in the air, at least up north, and temperatures have fallen into the teens all over the state, so it must be time for ski areas to open.
And, indeed, Bretton Woods opened for a half-day Wednesday and full time Thursday, kicking off the annual rush of alpine openings. Wildcat and Loon mountains follow suit on Friday and Cranmore will open Saturday.
Further south, skiers will have to wait a bit. Mount Sunapee plans to open Nov. 27, Ragged Mountain on Nov. 29 and Pats Peak on Dec. 7. Crotched Mountain has not yet announced its opening day.
In Vermont, Killington has been open since Nov. 3, and Mount Snow moved its start date to this past Wednesday. Bromley Mountain will hold a soft open Saturday and Sunday, and several other ski areas — Okemo, Stowe, Stratton, Bolton Valley and Jay Peak — will kick off the season next weekend. Suicide Six, Mad River Glen will open Dec. 14.
The region is hoping for a repeat of last year, when cold weather arrived early and stayed late. For example, in 2018 Wildcat opened in October for the first time in ages, while Cranmore had its longest season in its 81-year history. SkiNH, an industry group, estimated there were 2.1 million annual alpine visits and 119,421 cross-country visits last winter, with tubing doing particularly well, increasing 18% from the 2017-18 season.
Long-range weather forecasts don’t look quite that favorable to skiers this winter, with the National Weather Service predicting warmer-than-average temperatures and average precipitation through March.
The changing climate, however, makes weather harder to predict. And from the point of view of resorts’ bottom line it doesn’t take much to alter a ski season’s fortunes — a big storm that arrives midweek will pack the slopes in the following days, but the same traffic-snarling storm during the weekend dampens turnout. Further, a few degrees’ change in air temperature can turn lovely snow into a nasty bout of freezing rain.
This is especially important during Christmas week and school holiday weeks, which collectively make up a big chunk of seasonal income.
The big news for the industry is the purchase this summer of Crotched, Wildcat and Attitash by Vail Resorts. The mountains will honor the existing “Peak Pass” from previous owner Peak Resorts as well as the “Epic Pass” from Vail.
A technical change creeping through the industry is the demise of the traditional paper ski pass, the kind you clip to your jacket so staff can see it while in the lift line. Loon Mountain this year joins a few other resorts switching to RFID passes, which can automatically open gates and confirm ticket purchases. Ski areas like them largely because they cut down on necessary lift-line staff.
This season, 16 New England ski areas in three states are expected to use RFID passes, according to NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com.
The Valley News contributed to this report.