Coping with less-than-ideal snow

He wasn't happy.

But was it the fault of the ski resort? Or was it the fault of unrealistic expectations?

This is a very popular resort, noted for making a lot of snow and grooming it perfectly. In fact, it ranks high among my favorite resorts to ski early in the season, and whenever conditions are less than perfect.

This resort attracts lots of skiers and riders, they have enough lifts, base lodges, rental equipment, snowmaking and grooming to handle crowds. In a normal year, his visit would have been on just another busy day in a holiday week.

A ghostly skier carves through the mist and fog on New Year's Day at Killington, Vermont. The visibility wasn't great, but the snow was soft, smooth and wonderful, and the slopes were almost empty. (Tim Jones Photo)

But the early portion of the 2006-2007 ski season has been particularly tough going. We just haven't had consistent cold weather to allow resorts to stockpile snow. Instead, resort managers have had to struggle to get terrain open and to keep it open. So limited terrain has been the rule.

Better than no terrain, right?

Normally, especially early in the season when terrain is limited, resorts charge less for their tickets. But in a holiday week, that makes no sense. High ticket prices help resorts recoup some of the huge costs of making and grooming snow. Besides, lower ticket prices would just mean bigger crowds. See the dilemma?

Still, the skiing and riding has been pretty darned good if you understand the limitations imposed by lousy weather and made good choices about when and where to go.

Marilyn and I had a fabulous day at Mount Sunapee the day before Christmas. No one there, good snow on the trails they had open.

Two days after Christmas, Okemo Mountain Resort was crowded -- but had great snow early in the day. About what you'd expect on a busy holiday. My sons and I had a wonderful time together.

December 30 saw a modest "snow event" across northern new England. On Saturday evening, I was on my Tele gear at Crotched Mountain enjoying fresh, soft snow under the lights. It would be hard to imagine better conditions. Crotched isn't a big mountain, but it's rarely crowded and they sure know how to make and groom snow.

New Year's Eve at Sugarbush offered plenty of snow, great conditions and modest crowds on a beautiful sunny day. You needed sharp edges later in the day, but that's to be expected.

New Year's Day is almost always a great day to ski. We were at Killington. It rained early in the morning and a gray, misty day kept all but the hardest of the hardcore indoors. I skied from 10 until 3 on empty slopes, and lots of soft snow. Truly wonderful snow conditions, even if visibility wasn't great

The following morning, the snow had firmed up, but the slopes were nearly empty. Much of the upper mountain, where everyone wants to ski, was boilerplate, awaiting another round of grooming. But the snow on Bear, Snowden and Ramshead was beautifully groomed consistent and very fast.

See what I mean? You can complain about the conditions. Or you can change your attitude, go skiing or riding anyway, and enjoy yourself.

Tips for coping with less-than-ideal snow

Here are some tips for getting the best of a less-than-ideal snow year.

1. Take Chances:
   Just because there's no snow in your yard doesn't mean there's no snow on the hills. We have been getting enough cold weather that most resorts have a variety of terrain open and well covered with snow. The snow is always better on the slopes than it is in your living room or office . . .
    
2. Make Informed Choices:
   Now, more than ever we have the resources of the world wide web to help us decide where and when to ski or ride. By all means check out the snow reports and pay close attention to the snowmaking and grooming. Your best bet is terrain that has been recently groomed. Also watch the weather. If it was cold last night, and warm today then you are likely to find better conditions than if everything froze up overnight and remains frozen. Smaller areas with less terrain open are less likely to be crowded.
    
3. Try Somewhere New.
   If you are tired of limited terrain at one are, you can get plenty of variety by trying different areas. Most small resorts have good snow and smaller crowds.
    
4. Have Realistic Expectations.
   Weekends and holidays will be crowded unless the weather's terrible. If it rained last night, don't expect powder. Ski resorts can't control the weather.
    
5. Make Appropriate Adjustments.
   If you get to the mountain and the snow is frozen solid, get your edges sharpened and take a lesson to learn how to use them. If it's crowded in the morning, take an early lunch and ski or ride through the afternoon.