Despite Lack Of Snow Skiing Is Near Perfect

Temperatures Allow For Plenty Of Man-Made Powder At Night; Ideal Conditions On Slopes During The Day And Early Evenings

It didn’t start out that way, but the ski season of 2006-07 is shaping up like a banner year for resorts despite the fact that the High Country has had almost no snow to speak of.
“That’s alright with us,” said Grady Moretz at Appalachian Ski Mountain. “As long as we’re able to make snow and hold it on the slopes we’re happy, and the skiers don’t have any trouble getting to us because of slick highways.”
Temperatures well above freezing and rain instead of snow made for a slow start to the ski season and even into January conditions were far from ideal.
It took an extended cold period to change iffy to positive for ski resorts. Nights with lows to the single digits and days that saw the highs in the twenties or low thirties dominated the calendar from early January through early February. With that formula ski conditions at Appalachian and other slopes has been near perfect and frowns have turned to smiles for the industry’s operators and athletes.
Blowing Rock has had some snow, but it has been light and rare. From a dusting to maybe two inches - far less than normal for the mountains. But what the mountains have had is bone-chilling cold, and wind at night and typical winter temperatures during the day.
“We’re anticipating a big weekend,” Moretz said on Monday. “President’s Day weekend traditionally is one of our busiest of the year.”
What’s good for the ski business is good business for merchants also, and Blowing Rock’s streets have been packed with shoppers, especially on weekends.