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TagsBY BOB WILLIAMS
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING
New Jersey ski areas got snow last week. But New England ski areas got SNOW!
The latest storm that whacked the Garden State – we might as well label it a blizzard – left a mere foot or two of snow here in New Jersey. But the blizzard eventually moved north and hit New England ski areas hard – real hard.
Killington Ski Resort in Vermont, for instance, posted almost five feet of snow. Saddleback in Maine reported a record 64-inches – that's nearly six feet!
What does this mean to the recreational skier and snowboarder? Well, if you plan to ski or snowboard this weekend, you'll probably have some of the best snow conditions in years. And if you head for New England this weekend, you'll probably be in skier's and snowboarder's heaven!
"The epic snow that we just received will set up March like the old days," said Warren Cook, Saddleback's general manager. "March is always the best month for Maine skiing and riding. And April is usually one of the snowiest months of the season, so we have lots of great days to look forward to."Saddleback, one of New England's family ski resorts, is located in the Rangeley Lakes Region of the Western Mountains of Maine. As one of only seven ski mountains in New England with a top elevation of more than 4,000 feet, it offers five lifts to access 66 trails across a 2,000-foot vertical drop.
"I've skied for 30 years, and more than 20 years here in the East, and this past Sunday was pure magic" said Jay Tobias of Yarmouth, Me., in a note to the ski area. "At one point I had two sets of skis and my seven-year-old on my shoulder hiking to the snow fields. To look down from the new ‘head wall' of the Appalachian Trail was worth every step. My boys and I took Telemark turns in thigh-high powder before we even hit the top of Frostbite and Warden's Worry. It was one of those rare days where the stars aligned: there was no wind and fresh powder. Watching my kids giggle as snow flew in every direction was pure joy! It was a day to remember and the single best day of skiing I can recall!"
A spokesperson for Killington in Vermont had this to say: "Thanks to almost five feet of snow in the past week, we are experiencing some outstanding conditions here at Killington. Actually, the best conditions of the season are upon us. And best of all, this weekend's weather report is for sunshine and temperatures in the mid-30s. So pack the sunscreen and get up here to work on your goggle tan!"
The storm dumped about two feet of snow at most New Hampshire ski resorts. "All that rain that fell south of Manchester last week fell as 27 inches of snow here at Mount Sunapee," reports Bruce McCloy, the resort's director of marketing and sales.
"We have the most snow on the mountain that we have had all season. We are 100 percent open on all 65 trails and slopes. The bumps disappeared for a while, but they are getting skied back in. The three terrain parks are now up to 64 features. Plus, the weather looks absolutely beautiful through Sunday. This is the weekend!"
BITS ‘N' PIECES: You watched them compete last week on television during the Winter Olympic Games, now you can cheer for them in person. The Village of Saranac Lake, and the Olympic Regional Development Authority based in Lake Placid, are throwing a parade tomorrow (Friday, March 5) to honor Tri-Lakes area Olympians who represented the United States. The shindig begins at 4 p.m. in Saranac Lake. ... Pats Peak ski area in Henniker, N.H., throws its 19th annual Hawaiian Weekend celebration next weekend, March 13-14. On tap for the two days is a blow-out of spring skiing and riding, tropical decorations, helicopter rides, NASRAR races, hot tubs galore and a rail jam. ... Last call: this Sunday's the day that Windham Mountain ski resort attempts to break the Guinness World Record for the longest Torch Lit parade. The current record was set in Portugal a few months ago with 624 people.
