With a pre-Thanksgiving opening date eluding Mid-Atlantic ski resorts, early December openings are now in jeopardy due to a continued warm spell that has kept colder temperatures to the west and far north.
Many resorts have already begun limited snowmaking operations, but have watched their efforts melt away as temperatures rose and stuck well above freezing.
The Homestead’s Michael Valach reports that snowmaking might start again Saturday night, assuming temperatures take a dip, as they are currently forecast to. The Homestead had made some snow the week before Thanksgiving, but lost it with warm temperatures this past weekend. The Virginia resort did offer ice skating over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Another resort anxious to make snow is West Virginia’s Snowshoe Mountain Resort. Earlier this week, it appeared that a snowstorm might hit the Pocahontas County mountain late this week, but that favorable forecast evaporated as the week wore on. The resort now plans to resume snowmaking efforts on Sunday night, and is still hoping for a December 6 opening date.
The long-term forecast does not look favorable for Mid-Atlantic resorts, however; temperatures should remain relatively mild for the next 7-10 days, limiting snowmaking efforts to night, if at all.
Although the season is off to a slow start, area skiers and boarders are looking forward to a strong and snowy season once cold temperatures finally arrive.
Pennsylvania’s Laurel Mountain ski area might not be offering skiing yet, but it did offer a good view of the Leonids meteor shower for one spectator on November 18.
John Pane, a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University, struggled to find a good spot for viewing and photographing the meteor shower, ultimately ending up near Laurel Mountain State Park in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. He managed to shoot many great photos of the meteors, and wrote a trip report detailing his experience.
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The photos and his trip report can be viewed at:
Photo provided by John Pane. Special thanks to Curtis Emerson for noting this page.
M. Scott Smith is the founder and Editor of DCSki. Scott loves outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, kayaking, skiing, and mountain biking. He is an avid photographer and writer.
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