The start of snowfall in Central New York usually marks the start of ski season. But at the Four Seasons Golf & Ski Center in Syracuse, the slope is far from ready.
“A couple of inches of wet snow really isn’t enough,” Bill Hane, Operations Manager at the Four Seasons, said. “I know people look out and go ‘Oh, they got snow they must’ve made it.'”
In order to get the ski center ready, Hane and the Four Seasons crew begin preparations weeks in advance. Their work for ski season starts around mid-October, as they turn the golf course into a ski slope. However, one would think the extra snow in recent days would expedite the process.
“Quite honestly, the snow that has come down has actually slowed us down,” Hane said. “Some of the equipment that we use doesn’t really work so well in the snow, so we got to do a lot more by hand.”
Hane doesn’t expect the ski center to open until the week before Christmas. This extensive waiting period has many winter-enthusiasts eager to hit the slopes.
“I come from Colorado and there is so many things you can do (in the winter),” one SU grad student said. “You can play outside, ski, you can snowboard in (the winter).”
Among the many winter-time activities, the Four Seasons offers snowboarding and skiing lessons, as well as tubing.
