SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — It is November in Central New York, but when you look at the mountains and hills of the region, you might notice something unusual for this time of year – hilltops and mountaintops devoid of snow. What, according to the National Weather Service, has been an unusually warm month of November has put a damper on ski resorts’ operations, with resorts seeking to open their doors not being able to.
Jon Spaulding, Director of Marketing at the Greek Peak Mountain Resort in Cortland, New York, has been keeping track of weather patterns alongside Greek Peak management.
“We have concerns that it’s been a warm November,” Spaulding said. “And, you know, listening to the forecasts and the Farmers’ Almanac and any other tools that we can use.”
The effects of this warm November have not just caused concern in ski resort owners. Those who partake in the sport of skiing have also found themselves to be concerned by this pattern of unusually warm weather. Jason Petit is a ski patrol volunteer and an employee at The Ski Company in Syracuse, and he says ski enthusiasts hope to be able to enjoy a stable, cold winter.
“We’re hoping, this season, based on, you know, what the Farmers’ Almanac is saying that…the La Niña, that we’re going to get above-average snow,” Petit said. “More of a normal winter, cold early and then moderating temperatures, versus kind of the rollercoaster we’ve had the past couple of years.”
Yet, even in the face of unpredictable weather patterns, ski resorts have tools that can allow them to operate smoothly in conditions that would otherwise not be ideal for skiing.
“Now, most of the ski resorts can handle that with grooming and the technology of snowmaking,” Petit explained. “There’s ways that they can kind of get more consistent conditions to kind of offset those temperature fluctuations.”
As far as things go for the Greek Peak Ski Resort, Spaulding is optimistic that the resort can function properly this winter.
“I think that, with the investments we’ve made, as long as it gets cold enough, we can make snow,” Spaulding said. “We can get…you know, we shoot for that hundred-day of…ski days.”
With winter approaching, those who enjoy skiing and those who operate ski resorts are hoping that this ski season will be a productive one.
