The Day After

When discussing the task facing Valley ski area operators following this week's rain, perhaps the trail crew motto at the Jackson Ski Touring Center summed up the situation best --"Miracles performed daily; impossibilities take a day longer." In short -- although the weather this past week was poor -- with a little luck, determined effort, and cooperation from Mother Nature, the Valley's ski trails will be back in good shape in time for the weekend.

Looking at the bright side of this past week's two-and-a-half days of rain, the man-made cover held up remarkably well at all of the Valley's ski areas. Wildcat, located high up in Pinkham Notch, fared better than most, as it was one of only three ski areas still operating in New Hampshire on Tuesday. The other two were Waterville Valley and Loon Mountain.

Cranmore, Wildcat and Attitash all had good skiing last weekend prior to the rain, which started Monday night and continued off and on until Thursday. Cranmore opened a week ahead of schedule, as there was good cover on the South Slope. "We had planned to get the North Slope open as well, and then go on up to the Rattlesnake and Lift Line, but the rain set that schedule back," said Cranmore general manager and president, Herbert Schneider Wednesday. "As of today, we still have cover on the South Slope. We're about one night of good snowmaking away from getting back into good shape," he added.

  Schneider summed up a feeling shared by all local ski area operators--they're all in a lot better shape at this point than they were last year when heavy rains and warm temperatures hampered their efforts. Said Schneider, "We've got 10 days to get into shape for Christmas, and I think we can do it, provided that it stays cold enough for us to make snow."

Dick May at Wildcat said the area had great skiing prior to the rain, with crowds of 1,300 enjoying top-to-bottom skiing both Saturday and Sunday. Attendance was 162 on Wednesday in the rain, with the area still offering top-to-bottom skiing, although only on a few limited routes.

"We made a lot of snow on the Polecat prior to the storm, and we plan to spread out the piles once the rain subsides," said May Wednesday. "I think we'll have good but limited skiing for the weekend, with some top-to-bottom routes open." Although wet during the midweek, May said once the air dried out, the slopes would soon follow. "If it gets cold, the skiing could get real fast. It's supposed to clear up for the weekend," May predicted.

Jeff Lathrop at Attitash was equally confident about the prospects for the weekend. "We expect to be open from the top on Tightrope and Spillway once the weather cools, which it's supposed to do on Saturday," said Lathrop Wednesday. "We'll probably have four lifts in operation, with four trails (Tightrope, Spillway, Thad's Choice, Sleeper, Competition Slope, Double Delight or the upper half of Counselor's) open," he added.

After receiving good crowds with the parking lot full last weekend, Attitash hosted the Women's NORAMS in the rain Monday. The area closed Tuesday through Thursday, although it opened its trails for the NASTAR time trials on Thursday.

Black Mountain in Jackson had hoped to open for the weekend of December 16-17 prior to the rain, but those plans have been pushed back. "With the next substantial snowfall, we'll be able to open on a daily basis," said Black general manager Don Murray Wednesday. '

Cross country touring for the weekend is bound to be a question of where you find it. For the latest conditions, call the Jackson Ski Touring Center at 383-9355.