December temps. melt Skiway’s celebration
By Grace Wyler
Published on Thursday, January 4, 2007
Warm weather pushed back the Dartmouth Skiway's 50th anniversary celebration to mid-January. Only five of 30 trails are currently open.
A lack of snow in the northeast caused the directors of the Dartmouth Skiway to postpone the celebration of its 50th anniversary until Jan. 13. Only five of the Skiway's 30 trails and two of the mountain's three chair lifts are open following one of the warmest holiday seasons on record. The celebration originally scheduled for Dec. 29, 2006, was pushed back.
The Skiway is continuing to produce snow, but high temperatures during the past week have limited the area's snow-making capabilities. Currently, the Skiway has between six and 12 inches of base coverage.
"Last year we had more terrain open at this time, despite it being a pretty warm season. This November was the warmest on record and December was pretty warm as well," said Doug Holler, the director of the Dartmouth Skiway. "It has been a pretty tough Christmas season not just for the Skiway but for ski areas all over New England."
Because fewer runs than usual were open, the Skiway did not charge patrons its normal holiday fare.
"Losing money is always a possibility in the ski business. The Christmas season is generally an important time for any ski area and this season was difficult," Holler said. "It's a perception thing. If people see brown ground outside their back door, they naturally don't think about skiing."
Despite the limited number of trails open, the Dartmouth Ski Team and Ski Patrol have started using the available trails.
"Skiway management is putting an incredible effort into getting the trails open as soon as possible," Ski Patrol Director Elan Guterman '07 said. "As long as mother nature keeps temperatures cool, Skiway conditions will only continue to improve."
Though temperatures are expected to cool down slightly over the course of the next month, the management at the Skiway is focused on keeping snow on the trails that are currently open, in anticipation of 50th anniversary celebrations that will commence this month.
"We are concentrating on adding more snow to the terrain we already have open in anticipation of more thaws in what seems like an endless series," Holler said.
The year 2007 marks the semi-centennial anniversary of the Skiway's first season. But the unseasonably warm weather has thrown a wrench in celebration plans.
Anniversary festivities have been postponed in the hopes that more terrain will be available. The kickoff celebrations will include family ski races, treasure hunts and reduced rates for skiers in costumes drawn from the past 50 years.
The anniversary celebrations will continue throughout the season and are designed to commemorate the Skiway's unique history not only at Dartmouth, but in the Upper Valley community.
"There is not really enough terrain open; there is only one hill," Sue McLaughry, whose children compete in ski races with the Ford Sayre Memorial Ski Council, said. "But my kids don't complain. As long as they get gate time, they're happy."
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