Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 3, 1994 TAG: 9401050187
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BY BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
What a ski season. So far, anyway.
And skiers by the thousands have been lining up at resorts in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina to take advantage of it. Sometimes in record numbers.
``This is the best start - ever - without a doubt,'' said Steve Showalter, of Massanutten Village near Harrisonburg.
``We've never had 11 trails open before Jan. 1; we've never done this many skiers in December; we've never done this dollar amount in December. We are off to the best start we've had in 21 years.''
If a committee of ski resort operators had gotten together to plan the holiday weather, they couldn't have improved much on the Christmas-New Year's blessing of Mother Nature.
``We had 6 inches before Christmas that locked us into a white Christmas and then 4 to 6 inches before New Year's, and we just couldn't be happier,'' said Mark Glickman of Wintergreen, located on the crest of the Blue Ridge south of Waynesboro. ``These are probably the best early season conditions we have had in years. We are off to a great start. We are definitely ahead of last year.''
Snow has fallen with even more frequency and force in West Virginia, where Snowshoe-Silver Creek, atop spruce-crowned Cheat Mountain, has recorded 64 inches since the first of December. That's nearly half of the annual 150-inch natural snowfall.
Just as important, not only has there been the quiet and steady fall of snow in the mountains, but also down in the valleys - the marketplace where skiers live - spots like the Roanoke Valley and the New River Valley.
``When people see snow, they start thinking about skiing,'' said Mike Pauer of Snowshoe.
Some apparently haven't stopped thinking about it since the end of last year, thanks to the March blizzard.
The brisk start to the 1993-94 season in the Southeast can't be totally credited to the snows and snow-making weather of December, said Showalter. It goes back farther than that, to mid-March, when Southeastern resorts were reporting bases of 60 to 100 inches.
``I think this year's great start is a carry-over from of the March blizzard,'' said Showalter. ``People were absolutely ready to go skiing this season. I think even if we didn't have snow conditions quite as great as they are now, we still would be doing great numbers.''
You could see the good times coming this year, said Glickman. Before the first flake of snow or the first clamorous whoosh of a snow gun, bookings were up. Ski equipment sales were up. Skiers were feeling better about the economy.
``People want to to get out and have a good time,'' said Glickman. ``With these conditions, it has just been fantastic.''
``Excellent,'' is the way Sepp Kober, ski director at The Homestead in Hot Springs for 34 years, describes the early season. ``One of the best we've ever had. All slopes are open. Business is good. The 30 instructors are booked for private lessons all day long.''
Resorts were better prepared for the blitz than ever before. Snowshoe had a new quad-lift called Ball Hooter; Wintergreen opened the season with a new $4 million renovation to its Mountain Inn; Winterplace had a computer-operated system that allows skiers to reserve equipment, lift tickets and lessons with a single phone call; Massanutten and Ski Beech had in-ground halfpipes for snowboarders; Timberline had a new chair lift to the top of the mountain.
The snow has been icing on the cake.
``It kinda sets the tone for the entire season,'' said Shawn Nichols of Cannan Valley near Davis, W.Va. ``Skiers have had a good taste of it and they will stay excited for January, February and the rest of the season.''
So what could go wrong?
The weather, of course.
Last year, several ski resorts were reporting a white Christmas, but along about New Year's Day a January thaw set in. It hung around deep into the month, while resort operators watched both their snow and profits melt away.
It could happen again, but operators like Kober weren't losing much sleep over that last week; in fact, when a reporter asked him about a potential thaw he looked at a thermometer and said, ``Right now, it's 4 degrees above.''
``We are in much better shape to weather a thaw, because we have twice as much snow on the hill this year than we had last year,'' said Showalter.
The biggest threat during the holiday at most resorts was the lack of a place to spend the night, unless reservations were made well ahead of time. Mountain accommodations were booked solid, and places like Massanutten had most of the hotel-motel rooms filled in the lowland cities.
Some resort operators were looking into January with confidence and enthusiasm, while others were ready to launch major promotions to make certain the momentum isn't lost.
by CNB