00:00We always say that we make the best snow here, but Mother Nature, when she provides for us, it provides something that we can't do.
00:07That midweek snowfall wasn't just a pretty sight to see. It gave Blue Mountain Resort the boost they needed to open for the season.
00:13Folks in Philly, New York, the suburban areas get to see all that. It gets them thinking about snowfall, gets them excited. So it was fantastic.
00:23Natural snow helps, but it's the early December weather that ultimately determines when a resort can open.
00:28In Pennsylvania, we have really weird weather, right? It can go from being 40 degrees to 10 degrees practically overnight.
00:35So utilizing the window of opportunity is absolutely paramount for getting the most trails open.
00:40That's why Blue Mountain, like most mid-Atlantic resorts, relies on a massive snowmaking system behind the scenes.
00:46It keeps them moving forward even when temperatures can vary.
00:50We get our water locally and then we store it here in a couple reservoirs that we have at the top and the bottom of the mountain.
00:55Then we pump that water out through underground pipes and eventually it ends up at our snowmaking machines and we turn it into snow, mixing it with just water and air.
01:05Mountain Creek in Vernon, New Jersey is also opening this week thanks to a mix of colder nights and their own snowmaking system.
01:12Shawnee Mountain in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania isn't quite there yet.
01:16They say they're waiting an extra week until conditions improve.
01:19Again for Blue Mountain, it all came together, the weather, the timing, and the technology.
01:24They'll continue making snow as long as temperatures allow, as skiers and riders finally get their first runs of the season.
01:32For AccuWeather, I'm Allie Reed.
Comments