Regional Roundup: Snow For Some, Wind For All

While the big coastal storm Sunday and Monday brought lots of snow to some areas, with generally 16 to 20 inches across Southern Vermont, other areas (Gore, Hickory) got nil. Locally, Willard Mountain picked up around 14 inches and is enjoying excellent conditions. Up north, Whiteface got 5 inches Sunday night. But virtually all ski areas in New York and New England experienced complications from high winds on Monday and Tuesday, resulting in widespread lift closures and delays both days. And at Sugarloaf in Maine, high winds Tuesday caused a lift cable to derail, sending about a half dozen skiers to the ground.  Photo credit above: Magic Mountain, Dec. 27.

At Gore, little additional terrain has been added over the past 5 or so days as snowmaking crews have focused on resurfacing wind-scoured trails rather than expanding the open trail count. I expect to have a first-hand account of conditions Friday or Saturday.

Skyward trail at Whiteface, Dec. 24.  Photo Credit: Josh Johnson

I also expect to have a cross-country skiing report tomorrow from Mount Van Hoevenberg, where conditions have been excellent for the past few weeks. Closer to home, Garnet Hill and Lapland Lake missed out on the recent storm but are open with limited skiing: 15K of groomed intermediate and beginner trails at Garnet Hill, and a few K of skiing directly on snow-covered Woods Lake at Lapland.

The weather is expected to moderate for a few days heading into the holiday weekend, with temperatures possibly hitting 40 or so Friday and Saturday. There is the possibility of showers late Saturday, but not a widespread rain event. Temperatures will head below freezing Sunday and next week, and at this point no significant snow is in the forecast.

Photo credit: Killington, Dec. 27