It's All Downhill: Let there be snow

[View web version]( [It's All Downhill] Friday, March 3 [Follow Matt Pepin]( [How long will New England ski areas make snow?](#) Who doesn't love a nice warm day? But a whole slew of them, including a [record-setting February high temperature]( in Boston? Come on, man. The [long lines at Sully's on Castle Island]( people frolicking on the beach, and [other scenes of premature summer]( may have delighted a fairly large segment of New England's population recently, but there's another faction not so thrilled. And while many ski areas can endure a warm spell, the impact on conditions is a big concern to those of us who embrace winter and winter sports. Sure, there were plenty of people snowboarding and skiing in light clothing, but what were they skiing and boarding on, and how much terrain was available? And what if Mother Nature doesn't give us any more natural snow? Will ski areas make more snow to extend the season or improve coverage? The answer from many was yes. I emailed my list of contacts at New England ski areas about their plans, and with forecasts calling for colder temperatures starting Thursday and lasting through the weekend, many were indeed going to fire up the snow guns. For most the plan was to start Thursday night and make snow through the weekend to "freshen things up." [pico_snowmaking] (Photo courtesy of Pico Mountain) After that, many areas said, it would be a "game-day decision" situation as to whether they'd make more. Killington is intent on staying open until Memorial Day and said it will continue to make snow after others "have thrown in the towel." Stratton plans to make snow all month when conditions allow, and Sunday River said it will make snow "as long as we can." Four ski areas said they were done making snow - Sugarbush, Bolton Valley, Mad River Glen, and Black Mountain in Maine - and I give them a big hat tip for their willingness to share that information. All three, plus may others, said they have good base depths that will keep them in business for some time. As of Thursday afternoon, base depths ranged from 8 to 60 inches, [according to SnoCountry](. Here's what others had to say about their snowmaking plans, via email or social media: Smugglers' Notch: As of now, we don't have a date set to end snowmaking operations. While we don't need much new manmade snow at the moment, we will be "freshening up" areas that could use it. With our new water intake pipe running into the Lamoille River, we have a virtually unlimited supply of water, so our crew will make snow as necessary. Ski Butternut: Turning on the snow guns as temperatures drop Thursday -Sunday to shore up our conditions so we can enjoy skiing & snowboarding late into March. If needed we would likely do more up through March 10-11. We wouldn't make any more snow after that date. Shawnee Peak: Shawnee Peak has great base depths and we have experienced great conditions over the past week. We're excited for March and spring skiing - the best time of the year! Our groomers have been doing an incredible job and our snow guns are ready to go if necessary. Loon: Our plan is to refresh key trails on Loon Peak and North Peak. We haven't set an end date for snowmaking this season. Mt. Abram: We will resume snowmaking operations on Thursday night and likely run until Monday morning. "We are dedicated to providing the best possible skiing and riding experience for our guests and employees. March is one of the best months to be out on the mountain and we will guarantee that our conditions will be top tier including a re-designed terrain park," said general manager Dave Scanlan. Okemo: Mountain operations director Eb Kinney said we will continue snowmaking when favorable temperatures return and we will make snow into March as needed. Mount Snow: We plan on restarting snowmaking operations on Thursday in order to resurface and add additional depth to prep us for our event-filled spring season. This paired with natural snowfall in the forecast has us feeling very optimistic as we look out at the rest of the season. Pats Peak: We plan to fire up the snow guns at the end of this week ... after that we'll see how it goes weather-wise to see if we will make snow again. Magic Mountain: We start firing on Thursday thru the weekend while we have temps. Making snow in March is something this ski area has never done before. Stratton: We're excited for the cold temps on the horizon. We plan to fire up the guns this Thursday for a solid stretch of snowmaking for as long as the temperatures allow. We also made snow this past Sunday-Monday. We'll make snow all month and until the end of the season if we need to. That being said, we still have a strong base of 25-30 inches here at Stratton. Winter's far from over. Sunday River: We will make snow so long as we can or need to, and plan to use the temperature drop later this week to light up about 100 snowguns on both Thursday and Friday. Thursday we'll be making snow on Right Stuff and Escapade, and Friday we'll be lighting up White Heat, Lower Downdraft, Grand Rapids, and Tourist Trap. Wachusett: Our snowmaking team is planning to reboot our expanded system on Thursday night - we're not ready to stop making snow yet. We will go at it probably Thursday, Friday and Saturday - maybe more if weather allows. Then we will see. Killington/Pico: We're planning to keep making snow at Pico and Killington after other resorts have thrown in the towel, still looking for Memorial Day and June 1 on Superstar. Cannon: Cannon Mountain plans to fire up the snowmaking system starting Thursday night. While we've picked up 183 inches of natural snow so far this season, we'll be targeting some key areas with re-hits to ensure great coverage right into April. Overall our snowpack is very robust. Like just about any mountain though (especially after a sustained warmup), we have a few key/high traffic areas that could use a boost. Overall conditions right now are very good considering and groomers have done an amazing job bringing us right back to winter. Jiminy Peak: As long as the nights are 27 degree F or below, we've decided to keep hammering the slopes with advanced snowgun heads, called Sledgehammers, that are Jiminy-designed and tested following years of development, and run on 100% renewable energy. We expect a strong March and are gunning to stay open until closing day on Easter Sunday April 16. Berkshire East: Our snowmaking team is busy getting the hill ready to make snow throughout the remainder of the week. We expect mid-winter skiing and riding conditions as we make our way into the weekend. Nashoba Valley: We plan to make snow as soon as the temps drop. Nashoba will be open this weekend. Stowe: We're making snow until we get trails resurfaced and build spring depths on our April routes. Bromley: Bromley plans to fire up its snowmaking system tonight, and go through Sunday , covering select areas of the mountain. That's the longest range plan I have at this time. March snowmaking is pretty rare for Bromley - I'm very excited that they decided to go for it. Waterville Valley: Waterville Valley Resort is experiencing cold temperatures and will resume snowmaking on Thursday night. The goal is to cover as much as possible, so guns will be firing up to Saturday night. A-CA-AWESOME: Some skiers and snowboarders had a pleasant surprise as they got off at the top of Wachusett's Minuteman quad on Sunday. The UMass Dynamics a cappella group was there singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." The photo below was provided by Wachusett, and you can [see a video of the performance on Wachusett's YouTube page](. [wachusett_singers] SPRING DEALS: Many ski areas are now offering "rest of season" pass deals. Here's what some have sent along: Loon: [$149 for March 20 to closing day](. Wachusett: [$169 from right now until end of season](. Sugarloaf: [$149 for April 1 to closing day](. Sunday River: [$149 for March 26 to end of season](. Okemo: A "Spring Skiesta" card [costs $129 and gives you unlimited access]( from March 17 to the end of the season. Additionally, many areas are now offering, or will soon offer, free skiing for the rest of this season when you buy season passes for next season. Check resort websites for details. THE RACING SCENE: The World Cup returns to the United States this month with women's events at Squaw Valley March 10-11 and men's and women's events at Aspen March 13-19. The US Alpine Championships are at Sugarloaf March 25-28. MORE NEWSLETTERS: I'd encourage you to check out some of the other Globe newsletters written by our staff members. Teresa Hanafin's daily "Fast Forward" is a great start to the day, while Josh Miller's Political Happy Hour and Jon Chesto's Talking Points arrive in the late afternoon/evening to recap the day in politics and business. [Sign up for Globe newsletters here](. [Like It's All Downhill? Tell a friend to subscribe](. [Sign up for more Boston Globe newsletters](. About This Email You received this message because you signed up for the It's All Downhill newsletter. To automatically unsubscribe, [please click here.]( If you wish to unsubscribe from all BostonGlobe.com newsletters, [please click here.]( Please note: this will unsubscribe you from the newsletters only. If you wish to cancel your BostonGlobe.com subscription, please call 1-888-MY-GLOBE (1-888-694-5623). 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