2015 Is The Year to Ski New England

By Heather Burke, Boston.com Ski Correspondent

In my four decades of skiing New England, I remember a handful of winters when the snow in the east outweighed that of the west. The years 1978 and 1996 come to mind. Now 2015 is one of those ski seasons.

As you all know from shoveling, New England has received a bounty of snow — 3 to 5 feet in the last month. Snow storm Marcus is delivering another foot to New England’s mountains (letter M for Marcus- we’re only halfway through the snow storm alphabet). In addition to all this snow, the east has had continued cold, which means no thaw or melting in in the forecast.

Tim Kelly, NECN meteorologist, referenced the last record snow in Boston in January 1996 which measured 32 inches. That snow melted within two weeks. Our current cycle of sustained cold and more snow on the radar puts us in “unchartered territory” for snow totals this winter, according to Kelly.

Compare our copious snow and cold weather to our ski friends out west, and New England is winning the ski conditions race. The western US is experiencing record warm. It was 50 degrees and sunny at Vail Beaver Creek’s World Cup this past weekend. Some Colorado and Utah ski resorts are 100 percent open, such as Aspen, Deer Valley, and Vail. But the majority of them are not. Heavenly and Squaw Valley, both in California, are only 30 percent open. Last week I skied Whitefish Mountain Resort in Montana, which was 100 percent open. However, it was 48 degrees with spring skiing at 48 Latitude just 38 miles from the Canadian border. What’s funny about western skiers is they can’t fathom eastern resorts having powder. They think we “ski on ice all the time.”

Sugarbush, Stowe and Smugglers Notch are boasting over 60 inches of base depths. Natural snow trails and glades in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts are open and outstanding. Even Blue Hill, Jiminy Peak, and Wachusett have over 50 inches of snow depth. This is the year to ski in New England. Resorts are prime for the upcoming holiday weeks.

See you on the slopes.

By Heather Burke, Photos of Sugarbush and Sunday River by Greg Burke