HERRICK TOWNSHIP -- One look from high atop Elk Mountain and it's plain to see the man-made snow is melting fast.
Even the deer are getting in on last nibble before it gets cold again, but for now it's just too darn warm.
"It was going really well. It was, it was and unfortunately we got a little bit of a warmup, you can't control the weather, it's something have to deal with," said Elk employee Cory Burton.
Burton and his coworkers are usually blasting snow from the guns up and down the mountainside this time of year. Instead they are doing odd jobs to get ready for the eventual winter.
"It's frustrating. It is. I'm excited. I want to get out there and start making the snow," said Burton.
The crews at Elk Mountain started blowing snow in the late part of November, then Mother Nature decided to crank up the heat this past week into the 50s and 60s, taking away lots of the snow already made, and now Elk has its work cut out for it.
"It's just going to make for a later start this year," said Bob DeLuca.
DeLuca handles marketing and group sales at Elk and points out the ski resort prefers to open with multiple trails and good enough conditions to handle all the skiers and snowboarders. The mountain was on track just a week ago, but now DeLuca says everyone is holding off with any plans to go skiing over the Christmas holiday.
"I'm surprised there's so much left. As soon as it gets cold enough, we'll be out there making snow."
No snow, no go for many people who had planned to spend some time around the holidays on the slopes and at local businesses, helping the bottom line.
"It's not feeling like Christmas time at all, too warm to think about skiing. We're bummed," said Will Snook of Chadds Ford.
This time last year, Elk had already been open for a full week.