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Slopes Almost Ready for Skiers and Snowboarders

POCONO TOWNSHIP — The cold snap we are experiencing is being welcomed by area ski resorts hoping to open slopes early this year. One of those resorts is C...
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POCONO TOWNSHIP -- The cold snap we are experiencing is being welcomed by area ski resorts hoping to open slopes early this year.

One of those resorts is Camelback Mountain Ski Resort near Tannersville.

Camelback Mountain didn't waste any time getting slopes ready for the winter season after a few inches of snow fell here in the Poconos over the weekend.

Because it has been so cold, the snow guns have been pumping for the last few days, creating a nice covering on the slopes.

When you mix snow with cold temperatures, it's the perfect combination for workers at the resort.

"Finally! This is awesome," said Camelback marketing manager Dru Brooks. "We get some cold temperatures and Mother Nature is finally on our side. She kicked in some good snow over the weekend with about five inches here on the mountain."

Brooks said the weather we've been having is a good sign for a potentially early skiing and snowboarding season.

"This is definitely, definitely positive for us. Everyone at Camelback is really excited for the opportunity to kind of make up for last year and get skiing."

With the less-than-stellar winter we had last year and the cold snap that showed up this past weekend, it was the perfect opportunity to get the snow guns pumping and the snowmaking process started.

"Temperatures are cold enough so we can continue the effort and we have the snow guns running since pretty much Sunday."

And workers are not wasting any time.

"It's a lot of work, a lot of work," said Camelback employee Eric Jones. "But it's definitely good though, so hopefully we can open up earlier this year than last year."

With 34 trails and 16 lifts at Camelback Mountain, there is still a lot of territory to cover. So will people be able to hit the slopes after they scarf down turkey dinner?

"Not this weekend, not for Thanksgiving, but we will be working through there, but it's a little more than cold temperatures. We've got to make sure we get everything else up and going, too," Brooks said.

The hope is to open up the slopes within the first two weeks of December. Most of the ski resorts in our area have been making snow. None of them have set an opening date yet but do say they're hoping it's soon.

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