PALMERTON, Pa. — Few people on the slopes and plenty of white powder meant guests at Blue Mountain Ski Resort near Palmerton had a great day on Monday.
"We just came up to teach the kids how to ski, really. They'd never been on the slopes before, and we figured this was a perfect spring day. The weather looked nice, and it's true spring skiing, nice and soft, but yeah, we're very pleasantly surprised that they have the amount of coverage that they have today," said Kate Santery of Lewes, Delaware.
Nick Delich, the director of operations on the mountain, says this winter has been rough, but they are blowing snow whenever they can.
"Pennsylvania has certainly not been kind to us this year. Mother Nature has done us no favors. Here at Blue, we rely heavily on our automation technology with our snowmaking. The windows are getting so short anymore that you can produce in. We've all seen it this year. But even though you don't have any snow in your backyard, rest assured that up here at Blue, we have plenty of snow," said Delich.
With snow and colder temperatures expected in the forecast, snowmakers hope the wintry weather will help prolong ski season.
"We're going to preserve what we have. The last time the machines were on the hill grooming, it was better for us. Again, we're expecting at least five inches overnight. We'll get this place white again by the morning and have it tuned up for this weekend," Delich said.
One skier got a late start to the season but isn't mad about it. He says the mountain looked great despite the lack of snow and cold weather.
"Usually, I cannot ski after mid-February. This was the first time I tried late. I don't know what I tried last, but also, I also tried last week. It was very nice. I had no idea they had such nice snow, and I understand it's artificial snow, but it's still smooth," said Alex Bershadsky of New Jersey.
Snowmakers hope the incoming weather will help them through this weekend.