UNION DALE, Pa. — The snow guns are working at full speed at Elk Mountain Ski Resort. Colder temperatures have allowed snowmaking crews in Susquehanna County to get as much snow made as possible. They are keeping fingers crossed it stays.
"We're hoping that there isn't too much of that warm weather that it will melt any great quantity of it, so we're making it and leaving it in big piles," said Bob DeLuca, the director of marketing at Elk Mountain.
DeLuca says when it's possible, opening before Christmas is great for business. Mother Nature makes the rules for winter, and patience is important to give customers the best experience when they hit the slopes.
"We'll plan to open with a minimum of five to six trails, more if we can get them ready. But five to six trails is our goal, and that way, skiers are spread out over a larger area and not all congested in one area," DeLuca said.
The biggest upgrade at Elk Mountain this year is the addition of an electronic ticketing system called RFID to get people up the lift and on the snow faster.
"In addition to the RFID, we purchased another piston bully grooming tractor. We have added LED lighting on the west slope."
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The ski resort expects another busy season, so some COVID protocols are still in place, like wearing masks inside. But long lift lines shouldn't happen because of social distancing.
"We can let people who are not related, are not in the same party, we can let them ride on the left. So there will be fewer single chairs going up, which should move people along faster."
Skiers and snowboarders now need to keep their fingers crossed that Mother Nature's warmup doesn't last very long. The ski resort is hoping to open on December 16.
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