MANSFIELD, Ohio — Where’s winter?
No one seems to be asking this question more than skiers, snowboarders and tubers, especially the ones playing cat and mouse with the weather at Snow Trails.
“We haven’t had a December like this since we’ve been in business,” said Snow Trails Marketing Manager Nate Wolleson.
Business is not hurting in terms of expenses, Wolleson said.
“But there’s been no opportunity to make money or bring revenue in. Not that we’re losing a lot but when it comes down to a season as a whole, many start to feel like, ‘Are we ever going to have a season?’ Winter has never skipped Ohio, but lately …”
But this might be the week winter comes — and stays.
Earlier this week, he said the snowmaking crew was gearing up to brew some of the white powder, with temperature predictions showing in the low 20s.
Mansfield’s slopes tried making snow earlier in December, only to wake to temperatures in the 50s and 60s the following days.
Wolleson said Snow Trails was able to save some of the snow made through Dec. 18-20 in stockpiles. As of Monday, Dec. 28, the piles were still intact.
In order to make the snow skiers want — fluffy powder perfect for sharp turns — the conditions have to be consistent, said Wolleson. But because the weather has seen such swells in temperatures, Snow Trails still cannot predict an opening day for their slopes.
“Ideally, we need 72 hours of solid snowmaking. And then it all depends on daytime temperatures. If it gets above 29 degrees (Fahrenheit), then really it doesn’t make the snow that we really want — that’s a wet snow,” Wolleson said.
“But we’re not in dire straits,” he said. “We’re not going to make a product that we can’t stand behind, snow is our product. We just need to make some good snow, and a lot of it.”
He said the weather for the next four days looks promising, with nights getting into the low 20s. With the cooling towers, Wolleson said, the snowmaking crew is able to cool water used to make snow by 13 degrees.
“It makes making snow more efficient,” he said.
In the meantime, Wolleson encouraged skiers to visit the Snow Trails shop, where their clearance racks are stocked with wintertide paraphernalia. The shop, currently operating under preseason hours, opens Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with Wednesday hours extending until 8 p.m.
