BOLTON VALLEY, Vt. -
Winter weather is the source of business for Vermont ski resorts but the last couple of days have been a bit to warm for snow.
At many of them the plea is no longer "let it snow" but "let's make it snow." But warm weather is getting in the way of that.
"This past Saturday it warmed up to the point where we couldn't make snow," Bolton Valley Ski Resort's Josh Arnesen said.
Arnesen said Bolton Valley planned to open this coming weekend but a little warm weather pushed that date back to the 15th. Now the push to cover the mountain with man made powder is back on.
"Right now we're gonna go as long as temperatures permit whenever temperatures permit we'll be out there," Arnesen said.
Some resorts are already operating better than normal for this time of year according to Ski Vermont's Sara Neith.
"We're doing the best we've had early season since ‘08-'09," Neith said.
Last time this year not too many slopes were open, somewhere between 3-8 percent. But this year about 18 percent of ski slopes are open to riders.
"Throughout November we've had really good temps for snow making and we've also had a lot of investment from resorts to upgrade snow making," Neith said.
Smuggler's Notch sunk $1 million into new snow making equipment while Stowe invested $4.7 million this year. Ski Vermont says 80 percent of the Vermont terrain can be covered with man made snow.
"We believe we own the highest percentage in the world for snow making coverage," Neith said.
Resorts like Bolton Valley just have to hope it stays cold so they can deliver their white blended brew to its customers.
"They understand that sometimes theirs lean snow years and we're going to do our best to make as much as we possibly can," Arnesen said.
Click here to see the latest weather outlook at Vermont's ski resorts.
