AlpineZone

WAITSFIELD, VT ??” With 12 plus inches of new snow in the past 48 hours and more on the way in the coming days, the start of the 2005 Mad River Glen ski season is almost here. The mountain plans to open for the season on Thursday and the mountain operations crew is hard at work getting everything ready. The word from the mountain is that there is unusually consistent coverage on the entire mountain with more than 2.5 feet of base on the higher elevati...

CARRABASSETT VALLEY, ME ??” Sugarloaf/USA is offering skiers and riders an early Christmas present with the announcement on Tuesday that the resort's lofty and fabled 4,237- foot Summit will be open in time for Christmas providing access to all 2,820 vertical feet. This is the earliest opening of the Summit since 2000.

Plentiful and frequent snowfall combined with excellent snowmaking conditions have allowed Sugarloaf/USA to open more ter...

BARRE, MA ??” The 2004-2005 opening of Pine Ridge Snow Park has been delayed due to construction on the ski shop and lodge. The planned opening has been pushed back to Dec. 26.

In August, Pine Ridge's rental building sustained fire damage after being struck by lightening. Fortunately, the fire was brought under control quickly and damage was kept to a minimum. The ski equipment, stored in another section of the building, was not damaged....

PINKHAM NOTCH, NH ??” Wildcat Mountain has received new snow on 11 of 14 days so far during the month of December, recording between two and three feet of new snow this month.

According to Denis Duquette, the Mountain Manager at Wildcat, "There's a lot of snow out there. We're opening a lot of terrain very quickly, and we're working hard just to keep up."

In the space of this week, Wildcat will have three times as many trails...

BRETTON WOODS, NH ??” The Nordic Center at Bretton Woods Mountain officially opened Monday. Until further notice, trail fees for all guests are $7.00 with trails open from 8:30-4:00. Guests may call the Nordic Center at 800-314-1752 x3322 for more information.

On the alpine side of the street, Bretton Woods has 18 trails open Tuesday serviced by 3 lifts. By Saturday the resort anticipates having 30 trails open and 6 lifts running. The a...

NEWRY, ME ??” Two 11-year-old snowboarders took top honors at the The Sports Illustrated for Kids Next Snow Search hosted by Sunday River. The wins earn the two a bid in the final competition held at Keystone, CO and aired by NBC television March 5, 2005 at 1 pm EST. The top 25 from the finals will also be featured in the Sports Illustrated for Kids.

The top boys winner was Jackson Tupper of Kennebunk, Maine. Tupper's home resort is Sunda...

LUDLOW, VT ??” Okemo's newest mountain peak and terrain is preparing to open for the season on Friday, December 17. Snowmaking and grooming operations have been running non-stop to blanket trails like Blue Moon, Upper Limelight, Lower Limelight, Sunset Strip and Quantum Leap in preparation for their season opening.

All of the skier/rider services and amenities at Jackson Gore will be "ready to roll", including The Roundhouse, a 390-seat...

BRETTON WOODS, NH ??” The December 2004 issue of Cond?© Nast Traveler named The Mount Washington Resort at Bretton Woods number 10 in its "Top 50 Ski Resorts in North America."

The magazine's ninth annual reader's poll "sussed out the worthiest ski digs on the continent" as deemed by its readers. "To be recognized in this way is a major accomplishment for us at The Mount Washington Resort," says Resort Marketing Director Chip Steward....

WINTERGREEN, VA ??” Wintergreen Resort's low temperature last night of 19 degrees was perfect for snowmaking and the resort made great progress. The weather forecast through Wednesday night also looks promising for around the clock snowmaking.

"Considering today's forecast, we should be able to open the ski area Saturday morning, December 18, and have a decent chance of opening Friday morning, December 17," said Wintergreen Resort Directo...

HIGHMONT, NY ??” Belleayre Mountain anticipates a full week of prime snowmaking weather. Several additional lifts and trails are expected to be added by the weekend of December 18-19. Despite challenging early season temperatures, the mountain has managed to increase their snow covered terrain since their November 13 opening date. While no major natural snowfall is expected this week, temperatures look compatible with snowmaking assuring a great weeke...