More than a foot of new snow settled across Sunday River’s eight peaks during the overnight hours between Jan. 1 and 2. By the time the lifts opened the following day, the mountain had surpassed 100 inches of total snowfall for the season, just two days into 2008.

According to Sunday River spokesperson Alex Kaufman, a typical December brings about 24 inches of snow to the resort in Bethel, Maine. In December 2006, a measly eight inches fell, Kaufman said. December 2007, however, was a different story. Kaufman had not yet tallied the final sales numbers for the busy holiday week that encompassed Christmas and New Year’s Day, but he knows they were significantly higher than last winter.

“It was potentially record-breaking,” Kaufman said. “It was head and shoulders above last year, as far as snow conditions and visitation.”

Reports from New Hampshire ski resorts were similar. At Attitash, located in Bartlett, ticket sales for holiday week were double the previous year, according to spokesperson Krissy Fraser. She expected all 75 of the mountain’s trails and glades to be open by Monday, Jan. 7, and December was highly successful.

“We’re already at 66 inches of snow on the season, which is more than triple what we had this time last year,” Fraser said on Jan. 2. “For the industry, it’s just an absolute blessing.”

Kaufman shared in Fraser’s excitement.

“Everybody is absolutely ecstatic,” he said. “To have 100 inches by January 2 is kind of a dream come true for everybody.”
According to the National Weather Service, New Hampshire experienced 44.5 inches of total snowfall in December 2007, breaking the state’s previous December record of 43 inches, which was set in 1876. Temperatures have also been favorable for winter sports. For the most part, it has been cold enough to maintain a deep snow base on the mountains, but not cold enough to deter people from hitting the slopes.

The heavy precipitation last month was a welcome surprise for winter athletes disappointed by last December’s dismal yield. It was also a critical boost for the many businesses that rely on lots of snow to stay afloat each year.

According to Alice DeSouza, director of the N.H. Office of Travel and Tourism, winter represents about 20 percent of the state’s annual tourism business. That business comes not only from industries like skiing and snowboarding, but from snowmobile riding, ice skating, dog sledding, snowshoeing, ice fishing, horse-drawn sleigh rides and other outdoor winter activities. The success of these activities spills over into other business sectors, like food services, lodging and retail shopping. After a comparatively dry season in the winter of 2006-2007, it is crucial for all snow-reliant businesses to bounce back this year—and they appear to be doing so.

“So far, everybody’s smiling. It’s been a super, super year,” DeSouza said.

While December’s heavy snowfall is certainly a positive development for New England’s winter sports industries, other factors could prevent frugal visitors from heading for the slopes this winter. High gas prices and home heating costs are an immediate concern for many families, and snowstorms can create driving hazards on the way to and from the mountains. But DeSouza said these factors have not seemed to affect the industry much—so far.

“We have not seen that,” she said. “What, of course, we don’t like is when the snow is falling either late Friday night or early Saturday morning, when people are trying to get up here. But, relative to gas prices, we really haven’t seen the impact that some say it would have had.”

Fraser agreed that guests from surrounding states seem to be visiting New Hampshire’s ski mountains early this year. Last year, she said, many skiers and boarders from the Boston area did not bother making the long trip to ski country. “Skiing never really entered into their minds last year,” she said. This winter, however, Massachusetts riders have been eager to make up for lost time.

Although Sunday River and other resorts are capable of making large quantities of snow without natural storms, many people do not make plans to go skiing unless they see snow on the ground outside their windows. “The ‘backyard effect’ is definitely alive and well,” Kaufman said. And there has been plenty of white stuff in southern New Hampshire and eastern Massachusetts this winter to get people thinking about the slopes.

“That’s the best marketing we can have,” said Karl Stone, marketing manager for Ski New Hampshire. “It gets people fired up to ski and play in the snow.”

Many resorts continue to make their own snow despite the abundance of natural snow.

“We still made snow at every opportunity, primarily because natural snow doesn’t lay down as firm of a base,” Fraser said.
At Sunday River, snowmaking can usually get a good chunk of the mountain open without a single flake of natural snow, but far fewer people actually buy lift tickets. By Jan. 2 of this year, 128 of the mountain’s 131 trails were already open, and the others were expected to open soon. Kaufman said the benefits of such generous snowfall will likely continue to manifest themselves next winter. Visitors with fond memories of skiing this holiday season are much more likely to return and repeat the experience next winter. “It’s definitely going to have a major impact on our ability to have a good holiday season next year,” Kaufman said.

At Loon Mountain, nearly eight total feet of snow had accumulated by Jan. 3. By that same date in January 2007, the mountain had less than two feet of natural snow, said marketing manager Stacy Lopez. Still, aggressive snowmaking will continue through mid-February, she added. Although the resort experienced record visitation during the 10-day period from Dec. 21 to Jan. 1, conditions can rapidly change.

During a severe cold spell on the morning of Jan. 3, it was -5 degrees in Lincoln, where Loon is located (-12 degrees at the top of the mountain). But, temperatures were expected to vault into the 40s this week, creating an early thaw. Therefore, Loon will stick to its normal snowmaking plan until it has developed a base that will be sufficient for the remainder of the season. Winter temperatures have allowed the mountain to stay on schedule for snowmaking.

“Not only have we had all this natural snowfall, we’ve had pretty much optimal snowmaking temperatures,” Lopez said, noting that the perfect temperature for snowmaking is in the high teens or low 20s. “This year, we are going to experience a thaw. However, we’re in really good shape right now. We’ve started the momentum early.”

Stone, of Ski New Hampshire, said ticket sales at New Hampshire ski resorts were probably 100 to 200 percent higher this holiday season than they were last season. He stressed that the generous snowfall was equally positive for winter sports that rely more heavily on natural snow, such as cross-country skiing and snowmobile riding.

“They’re really at the mercy of Mother Nature,” Stone said, noting that many small local economies with little inns and mom-and-pop style restaurants rely on cross-country and snowmobile tourists to stay in business.

Last year, most snowmobile trails were not completely carpeted with snow until late January, and snowmaking was not an option. This especially took a toll on areas of the North Country, like Coos County, where the sport is extremely popular. This winter, snowmobiles were already gliding over trails across the state by mid-December. Some major trails opened as early as Dec. 8.

“The trails have been fabulous so far,” DeSouza said. “This year, Mother Nature’s helped us out.” 

The Southern New Hampshire Trailblazers, a snowmobile club based in Kingston, has experienced a sharp increase in registrations so far this year, according to treasurer Vikki Scott. In a typical winter, about 250 people register with the club. By early January, the club was already approaching 200 members—a number it does not typically reach until February.

“It’s been very much higher participation for this time of year,” Scott said.

There are more than 115 snowmobile clubs in New Hampshire, sharing more than 6,830 miles of trails, according to the N.H. Snowmobile Association. The Trailblazers’ terrain includes 45 miles of trail, much of which is groomed by Vikki Scott’s husband, Gary Scott. “He’s been grooming many hours, so far,” she said.

The Rockingham Recreational Trail, an interconnected system of paths that stretches throughout Rockingham County and beyond, already has exceptional snow conditions, Scott said. The former railroad track starts around Windham and carves through many small towns, ultimately connecting with trails that lead to all parts of the state. With conditions ripe this early, Scott said excitement is high in the snowmobile community.

Good snow conditions also benefit local retailers that sell winter sports equipment. On Jan. 3, a steady flow of customers visited Putnam’s Ski & Snowboard Shop on Lafayette Road in Portsmouth. Asked if business was up from last season, co-manager Scott Chapman answered in the affirmative.

“Without a doubt. Ever since snow started flying, it’s been nonstop all day long,” Chapman said.

Sales at Putnam’s in December 2007 were 20 to 25 percent higher than sales the previous December, Chapman said, and the holiday season was exceptionally busy. After two consecutive seasons of relatively low sales, the spike in business was welcome.

Although snow levels picked up during the second half of last winter, creating prime conditions in March and early April, most people had already written off the season by that time, Chapman said. The hard times spilled over into the following fall, condensing the period of good sales for Putnam’s and other retailers. But, when the snow began to fall, business quickly picked up and remained steady even after the holiday rush.

A snowboarder himself, Scott has had little free time to hit the slopes this year because the store has been so busy. “When white stuff is on the ground, it’s full throttle,” he said.

Fire on the Mountain Ski & Sport in Dover reported similar success over the holidays.

“It was wild,” said owner Bob Siener. “This is getting us back to early 2002, 2003, when things were really humming along. What we’re seeing is people just sort of coming back to winter again.”

The store was so busy in December that Siener did not make his first ski trip of the season until Jan. 3, when he enjoyed chilly but snowy conditions at Sunday River. This year’s snowfall, he said, inspired some families that had never skied before to take up the sport. Many of them needed basic gear, like hats, gloves and ski boots. Other winter sportsmen had dismissed skiing and snowboarding for a couple of years, and have been forced to replenish their supplies this year.

“I don’t think people made winter sports a priority (last year) because there wasn’t an incentive,” Siener said. “This year, it’s been a whole different weather pattern. You see that, and you make a priority change in your life.”

With economic fears swelling, many people are hesitant to spend much cash on expensive recreational activities like skiing, Chapman said. Financial conditions have sparked increased sales of used equipment offered at discount prices. At the same time, Chapman has seen the industry spread to a larger population of women and children over the last several years.
But what does the future hold? Winter sports industries rely largely on factors that are beyond their control. While there has been plenty of snowfall this winter, no one knows what 2009 will bring.

Other factors present longer-term concerns that may be preventable. The N.H. Department of Environmental Services has warned that global warming could spell trouble for the state’s ski industry in years to come. On its Web site, DES reported that total annual ski spending in New Hampshire—including money spent on meals, overnight accommodations and other associated expenses—exceeds $420 million. With rainfall increasing and snowfall decreasing due to climate change, ski conditions could deteriorate and the ski season could be shortened by up to 20 percent, resulting in a net loss of up to $84 million. The trend could also result in job losses for many of the 17,000 New Hampshire residents employed directly by the state’s ski industry, according to DES.

But, as DeSouza pointed out, this winter is “flying in the face of those predictions.” She admitted that climate change is a concern for the Office of Travel and Tourism, but she does not expect the effects of global warming to have an immediate impact on the ski industry. Still, she acknowledges that the potential future effects could be grim for everyone, year-round. “Weather is our best friend or our worst enemy,” she said.

Even this season, winter conditions could easily take a sudden turn for the worse. Just as the last couple of years started out slow and finished strong for snowfall, the strong start this winter could fizzle off as the season progresses. Stone noted that ski resorts rely on weekends and holidays for high sales. If the New England weather does not cooperate on those days, it can throw everything awry.

“We are in New England,” Stone said. “During the February school vacation weeks, if we get a fair amount of rain and people don’t come out, that’s enough to really put a damper on the season as a whole.”

Stone remains cautiously optimistic about what the remainder of the ski season will bring. Even if the snow tapers off, December and early January have already provided a solid base at most mountains. He reminds winter athletes that mid-week is a good time to hunt for bargains at resorts. If you can get a day off from work, there are many lift ticket and lodging deals during slow weekdays.

Most ski resorts offer other attractions at different times of year. Loon, for example, offers gondola sky-rides in the summer, as well as hiking, mountain biking, scenic viewing and an outdoor climbing wall. Visitors cruising along the Kancamagus Highway (Route 112) in the fall often stop by to check out the brilliant foliage, and Loon hosts the New Hampshire Highland Games each September. But, winter trumps all other seasons in ski country. “The winter season is our main season,” Lopez said.

Fortunately for Lopez—and for skiers, boarders and snowmobilers across New England—the winter season has been kind in ’08.

For snow reports and information about ski resorts in New Hampshire, visit www.skinh.com. For Maine reports, visit www.skimaine.com. For snowmobile club and trail information, visit www.nhsa.com.