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SAM Magazine – Denver, Colo., Feb., 20, 2015 – Business over the Presidents Day weekend and into this week has been a tale of opposites. In the West, temperatures remain warmer than average, and in the Northeast, Midwest, and South, the mercury fell to the bottom of the thermometer. But overall, ski areas are reporting that business for the week has been in the black.

SAM Magazine – Denver, Colo., Feb., 20, 2015 – Business over the Presidents Day weekend and into this week has been a tale of opposites. In the West, temperatures remain warmer than average, and in the Northeast, Midwest, and South, the mercury fell to the bottom of the thermometer. But overall, ski areas are reporting that business for the week has been in the black.

As a whole, the Presidents Day holiday plays a significant role in terms of visitation for the season, particularly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic where schools have a longer break than just the long weekend, according to Dave Belin, director of consulting services for RRC Associates.

On the East Coast, many ski areas say weather suppressed overall skier and snowboarder turnout for the weekend, but business rebounded during the week. In Massachusetts, Wachusett Mountain president Jeff Crowley likened the weekend to a ski race.

“We got out of the start without issue, but we were late on the next two gates,” Crowley said. Reservations picked up later in the week, and conditions should allow the area to remain open for the April 5th Easter holiday and perhaps later.

In Pennsylvania, Anne Weimer, marketing director for Liberty Mountain, said consistent snowmaking had the slopes in good shape for the holiday, but cold temperatures impacted visits. “We have plenty of snow on the mountain and it's in great condition, but weather has been a bit cold for many of the folks in our region. The cold and wind kept numbers down,” she said.

Further north, ski areas in Maine received up to a foot of new snow during the week but that's just a fraction of the snow that fell in places like Portland, where nearly five feet of snow has fallen since January, including more than two feet in February.

At Sugarloaf, fresh snow wasn't enough to offset winds and sub-zero temperatures. “Unfortunately the cold, wind, and forecasts for paralyzing snow hurt us quite a bit over Presidents Day weekend, particularly on Presidents Day itself,” said Ethan Austin, communications manager. Visits over the weekend were down notably compared to last year. “Overall though, the season has been quite good. We're ahead of where we were at this time last year and are very optimistic for a great spring,” he said.

Sub-zero temperatures over the weekend also effected visits in Minnesota. Jerry Wahlin, president and owner of Powder Ridge ski area, said highs peaked at 4 degrees F on Saturday, but more skiers and riders hit the slopes on Monday with a high of 18 degrees.

“It seems if the weather is good, there's a lot of interest out there, so if we can catch a break on the weather we should have a good spring season. Overall we are having an above average season,” Wahlin said.

In Quebec, Annick Marseille, public relations manager at Mont Tremblant, said the number of lodging nights sold was up 9.5 percent over last year, and the length of the average stay was up 3.6 percent. Many resorts in Canada are reporting increased visits from the U.S. this season, thanks to the strength of the U.S. dollar compared to the Canadian loonie.

Stuart Rempel, senior vice president of marketing and sales at Whistler Blackcomb, said his area saw very strong visitation from U.S. skiers and riders, and that occupancy there was well above last year. Chinese New Year fell during the week of President's Day, providing Whistler Blackcomb, one of the closest major resorts to Asia, a bonus bump in visits. “We're excited,” he said. “Our destination business is strong and the business from America is rebounding.”

Higher-elevation resorts in British Columbia and Alberta have escaped the worst of the rain and warm temperatures. Matt Mosteller, senior vice president of marketing for Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, said Kicking Horse has received more than 17 feet of snow and business from the U.S. is up more than 30 percent.

Elsewhere in Canada, several ski areas are closed for the season, or closed until conditions improve. A ridge of high pressure over Alberta and British Columbia is blamed for three months of above average temperatures. Castle Mountain in southern Alberta is the latest to close for the season, having received less than a third of its average 358 inches of snow.

In Washington state, where snow has been spotty this winter, Chris Danforth, vice president of marketing for Stevens Pass, said visits there were down 40 percent compared to last year, and visits for the season were down 50 percent. Ten ski areas in Oregon and Washington are currently closed, all with plans to reopen.

In California, Squaw Valley saw strong visitation, thanks to nearly two feet of snow that fell at the highest elevations the weekend before the holiday. Likewise, Sally Gunter, communications manager for Heavenly, said the same storm dropped 16 inches there allowing the resort to open more terrain. “People were having a blast and enjoying the warm weather and good snow conditions,” Gunter said. But lower-elevation areas at Tahoe, such as Homewood, were running short on snow. The same was true in southern California, where Mountain High was forced to close, temporarily, for lack of snow.

In Wyoming, Ken Rider, sales and marketing director for Grand Targhee, said skier visits are up 10 percent for the two-week period surrounding President's Day. Overall room nights are up 21 percent and ancillary business, including lesson, rental, and concessions, are up 14 percent over last year. Looking ahead, Rider said total advance bookings and future reservations for the rest of the season are pacing 13 percent ahead of last season.

In Colorado, Jennifer Rudolph, communications director for Colorado Ski Country USA, said the weekend presented the “best of both worlds: Fair-weather skiers reveled in sunny conditions on Saturday, and the powder seekers got their fill of fresh snow on Monday.”

John Sellers, marketing director at Loveland, said visits for the weekend were strong, but down 5 percent from last year. The caveat, he said, was that last year the area received 14” of new snow over the weekend compared to just six inches this year, on Monday. Sellers said year-to-date snowfall is down almost seven feet from last season.

“That sounds a lot worse than it actually is; last year we finished about five feet over our annual average of 422 inches,” he said.