Dec 7, 2003 By Steve Ostrosky 4 min read

When the first snows of the season start to fly, some may panic and stock up on bread, milk and other staples. But others head straight for the hills, to the ski slopes and resorts that dot the mountains of southwestern Pennsylvania.

A winter storm warning issued for several counties in the region just happened to coincide with the opening of the winter season at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion. Bob Duppstadt, manager of public relations and advertising, said Friday afternoon eight slopes already were open, with several more planned to open over the weekend.

He said the forecast will help bring people to Seven Springs, and the resort already has fielded many calls from people inquiring about the start of the resort’s winter season, which will run through March.

“Natural snow is a great marketing tool,” Duppstadt said. “People see it and they automatically think of winter sports.”

Resort workers already have started making snow, which can be made once the mercury dips to 28 degrees or below. He said the weather this week was perfect for snowmaking, and the lower the temperature, the better the conditions for adding to the resort’s 8-to-12-inch base.

“We’re all pretty stoked,” he said. “The conditions are very good, and they are only going to get better.”

While he is optimistic this season will be another good one, he hesitates to compare it to last winter, which brought snow early and often. “I don’t pay a lot of attention to long-term forecasts, but they are tending to say that it’s going to be similar to last year,” Duppstadt said. “I hope they’re right.”

Snow, to many, can be a source of stress, but Duppstadt offered some advice: “Get out and play. If you’re not skiing or snowboarding, you can be tubing or riding a sleigh. …Getting out in the weather is a great way to prevent the wintertime blues.”

Tom Smith, director of recreation at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa, said final preparations are being made to open Mystic Mountain winter sports complex on Friday.

Although this winter’s snowfall forecast may be lower than last year’s, he said the interest generated in winter sports last season should mean an even better winter season this year.

Smith said crews will start making snow on Mystic Mountain’s 25 acres to add to the area’s 1-foot base as soon as humidity levels, which increased as a result of this weekend’s storm, return to normal.

“Anytime it’s cold, we can make snow,” Smith said.

He said the season will last through the first weekend of March, but last year, people were skiing Mystic Mountain until April. While the length of the season will depend on Mother Nature, Smith said he is hopeful for another busy – and snowy – few months.

“It’s looking good so far,” he said. “I can’t wait for it to start snowing.”

Hidden Valley Resort is opening somewhat earlier than usual this season, but not nearly as early as last year, when slopes were open right after Thanksgiving. The ski season began this weekend after crews were able to make snow for almost 72 consecutive hours, according to Keith James, marketing consultant.

“Snow-making conditions have been near ideal here for the past four or five days and we have enough snow that we will have at least three slopes open this weekend,” he said. “We have a base of between 4 and 8 inches of packed powder, and depending upon what Mother Nature could bring us, we could be able to make more snow and open more slopes as conditions improve.”

James said snow is made during times when snow-making guns can run for hours on end and when weather conditions are right. A number of factors go into determining if snow can be made, including humidity, dew point, wind velocity and direction, as well as the weather forecast.

He said last winter, it snowed, got cold and stayed cold, which allowed Hidden Valley to get up to full operation very quickly.

Snowtubing chutes are expected to open next weekend, while the cross-country ski center’s opening date has not yet been determined, James said.

While this season’s opening is better than usual, he said the next week will be crucial in determining how the resort’s 28 slopes and trails will open in time for the busiest week of the season, between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

“We work hard to interest people and make people enthusiastic about winter sports, and it helps us when Mother Nature is our ally, like she was last winter,” James said, noting the resort could get 6 to 20 inches of snow this weekend. “We certainly have our ally back right now.”

On the Web: For more information, log onto www.7springs.com, www.nemacolin.com or www.hiddenvalleyresort.com.