Skiing areas experience 'decent' winter season
Winter has been good for area ski hills, and they'll stay open for at least one more week.
"We had a fairly decent season," said Judith E. Sweeney, manager of Snow Ridge Ski Resort, Turin. "The snow was down overall, but we still had a lot of snow and the coverage was good all through the season."
She said a lot of visitors to the region came from far-flung states, such as Florida and Alabama.
"A lot of people are from Lewis and Oneida counties and they come home and vacation up here for a little," Mrs. Sweeney said.
More soldiers and families also came to the resort from Fort Drum.
Now, the slopes will stay open depending on the weather.
"It looks like the rain has backed off for the next few days, so it looks good for next weekend, too," Mrs. Sweeney said.
Snow Ridge has implemented some different rates for the remainder of the season, she said. They include $7 night skiing and weekend lift tickets that are $15 for military members and $20 for others.
Snow Ridge will hold a "spring fling fun day" today, with a race for children 5 to 12 years old, a "closest to the pin" golf contest, a volleyball tournament and a barbecue.
Timothy L. McAtee, owner of Dry Hill Ski Area, Watertown, said it will stay open through today and then he will evaluate the weather week by week.
"I'm not counting winter out yet — we had more snow last year in April than in March," he said. "But if we don't see some winter weather next week, I'd think the season will be pretty close to over."
He called the season "decent."
"We haven't had a lot of natural snow this year, but it's held up pretty well," he said. "With the temperatures being comfortable, we had a lot more participation."
Most weekends had clear weather, which also contributed to many people traveling and skiing. But the economy kept some close to home.
"Dry Hill is a good value when it comes to the ski industry," Mr. McAtee said. "We had more military in the area longer this winter, and we had a lot of response from them, too."
