The January thaw was a pleasant winter break for most people, but it's been a real challenge for local ski resorts. Heavy rains forced Mount Pleasant in Edinboro to close until they can make more snow, or get a dose of real snow from the skies.
Peek 'n Peak Ski Resort in Clymer, NY managed to keep all of its slopes open. But they lost a lot of snow when the temperatures climbed to 66 degrees. Skiers enjoyed spring-like conditions, with some people hitting the slopes in shirtsleeves or even shorts. But it's not what resort operators want to see in January.
The Peek's operation manager, Brad Gravink has a reputation on the east coast for his expertise in getting the slopes open and keeping them open. But it's getting tougher to work miracles. It's been too warm for real snow and too warm to make it. The conditions are especially challenging for groomers on the terrain park, where they need more snow depth to maintain jumps and other snowboard features.
The peek is pulling it off so far - but they need a good week of snow making or some help from the skies. Paul Pisano, Executive Director of Resort Operations says they're fighting perception too, "When you look out your window and see green, that doesn't mean the Peek is green, get on our website www.pknpk.com you can see what's going on out there.
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