Anecdotes of rough Decembers in New England ski history.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
1994-95
"The killer wasn't the lack of snow. It was the heat." - Skip King of Sunday River, Skiing, September 1995
"All told, last winter ranked as the ninth warmest in 100 years in New Hampshire and the fourth warmest in Vermont. The last time there was a winter any warmer in Vermont was in 1953." - Peter Oliver, Skiing, September 1995
1982-83
"Fewer than 30 of the more than 100 downhill ski areas in New England were operating by Thursday and only about 13 percent of the trails were open, according to a survey by the National Ski Areas Association." - Associated Press, December 31, 1982.
1979-80
"The New England ski industry, [was] plagued financially this winter by one of the worst snow droughts on record." - United Press International, February 1, 1980.
1973-74
"Warm weather, rain wash out skimpy skiing. Skiing zealots wait out the dismal conditions in New England as rains and warm temperatures continue to plague the resorts." - Karen Kane, Boston Globe, December 27, 1973.
"As 1973 closed, only 46 of the 109 New England ski areas were open at all ... and most of those offered limited skiing, according to Phil Camp, executive director of the Eastern Ski Areas Association. And for the most part, the available skiing was on ice, rocks, shrub and tree rocks covered by a thin layer of machine-made snow." - Ann Blackman, Nashua Telegraph, January 10, 1974.
"Harry Baxter, general manager of Sugarloaf, said his area was closed or Christmas and was hurt badly in January and February" - Boston Globe, March 10, 1974
1964-65
"Ski operators...did not receive any substantial snow before mid-January." - Boston Globe, February 9, 1965.
1954-55
"Chins were low to the ground at both North Conway and Belknap Mountain in Laconia, till yesterday's bonanza struck them. They had been pretty well washed out by Saturday's rain." - Pat Harty, Boston Globe, December 22, 1954.
1951-52
"We have just returned from a swing through Vermont and eastern New Hampshire. The only skiable snow we encountered was at Stowe. Three to five inches on Mount Mansfield will provide some week-end running on the Toll Road." - Pat Harty, Boston Globe, December 14, 1951.
1950-51
"Another week-end is coming up with not too much to offer in the way of New England skiing. There is from two to four inches of snow at Mt. Mansfield in Stowe, Vt., which will offer a little skiing on the top of the Toll road." - Pat Harty, Boston Globe, December 15, 1950.
1949-50
'Rain that Old Debbil that comes up from nowhere and plagues us skiers just when we thought we had him licked, has done it again. As the storm worked its way out yesterday a check shows that outside of Mount Mansfield in Stowe, Vt., everything else washed down to a point where the No Skiing warnings had to be set up." - Pat Harty, Boston Globe, December 14, 1949
"There is not enough to even report." - Sepp Ruschp of Stowe, Boston Globe, December 23, 1949.
1948-49
"We drove back from North Conway yesterday afternoon and the ground was bare all the way back. The rain never came down harder and with only a few patches of snow showing at Cranmore Mountain when we checked just before leaving" - Pat Harty, Boston Globe, January 1, 1949.
1946-47
"The first weather report for skiers landed in the office last night and it is not too favorable. With five areas reporting only Mt. Mansfield mentioned any snow at all. The depth there was only two to four inches and the comment poor skiing was practically superfluous." - Pat Harty, Boston Globe, December 20, 1946
