Unseasonably warm, wet weather that swept into the east in late December courtesy of El Niño has forced all but one West Virginia ski area to suspend operations at least until the coming weekend, following the expected return of several days of subfreezing temperatures starting on Thursday night.
On Monday, Timberline Four Seasons resort in Canaan Valley was the only resort south of Pennsylvania offering skiing and snowboarding, with four trails and two lifts operating.
Canaan Valley and Winterplace resorts closed their slopes due to a lack of snow on Friday, while Snowshoe Mountain Resort followed suit at the end of the day on Sunday.
"From Southern Pennsylvania to North Carolina, we're all in the same boat," said Joe Stevens, spokesman for the West Virginia Ski Areas Association. "We're in a reboot mode right now. We got hit with a triple whammy - warmer temperatures, rain and fog.
"Everybody's planning how to make the most of the snowmaking weather that will hopefully resume on Thursday night. We're expected to get some overnight lows in the teens, which is ideal for making snow."
Meanwhile, Canaan Valley and Snowshoe Mountain resorts have opened their golf courses, Stevens said, and hiking and mountain biking are available for outdoor enthusiasts in lieu of snow sports.
West Virginia's ski resorts opened the season late, with less than normal snow-covered terrain. In addition to below-prime slope conditions, spring-like weather in the metropolitan areas that provide the bulk of the resorts' customer base kept thoughts of skiing in check, further diminishing turnout at Mountain State resorts.
"There have been cancellations and a lot of people postponed their visits until February or March," Stevens said. "The week before Christmas and the week after it make up what is traditionally our busiest time of the year."
The current lack of snow, he said, "not only affects the resorts, it also affects off-mountain businesses like ski shops, hotels, restaurants and gas stations."
At Timberline, the Mid-Atlantic region's sole operating ski resort, it took a herculean effort to keep slopes open to skiers and snowboarders through late December's warm, wet weather.
"We knew going into winter that El Niño was going to bring warmer than normal temperatures into the Eastern United States, and that we would probably be off to a slow start," said Fred Herz, owner of Timberline Four Seasons Resort. "So we made the judgment call to get two additional pumps to boost our overall snowmaking capabilities 20 to 25 percent, and to add 21 new snowmakers."
Unfortunately for Timberline, the manufacturer of the new snowmaking units failed to deliver the gear at the agreed-upon time, Herz said, and as the window of opportunity for making snow in advance of the Christmas holiday season began to fade, his wife, Tracy, arranged to have truckers pick up the equipment in Canada and bring it back to Tucker County just before the window closed.
"We got them at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, and then unloaded them, took them up the mountain, and had them operational just in time to let us open the middle part of the mountain," Herz said. "I have to say we have some of best people in the country operating our snowmaking equipment. It's been an enormous challenge, but they're unbelievably talented. Now, we're trying to get the word out that we still have skiing so we can get people back on the slopes."
Snowmaking weather is expected to extend from Thursday night through Sunday.
"After that, it's unclear when the next extended period of cold weather will arrive in the state, Herz said. "Cold temperatures are going to come, and we will be ready for them.
"We have an elevation high enough - 4,300 feet at the top of the mountain - to buffer many warm-weather events. People have learned that if there's any snow to be had, we'll have it."
"As soon as it gets cold again, we'll be opening terrain quickly and start to rebound," said Stevens.
The Martin Luther King and Presidents day weekends are big for the industry and, with ample snow, could help state resorts recoup early season losses.
"We can make up for the season we've had so far," Herz said. "Even if you lose the first 25 percent of a season, the next three-quarters can still be very good.
"The wheels are turning now on how to capitalize on the snow, once we get it all back."
Reach Rick Steelhammer at rsteelhammer@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5169, or follow @rsteelhammer on Twitter.