After weeks of warmth, snow delights skiers

Marvin Frock doesn't miss a morning weather bulletin.

Ski season started several weeks ago, but for Frock, 55, it doesn't kick off until enough snow falls so he can hit the slopes without having to worry about scuffing up his shiny skis.

"The rocks aren't good for my freshly tuned skis," said Frock, picking up his pair at the Alpine Ski Center in Dilworth. "It's all about the weather."

So Frock and vacationers like him were excited to hear reports Tuesday of heavy snowfall in the mountains.

Unseasonably warm temperatures have meant a slushy year so far for North Carolina's ski resorts.

The warm weather did not bode well for resorts, hotels and restaurants that depend on skiers.

This week, between Christmas and New Year's, when kids are out of school, is one of the ski season's busiest times.

"The warm spell that came over the last two weeks wasn't very kind," said Kristin Hull, a customer service agent at Hawksnest ski resort in Seven Devils near Banner Elk. "It really looks like our luck is changing. It should be getting pretty crazy around here."

Hull estimated the resort has had about half its usual skiers in the past couple of weeks.

North Carolina has seven ski resorts, most in the northwestern mountains around Banner Elk and Boone.

The National Weather Service reported one to three inches of snowfall around Banner Elk on Tuesday night. The resorts said there was even more up in the mountains.

Perhaps more importantly, temperatures dropped to near-freezing levels, so snow makers could operate. Sugar Mountain, for example, hasn't been able to make its own snow in a week.

Forecasts call for daytime temperatures around 45 to 50 degrees for the rest of the week, with nighttime lows near freezing. There's another chance of snow and rain in the area on Sunday.

"We're grateful to get this weather," said Kim Jochl, marketing director at Sugar Mountain, which has nine of its slopes running.

The temperature on Dec. 16 was 65 degrees, according the National Weather Service, more than 20 degrees above the average for that day.

It's not just the resorts that are glad to see snow. Dereka's Sugar Mountain Accommodations had several cancellations during the warm spell, said reservationist Dane Phillips, but now has all its 180 cabins and condos filled through Jan 2..

"People here have been praying for snow," said Jackie Gailfoil, manager of Highland Hills Motel in Boone, which expects to sell out by the weekend. "With this little bit of snow, people are getting excited and looking forward to some fun."

Eric Huston, manager of Alpine Ski Center in Charlotte, said he rented out between 30 and 40 sets of skis and snowboards Tuesday -- more in one day than the shop had rented all season so far.

"People want to get pumped up," Huston said. "The cold, Christmas, has snapped everyone's fingers to say, 'It's time. Let's go.' "