The start of ski season might still be a few months away at some New England ski resorts, but it started on Saturday at Powder Ridge Mountain in Middlefield.
The resort’s employees have spent the prior week testing out the new 500-foot synthetic snow slope near the old 7-47 trail.
“This is going to be my fourth ski day of the season already,” Training Center Director Tom Loring said Friday.
The polymer plastic fingers allow skis to turn and curve just like they would on snow.
“It’s a little bit slower to start with, but then once you’re sliding it feels very similar,” Loring said. “We’re finding that the dynamics of the turn take just a little bit longer to develop. So, a lot of people are hesitant as they get on it. But, a couple runs in people are really starting to ski and ride like they normally would.”
Unlike powder, this snow has staying power.
“We knew we had to implement a strategy that was 365. We had to open all seasons because we are the southernmost New England ski area,” Powder Ridge CEO Sean Hayes said.
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That geography has been a challenge for Powder Ridge owners of the past and present. They’ve struggled to stay open 90-days before the snow melted. This ski area sat vacant for nearly nine years, after a previous owner couldn’t make the business financially feasible.
On Saturday, Powder Ridge will be the first New England ski area to open for the season.
“A great opportunity for ski teams and existing skiers to kind of get their legs under them for the beginning of the season but it’s also going to be a tremendous place to learn,” Loring said.
It’s a concept new to New England, but it has been used in Europe and Asia for two decades.
Loring said the manufacturer recommends skiers and snowboarders use a hard cold weather wax.
“For the ski community, educated skiers are afraid of the damage. There have been other surfaces that have caused damage. This one we’re not seeing any damage whatsoever,” Loring said.
Because of the hard plastic surface, all users will be required to stay covered.
“We are requiring helmets, long shirts and a long pair of pants. You will get a rash if you hit skin on this material hard,” said Hayes.
Hayes explained that 80-percent of first-time skiers never return to the sport, mostly because they don’t like the cold weather. He thinks synthetic snow will make skiing more appealing.
“Who doesn’t want to go out on a day like this and learn so you can get the hard thing out of the way? You’ll be ready for skiing in the winter knowing you’re ready to ski,” said Hayes.
When the winter weather comes, the synthetic slope will be easy to transition to the real deal.
“Where most mountains have to put three feet of base down to ski on it, this is our base,” Hayes said, explaining that only three inches of real snow is necessary over the synthetic slope.
Two tubing and sledding lanes will also open later this month.
Hayes did not want to say how much he’s invested in the new synthetic slopes but said they do plan to extend the 500-foot ski hill to 2,500-feet in a few years.
