It’s all downhill from here. The slopes at Ski Sundown are open with ten of its 16 trails, covered in man-made snow. Despite the mild temperatures the resort opened today, and the holiday ski crowd was eager and ready.
“It’s soft, but it’s also hard packed enough so you don’t get stuck, and you go fast,” said Jameson McGovern of Granby.
Preparing for opening day has been a challenge. There’s been very little natural snow and temperatures have often been too warm to make it. Still, Ski Sundown was determined to open for the week leading into the new year.
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“We feel really good and thankful we’re open,” said owner, Bob Switzgable.
Although mother nature has not been too cooperative, this resort has found a way to keep the holiday spirit bright - and the slopes slippery. To cover its 75 acres of skiable terrain, Ski Sundown has about 200 snowmaking machines.
“We’ve got a lot of fire power. We can put a lot of water out when we can make snow,” added Switzgable.
The effort has made for a successful opening day. Among those enjoying it was Lana Goodwin, a five-year veteran of the sport at only 8 years old. Goodwin says she loves skiing fast.
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“It feels like I am zooming through the sky,” she said.
More than half the trails are open at Ski Sundown and people are excited about it.
“It doesn’t matter if there are five trails for the whole mountain is open,” said Mike Slattery of Watertown “We’re just happy to be here.”
