With plenty of blue sky above and fresh snow on the slopes, thousands of skiers and snowboarders took advantage of the conditions at Mt. Southington on Sunday.
“It’s Presidents Weekend and it was a nice day. It snowed last night. So it was great conditions today,” Norwalk resident Rachel Hughes said.
People carved turns with five inches of new powder on the ski area’s 16 trails.
This weekend’s snowstorm tempted some to try skiing for the first time. With temperatures in the 40s, the staff broke out the outdoor grill and even pulled out t-shirts.
“It was really warm and it was great to have some fresh snow rather than the icy conditions we’ve had in the recent couple of months,” Dawn Alger of Haddam, said.
“People have just been itching. Every weekend we’ve seem to gotten a little rain up until now. And this was the perfect forecast, couldn’t ask for anything more,” Jay Dougherty, general manager of Mt. Southington, said.
Dougherty estimated the crowd at 2,000 people, one of the busiest days here in years.
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“They weren’t as bad as I thought. In the beginning it was kind of crowded but it evened out,” Norwalk resident Caitlin Georgoff said.
The staff credits the blockbuster turnout on the snow falling at night, quickly followed by a beautiful day and all landing on a holiday weekend.
Now they just have to get through a major warmup later this week.
“This is Southern New England. So we’re used to having these oddball 70 degree days or 60 degree days. We’ll survive it here for sure,” Dougherty said.
The staff says the recent snow will help to make it through the warmup. They’re still looking well beyond this week and have a goal to stay open until mid-March.
