Syracuse.com - Central New York ski season: With all the snow, just how long can it last? (video)

[HuntingNY-News]

"Who knows? This may be the year when you will be able to ski in the morning and play golf in the afternoon."

TULLY, N.Y. -- It is the middle of March, with the start of spring less than a week away.

Peter Harris,though, said it feels more like early January.

Harris, owner/operator of Song Mountain said the conditions on the mountain today were "excellent," thanks to 14 inches of powdery snow that fell Wednesday on the Tully ski resort.

Thanks to the 14 inches of snow that fell Wednesday, skiing conditions were excellent Friday at Song Mountain in Tully.David Figura | [email protected] 

"Right now, we have anywhere from 18 inches to 60 inches of base on our runs, and that's being conservative," he said. "It's been a great year. We used the same amount of water making snow this year compared to last and thanks to the string of cold nights made twice as much snow."

All four ski resorts in Central New York - Song, Labrador, Toggenburg and Green Peak - reported excellent conditions this week with no immediate thaw in sight.

"I was looking today at the 10-day weather report, which takes us through next Sunday (March 23). I don't see any change in the weather," Harris said. "For this to start melting, you need 50 to 60 degree days and rain. And there's just nothing like that in the forecast."

Could this potentially be one of the longest Central New York spring ski seasons on record? The local slopes opened Thanksgiving weekend this year.

Maybe, maybe not. It looks like the snow will there for a while, but most of the local resorts are hesitant to stay open if the skiers don't keep come in sufficient numbers.

Bruce Wilson, owner of Labrador Mountain in Truxton, said the latest his ski resort has stayed open has been April 9. What is the deciding factor on keeping Labrador open?

"It's when the number of employees on the slope exceeds the number of skiers. That's when the decision is made," he said. "It's a matter of finances and economics. Not the amount of snow. People lose interest, run out of money. They find other things to do."

Cyndy Sisto in the marketing office at Toggenburg Mountain in Fabius, said the snow base at Tog varies from two feet to nearly 10 feet deep. "I know it sounds crazy, but we have that much snow," she said.

She said the latest Tog has stayed open is April 6. "We've had times when the slopes are still open, but the truth is people start getting their heads in garden books that time of year," she said.

She said she was surprised at the number of high school ski trips this year that were cancelled because of the low wind chill factor.

"We're been doing a lot of make-up dates the past couple of weeks and they're still coming," she said. "Our last one is next Wednesday."

Wes Kryger at Greek Peak said the longest stretch the ski resort near Cortland has stayed open has been 142 days. Greek hit the 100-day mark on Thursday, he said.

"I don't think we would go another 42 days. It depends on what Mother Nature decides, though. We have a good base of 28 to 52 inches," he said.

Skiers take a break at Song Mountain in Tully Friday afternoon.David Figura | [email protected] 

Harris he'll keep Song open as long as he can. In the 14 years he's run the resort, the latest he's stayed open was April 15 in 2002.

"We were talking this week about being open April 23 during the Easter break," he said. "Who knows? This may be the year when you will be able to ski in the morning and play golf in the afternoon."

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog