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By STEPHEN R. LEVINE slevine@leader.net
Monday, January 31, 2000 Page: 3A
White is black and black is white.
That isn’t the mantra of some leftover character from a cold war spy novel,
but it could be a catch phrase for the ski business.
Across the region, ski resort operators and others whose livelihoods depend
on white, wintry weather have been making merry for about a week. With as much
as 14 inches of snow last Tuesday and another 8 to 12 inches expected by this
morning, conditions – on the slopes and at the cash register – couldn’t be
better.
Though they’re not using the phrase “in the black” just yet, for those in
the ski business, “in the white,” means about the same thing.
“Yesterday was awesome and today looks real good too,” said Greg Olson,
general manager at Montage Mountain Ski Resort in Scranton.
He said though Montage, like most area ski resorts, makes much of its own
snow, there’s nothing like natural snow to increase crowds.
“If it’s not winterlike in Philadelphia, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.,
that will hurt us,” he said.
On the other hand, if people look out their window and see snow, it gets
them in the mood for skiing, he said.
Dave Kulis, director of sales and marketing at Camelback in Tannersville,
echoed Olson.
“When there’s snow in people’s backyards, it helps put them in the mood
for skiing,” he said.
Though he wouldn’t release sales numbers, Kulis said Saturday was
Camelback’s busiest day this season. He said December, though unseasonably
warm and snowless, was about 25 percent better than December 1998 and January
sales are up about 25 percent as well.
Greg Confer, general manager for Elk Mountain in Uniondale, said with 14
inches of snow from last week’s storm and several inches expected Sunday, even
the few trails without snow-making equipment will be opened.
“We’ve got our best conditions in several years,” he said.
General Manager Tom Mitchell at Bear Creek Ski Shack at the base of Montage
Mountain said although the economy boomed elsewhere, businesses dependent on
harsh winter weather were largely left in the cold until now.
“It took three years to come around,” he said. “We had three very poor
years here. But this is probably going to be a banner year, thank goodness.”
Still, some are reluctant to do as Mitchell did and declare it a “banner
year” just yet.
“So far all of the signs are extraordinarily positive,” said Camelback’s
Kulis. “But you never know. Weather patterns can change, but so far we’re
very excited.”