By Tim McCahill,Associated Press Writer

So far the deep of winter hasn’t resulted in deep snow in some parts of northern New England, and that has those who rely on the winter economy looking south with envy.

“Of course we want snow,” said Peter Gagne, president of Northern Extremes, a snowmobile rental and tour company in North Conway, N.H. “We need snow here. They don’t need it down there.”

When weather maps last weekend showed broad bands of white across Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, sections of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont remained in the clear – and had the smaller snow accumulations to show for it, with measurements ranging mostly in the inches rather than feet. A more moderate storm earlier this week did bring snow to some previously untouched parts of northern New England, but not in the massive quantities some were hoping for.

For snowmobilers, that translates to thin snow cover and fewer groomed trails. Trails in and around North Conway were groomed for the first time Thursday, Gagne said, and last weekend’s blizzard in southern New England was starting to generate more business after a serious lull in activity.

“The phones are ringing off the hook,” he said. “As soon as the snow hit Boston, people want to get away from it.”

Businesses rely on this phenomenon – called “the backyard effect” – to attract outdoor recreation enthusiasts in the cities to the slopes and trails up north. But the uneven snowfall across the region had some winter diehards more disappointed than overjoyed.

“I’m sick of having it here; I wish it was up north,” said Paul Croteau, who lives in North Reading, Mass., where he said 32 inches of snow fell over the weekend. “I do a lot of hiking and backcountry skiing. Down here, all I do is shovel.”

Caribou, in northern Maine, has recorded 60 inches of snow so far this season, but much of it had melted before the last storm. As of Thursday, there was only 5 inches of snow on the ground, said Rich Norton of the National Weather Service.

Jeffrey Saucier, who works in Caribou City Hall, said residents of northernmost Maine look upon southern New England with envy.

“We have just barely enough to satisfy our needs and we’re very envious when we see a foot-and-a-half of snow in the Boston area and we have 6 and 8 inches. We look at it as them not wanting it and us craving it,” he said.

The Maine Winter Sports Center had to truck snow from Caribou to a cross-country ski event in Presque Isle a few weeks ago. And sled dog races have been canceled for lack of snow this weekend in Newport, Maine.

Saucier said he thinks everything will average out. After all, Caribou normally gets 116 inches of snow.

The Carroll and Jane Rikert Ski Touring Center in Ripton, Vt., was on the fringe of the weekend storm that blanketed Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The cross country ski area picked up about 6 inches Sunday night and Monday, and it snowed the same amount earlier this week.

Tim Reilly, director of the Rikert ski school, said he wished the center could boast as much as snow as southern New England.

“We wish we could’ve shared more with everyone,” he said. “We could definitely use it.”

The ski center, which is owned by Middlebury College, is hoping conditions stay good as it prepares to host a race next month.

“It’s to the point that we’re keeping track of what we have. We’ll have to use it efficiently,” Reilly said.

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