By Scott Taylor,Staff Writer

AUBURN – Kids on break might be the antidote for a disappointing ski season for Lost Valley.

The ski area will kick off a new ski and snowboarding camp beginning Feb. 21 aimed at school kids on vacation.

Diane Moreau, vice president of operations, hopes the camp will bolster Lost Valley Ski Area’s bottom line after a winter full of weird weather.

“If you look at the weather patterns this winter, most of the worst came on weekends, when we’re normally busiest,” she said. “That’s when it’s been raining, and nobody goes skiing when it’s raining. Why would you want to put on a trash bag and go stand outside and get wet?”

Lost Valley’s snowpack is better than some East Coast ski areas, thanks to its extensive snowmaking.

“But you can’t make snow when it’s too warm – or when it’s raining,” Moreau said.

Rain ruins the snowpack, which reached a low point earlier this month when city officials and the ski area postponed the annual WinterFest celebration. “We were at the point where we were getting some bare spots on the trails,” she said.

Crews redoubled their snowmaking operations early last week, helped by colder temperatures and snow. The WinterFest celebration went off this weekend without a hitch, Moreau said.

The area began this week with a 14-inch base of packed powder after Sunday’s 4-plus inches of snow. “So we think we’re in great shape going into the vacation week,” Moreau said.

It will be the first time Lost Valley has offered a vacation camp. For $75, budding skiers and snowboarders will get 90-minute lessons daily Tuesday through Friday. For an additional $90, they can stay on the mountain after their daily lessons.