Weeks ago, we were expecting a long spring skiing season, but we didn’t expect mid-winter conditions the last weekend in March.

On March 27, we skied groomed, hard pack at Bretton Woods. The next two days, we skied fresh powder. Snow in late March isn’t unusual, but it’s more likely to be heavy and wet. We skied light powder Friday and more the next day. The skiing was as good as it had been all winter.

The late snow has extended seasons for a number of ski areas, and we could be skiing into May.

One area usually closed by now is Shawnee Peak. It can be a tough decision. Open for one last weekend and lose money with nothing but a handful of season-pass holders on the slopes or close after a profitable season. Shawnee let the skiers make the decision. On their Web site, they offered a special deal, a $15 lift ticket good this weekend. The tickets had to be purchased by the 28th, and if 300 were sold the area would open. More than the required 300 were purchased, so Shawnee is open this weekend. As this was written, a decision on next weekend had not been made, but they are closed during the week.

As expected Saddleback, Sunday River and Sugarloaf are still open and will be for at least two more weeks. Sunday River will have a season-passholders BBQ next Sunday. Sugarloaf will have a passholders BBQ on the April 20 and plans on skiing into May.

Over in New Hampshire Bretton Woods will have skiing as long as the snow holds up, and the skiers keep coming. Wildcat is shooting for May, and their elevation and location make it likely. Attitash has projected mid April, while Waterville Valley and Cannon will be open until April 13 and Loon the 21st.

All of this is subject to the weather, but the snow usually outlasts the skiers in the mountains. The problem for ski areas is the lack of snow along the coast, which allows skiers to turn to other pursuits, such as golf, tennis or boating. There is also the suggestion at home to rake the yard and start the outdoor spring clean up.

With more than a foot of snow still in the backyard here in Westbrook and snowbanks along the street that will take a few more weeks to melt, skiing is the only option, and the ski areas still open are operating close to 100 percent.

For those who can’t get enough before the lifts finally close, there is more snow on Mount Washington than there has been in years. Tuckerman Ravine has an estimated 100 feet in the bowl, so skiing should last well into June, and a July 4th trip might be possible.

This is also the time of year when ski areas start making plans for improvements during the summer. The latest is Sunday River, where a “Chondola” will replace the triple chair out of South Ridge base. The lift will be a detachable quad chair with gondola cars, hence the name. Unlike the triple which simply carries skiers high enough to access the Spruce Peak Triple, the new lift will carry skiers to the summit of North Peak, where they can ski down to Aurora or Spruce, along with skiing the runs off North Peak. Lights are also in the works for North Peak, and the lift can transport diners up to the North Peak lodge.

Saddleback also has some important plans for the summer. The big news is that the Kennebago T-bar will be replaced by a Dopplemayer/CTEC fixed grip quad chair. A new trail will be cut east of Warden’s Worry, creating the largest self-contained Black Diamond complex of trails in the East. The chair will allow access to America, an intermediate run off the top. The difficult T-bar ride prevented a lot of intermediates from reaching the top. Snowmaking will also be increased on the steeper runs, which will give better skiers a playground with dependable snow on a number of runs.

I also received word that Bryn Carey, a CVA grad from Kingfield, continues to grow his business out of Park City, Utah. He started Ski Butlers four years ago and now serves 25 resorts in California and the Rockies. The company has added a unique service to rental equipment, by actually bringing the gear along with accessories directly to the condo, hotel or other unit where the skiers are staying. This really takes the hassle out of renting equipment by eliminating that trip to the rental shop to start the day.

Finally, with all this snow, there has never been a better time to enjoy all the BBQs and sunning on the decks after a day of skiing, so get out there and get the best of spring skiing.

Dave Irons is a freelance writer who lives in Westbrook.