Watching the weather forecast one day this week was discouraging. It was bad enough there was no snow in the forecast, but the forecaster seemed to be happy about it. Worse yet, the only temperature below freezing (28) on the entire map was on top of Mount Washington.

Over the past decade or two, ski areas have invested millions in snowmaking up grades. Most started with a goal of increasing capacity to 100 percent of their trails. That goal was expanded to covering all the trails before the start of Christmas vacation, and the major areas here in Maine have that capability, but not with temperatures that refuse to stay below freezing.

In recent years, the investments have been in more efficient snow guns. We have all seen the tower guns and giant fan guns. These guns, especially the tower guns, allow snowmaking at higher temperatures, but they still have to be below the freezing mark. They also turn more water into using less energy and turn more water into snow in less time.

By taking advantage of every window of opportunity, a lot of trails have been opened, but instead of being able to cover a trail and move on to opening more, the snowmakers have had to go back and resurface trails already open. Ideally this time of year temperatures will drop to 20 or below overnight and stay cold enough during the day to run the snow guns 24-7. Instead, we have seen temperatures 40 and above during the day and often remaining above the freezing mark overnight. Given the weather, it’s amazing that as many trails are open.

There have been a few news reports showing skiers but over the weekend the TV folks interviewed golfers. Now it’s not unusual to have courses still open near Portland, but this was on a course just south of Bangor! Before we get too concerned, we should remember what happened in the 1979-80 season. Pleasant Mountain didn’t get any snow in December, January or February. Tim Cyr was a  young general manager and he remembered how it finally snowed in early March. The area opened March 1 and stayed open for a single week. That was the entire season — one week.

That season resulted in the sale of the ski area and the new owners first priority was installing snowmaking. Of course, the next year it snowed early and often but the snowmaking was expanded until it reached the summit. Tim Cyr is now in real estate at Big Sky in Montana and skis every day.

The name has changed to Shawnee Peak, but the upgrades in snowmaking both for quantity and efficiency have continued. Shawnee Peak at Pleasant Mountain can make snow with the best and their water supply (11 mile long Moose Pond) is the envy of most ski areas.

One conversation I had this week brought another instance of a snowless Christmas day. Ed Rogers, who longtime Sugarloaf skiers remember as owner of the Red Stallions, a tireless promoter of skiing and owner of the Professional Ski Racing Tour told me how right after he bought the Stallion he was sitting outside on Christmas day with the temperature in the70s, “that night is snowed two feet and we had a great week.”

That gives you an idea of how quickly it can change.

Over this past week, temperatures moved up and down with the mountains having several windows of opportunity to make snow. Wednesday, it actually stayed below freezing all day and this weekend the snow-guns were going night and day. More terrain is gradually being added with the big push between now and Christmas Day to make sure there is enough skiing to accommodate vacation skiers. With a little cooperation from Mother Nature, we can have plenty of good skiing for the vacation.

For now there are some things to consider for early season skiing. With warm temperatures, having your skis properly prepped is important. I have tuned several pair of skis for friends and family this month and the final step with each pair was an ironed in coat of universal wax with a wide temperature range. The one I have been using is good for temperatures from 20 to 50 degrees. This is actually good for most of the season unless we get some very cold weather. For this I keep something for colder snow in my boot bag that can be rubbed in if my skis start to grab.

Another consideration is how and where we ski. It should go without saying that early season skiing should be cautious. Going through the kinds of freeze/thaw cycles we have had this year can leave inconsistent conditions. In fact, we see a lot of “Variable conditions” in the ski reports. Keep the speed down and be ready for changes on every run.

Where to ski is also important. I always start my season on novice and intermediate terrain, saving the challenging runs for later in the season when conditions are better — both mine and the snow. It’s also wise to steer clear of the edges of the trails. The best snow is usually in the center of the runs or the side closest to the snow guns. Often there is no base under that snow along the edge of the run and your skis can find everything from grass to dirt and rocks. It’s not only tough on the skis, but the fall it can cause might be even tougher on your body. I also like to get out early for the freshly groomed snow and go in for an early lunch. That lunch is usually the end of my early ski days. Take it easy. There are a lot more days to come.

See you on the slopes. Merry Christmas.

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