Last week I received an email declaring that Sugarloaf had three times as much terrain open as it had a year ago. It was the result of natural snow and snowmaking, and since then we have had more snow and great snowmaking temperatures. And that is why optimism is the word for the vacation which is now underway.

While the weather forecasters on TV have shouted doom and gloom and tossed around the word dangerous referring to wind chills, the snowmakers have been taking advantage of temperatures that allow millions of gallons of water to be turned into snow. The hiccup we had Sunday wasn’t enough of a thaw to reduce snow cover on the ski trails significantly, and temperatures since and in the forecast have been such that we still have far more skiing than we had a year ago for Christmas vacation.

With that outlook, it’s time to make plans for vacation skiing. For those of you who would like to break out that new Christmas gear, Sugarloaf and Sunday River will be open Sunday. The rest in this part of Maine will give their staff Christmas Day off. Black Mountain lists opening day as the Dec. 26. Lost Valley is closed Saturday night and Sunday, as is Shawnee Peak. Titcomb closes at 1 p.m. Saturday and opens Sunday at noon, and Mount Abram is closed tomorrow.

All will have vacation schedules of daily skiing, even those areas that operate mostly weekends. Some will have special events over the vacation period. The easiest way to check those out is by going through www.skimaine.com and clicking onto the various ski areas.

One happening at most areas is New Year’s Eve. Whether it’s bands or special dinners, many of these call for reservations. So if you want to spend the big night at a ski area, go to www.skimaine.com for details and make your reservations early. No reservations will be needed for fireworks and torch-light parades, unless you want to watch from a table inside.

Whatever your choice is for the night before, New Year’s Day is usually a good day to ski. Many of those who celebrate too late sleep in, and many leave early to watch football, so the day isn’t as busy as most holidays. Also, with the holiday coming this year at the end of the holiday vacation, many will be leaving early for the drive home. This all adds up to short lift lines and plenty of room on the trails.

Count me among those who won’t be staying up to greet the New Year in favor of skiing in the morning. To demonstrate my priorities, the first Super Bowl I watched was No. 10. That was the first one played at night. For all the rest I had been skiing, and as a patrolman, it meant being on the mountain until after the lifts closed. Skiing always comes first.

As I mentioned above, the weather forecasters have already been telling us it’s too cold to leave the house. They do this every year, and it’s fine for parents who have to watch out for children. But my experience has always been that even children know enough to get inside when their hands or feet get cold.

Years ago, when I actually called the weather service to ask about their wind chill warnings, I was told that the warnings were for cities and towns to get the homeless off the streets. That made sense. But for the local forecasters to toss around the word “dangerous” when temperatures dropped to zero or even a few degrees lower, with winds of 30-40 mph, is truly ridiculous and irresponsible in a state where hundreds of businesses rely on cold-weather participation.

A careful reading of the wind chill chart (developed by the U.S. Army to warn troops in Arctic conditions) shows that frostbite could occur in 30 minutes with a 30 mph wind and a temperature of minus-5. Even on Maine’s highest ski mountain, even an intermediate skier could easily get inside in less time. Basically, the chart shows no dangerous wind chills at any temperatures above minus-5, and truly dangerous wind chills only occur when actual temperatures drop to 20-25 below. In other words, if your car starts easily, you probably don’t have to worry. As for the wind, unless it’s blowing so hard the lifts can’t run, you can ski.

Then, of course, there is what the forecasters leave out. The wind chill is a measure of the effects of wind and cold on raw flesh. How much exposed flesh do you see on today’s skiers?

With warmups and parkas, face masks, helmets and goggles, skiers expose no flesh to the elements. Normal ski wear will handle all but extreme cold, and for those days or for those who are more sensitive to cold, I checked Amazon to see what is available, and most of it is available at your local ski shop.

Naturally, the extremities are most susceptible to cold. For the feet, there are boot heaters and heated socks. I have boot muffs that work if put them on over warm boots before you go out. If you wait until the plastic is cold, they just keep the cold in. There are also heated gloves. The trend towards helmets is another help as today’s helmets are very warm.

As one prominent mountaineer said, “There is no bad weather only poor clothing.” All we have to do is carefully select our skiwear and we can ignore the doom and gloom weather forecasters. Merry Christmas.

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