SOUTHINGTON — If you look outside your window, there won’t be any snow on the ground. At the Connecticut mountains, there is plenty to go around. Mount Southington is just one Connecticut ski resort that is enjoying an early season.
“There’s a lot of snow being made it’s like a blizzard out there,” says Duane Bass, the President at Mount Southington Ski Resort.
Snowmakers work in overdrive to make as much as 13 feet of snow overnight so that people can play in it come sunrise.
“It’s an awesome opportunity to be outside, get some exercise and learn a life skill,” says Alison Fagen, who drove up from Westport so her daughter, Phoebe, could take lessons.
The opportunity comes thanks to 400 full time employees at Mount Southington who keep the mountain in peak condition and the snow in perfect corduroy.
“My job is to push the snow around after the snow has been accumulating, [and] then till it all out and make it happy for the skiers,” says Ziggy Wright, who uses a snow cat to move the snow.
The cold snap is the perfect weather conditions for making snow and for hitting the slopes.
If you’re a beginner, there are plenty of instructors offering lessons.
“The worst feeling is to get up there and not know what you’re doing,” says the ski lesson Director, Steve Positano. “So come with us, we’re all trained professionals and we’ll show you the right way how to do it.”
There’s plenty of time to learn. This year’s cold spells have allowed many resorts to open the mountains and start making snow early.
Mount Southington says they plan to have all of their trails open by Christmas.