How low will it go?
Area braces for extreme cold
EASTON, N.Y. » Bright sun, blue skies and no end to fresh white snow.
A ski operator’s dream come true.
Everything but an unprecedented arctic-like deep freeze, with wind chills expected to hit minus-29 degrees on Saturday, prompting Willard Mountain to close its slopes until Sunday, when 12-above might seem downright balmy.
“We’ve closed before because of high winds, rain and ice,” Operations Manager Keith Mann said. “I don’t recall ever closing because of the cold. That’s the way it is with Mother Nature. You do the best you can with what you’ve got at that time.”’
The situation is extremely frustrating for resort owners, who only a few years ago struggled to make ends meet during a winter with almost no snow at all. Now there’s more than enough, but many people simply won’t venture out in potentially record-setting bitter cold.
The lowest-ever high temperature in Albany on Jan. 6 was 2 degrees above zero in 1896. So that mark will fall if thermometers don’t reach 1-above on Saturday, the National Weather Service says.
“We definitely had push back on our numbers over the Christmas break, somewhere between
30 and 40 percent because of the cold,” said Spencer Montgomery, owner of West Mountain in Queensbury. “The hard-core skiers and people who grew up skiing will always be here because snow conditions are epic. If we
get through these two cold days, we’ve got all this snow here, we couldn’t have a better start and I think we’ll make up ground quickly as temps come back up next week. My guess is Martin Luther King Weekend will be huge, too.”
Monday’s forecast calls for more snow, followed by ideal weather on Tuesday and Wednesday with high temperatures of 33 and 30 degrees, respectively.
Montgomery said West Mountain’s relatively low base elevation, 500 feet above sea level, makes it more comfortable than some resorts, higher up in the mountains, even on the coldest days.
Experienced, die-hard skier Dan Stewart, of Queensbury, prepares for extreme cold by wearing four layers of clothing.
“There’s corduroy (groomed trails) on the mountain,” he said Friday. “We’re going to rip it up for a few hours and then go back inside and get warm.”
He recalled skiing at Killington, in Vermont, about 15 years ago when temperatures were 10-below.
“This weather the next couple days will rival that, I’m sure, but I won’t be skiing in it,” he said.
Troy Mayor Patrick Madden issued a cold weather advisory Friday morning, calling on city residents to take additional steps to stay safe throughout the weekend.
“Without taking proper precautions, extreme cold temperatures can pose a serious risk to personal safety during the winter season,” Madden said in a news release. “Residents are urged to stay indoors this weekend to protect themselves and their families from the severe winter weather conditions that continue to im-