Seven Springs, Hidden Valley report best December since 2010

Seven Springs and Hidden Valley ski resorts had their best December in years, thanks to an early cold snap that let them crank up the snow making machines.

“We got a really strong start. We were really aggressive with snow making, starting Nov. 15,” said Alex Moser, director of marketing for the resorts.

Moser said he can’t share exact numbers but said the resorts had their busiest December since 2010, with an especially busy holiday season.

“We were really busy the last 10 days,” he said.

Though the weather has been unseasonably mild for much of the winter so far, that burst of cold in November let the resorts get enough snow on the ground to last during warmer stretches. The resorts used an estimated 30 million gallons of water to make snow, recycled from their own closed systems, Moser said.

There’s still at least two feet of snow on the slopes, and Moser expects it to hold up despite forecasts of a warm week ahead.

Resort officials are still hoping for cold temperatures and some natural snow, but not because the slopes need it.

People are more likely to want to go skiing if they can see snow outside their front door, Moser said.

“As good as a marketing guy as I am, the best marketing I have to offer is if there’s snow on the ground,” he said.

There appears to be little chance of that into next week for the region, according to the National Weather Service.

Through Tuesday, high temperatures are expected to reach the mid to upper 40s with lows mostly above freezing. Rain is expected Saturday and Tuesday, the NWS forecasts.

Snow is not expected for most of the region over the next three weeks, with minimal amounts predicted to fall Jan. 24-26, according to State College-based Accuweather.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jacob at 724-836-6646, jtierney@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Soolseem.