With the white flakes falling, cold weather and more of it expected, students are taking off to local ski slopes in hopes of some good runs before the term's end.
Some daring students have done so already.
Ben Wheeler '95 skied at Killington at the end of October.
"The conditions were pretty minimal. There wasn't much cover and it was very wet," he said.
Killington, about 50 minutes from campus, has been open since the beginning of October.
"We opened Oct. 1, but had to close the next day because the weather turned warm," said Killington Spokesman Ken Beaulieu. "We reopened Oct. 11 and have been open since."
"We had a record-setting month this October with more than 5,000 visiting skiers," Beaulieu said.
Killington currently has a 10 to 18-inch base.
By skiing standards, the base is low -- but for this early in the season, skiers are willing to take a chance on patchy cover.
Other nearby ski centers including Okemo, Mt. Snow and Jay Peak are also open.
Conditions at Okemo include a 12 to 26-inch base with three lifts operating. Seven trails are open with three miles of skiable terrain.
Okemo plans to have six lifts and 12 trails open by Thanksgiving.
Mt. Snow currently has six trails and three lifts in operation, with a base ranging from six to 24 inches. The ski center hopes to open four more trails and three more lifts for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Jay Peak has two open trails for advanced skiers only.
The resort will be closed today through Wednesday and reopen Thanksgiving Day with novice trails available.
Dartmouth's Skiway plans to open before Dec. 15, Associate Athletic Director Ken Jones said.
"It all depends on Mother Nature," Jones said. "We'll have to see how much natural snow we get and if the weather is consistently cold enough to manufacture snow."
"We generally start warming up the snow machines after Thanksgiving," he added.
"It should be a great season," said Beaulieu. "Things are looking good across the board."
