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Nine Inches of Snow has Fallen at Sugar from Sandy; Still Making Snow for the Planned Opening Tomorrow, Oct. 31

By Paul T. Choate

Snowmaking is in progress at Sugar Mountain.

Oct. 30, 2012. Although the snow has tapered off some, it continues to fall at Sugar Mountain. They are currently in the process of making snow for the planned Halloween open and, thanks to Superstorm Sandy, nine inches of snow have fallen already in addition to the man-made snow.

“Currently we’re kind of cloudy and still making snow,” said Gunther Jochl, owner of Sugar Mountain Resort. “We’ve gotten about 9 inches of snow from this storm.”

In its 43-year history, Sugar Mountain Resort’s earliest opening was on Nov. 5 in 1976. In a press release yesterday, the resort called such an early open “unprecedented!” 

Currently, the temperature is 27.1 degrees at the base of the mountain and 24.2 degrees at the summit. 

“The snow seems to have tapered off at the base but the temperatures are optimal,” said Kim Jochl with Sugar Mountain Resort

Snowmaking began Sunday evening, Oct. 28 and continues around the clock. On Wednesday, skiers and snowboarders can expect a natural and man-made powder surface covering the upper and lower Flying Mile slopes. The Summit No. 1 Lift will be in operation to the Three-Quarters’ station.

“This will be the first time in Sugar’s history that we’ve made snow in October and, for sure, the earliest we’ve opened,” Kim Jochl said. 

Snow is expected to continue to fall at the resort throughout the evening hours and overnight tonight. The Weather Channel is projecting another one to three inches of snow for Sugar Mountain today. 

“[The snow] covers the entire mountain, so you’ve got more of a winter environment,” Kim Jochl said. She added that when you have natural snow still falling on the man-made snow it tends to make conditions better. 

Sugar Mountain Sports Shop, located in the Base Lodge will open Wednesday for the season. It features the finest in winter apparel and footwear, quality gift items, and souvenirs. New winter items are arriving daily.

Although Sandy is causing some headaches along the East Coast, it has been conducive for an early start to the ski season.

“[The snow] gets a lot of momentum going,” Kim Jochl said. “It gets people excited for winter and for skiing.”

For more information, call 800-SUGAR-MT or view www.skisugar.com for the latest slope and weather conditions. Historical opening and closing dates as well as recorded annual natural snowfall measurements can be found at www.skisugar.com/press/stats.