Area ski resorts, which have suffered with un-winterlike weather for the past several years, may hit the jackpot this season.
"Cold weather will continue through rest of November and December, and the cold start to the winter can increase the likelihood of snow," Accuweather meteorologist Bob Smerbeck said. "It seems like there will be good weather for the ski areas through December."
Smerbeck also said the area is expected to receive average to above-normal precipitation. The average winter snowfall for the Altoona area is 38 inches.
His prediction and similar forecasts from other weather services are good news for ski resort operators.
"The Farmers Almanac is calling for a snowy winter. We hope it is right," said Anna Weltz, spokeswoman for Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion, which opened Friday. "Pittsburgh stations are calling for more snow than usual. If they are right, we will get a heck of a lot of snow here."
"The forecast calls for it to be cold through Thanksgiving weekend," said Robert Duppstadt, spokesman for Hidden Valley Four Seasons Resort on Route 31 between the Somerset and Donegal exits of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. "We are excited that this may be a sign of things to come, like an old-fashioned winter."
Hidden Valley plans to open Friday for the holiday weekend and reopen for the season Dec. 6.
Last winter was an up-and-down season for area resorts.
"It was a roller coaster type of year. We would have good snow, then it would melt, good snow, then it would melt," Duppstadt said. "We spent a lot of time rebuilding the slopes. It was by no means a phenomenal winter season."
Andy Himes, mountain manager at Blue Knob All Seasons Resort in Claysburg, also plans to open for limited skiing and snow tubing Friday. The official opening is set for Dec. 12.
Himes also called last year a roller coaster season.
''Last season was better than the season before. It was good, but not a banner season,'' Himes said. ''One day you would have beautiful conditions, and then Mother Nature would get fickle with warm temperatures and rain. Conditions would get sour and turn back to beautiful conditions. That is what it was like the entire season. We had some glorious days followed by some crummy ones.''
Last winter was ''below average'' for Tussey Mountain Ski Resort in Boalsburg, which will be open weekends beginning Saturday until mid-December. Dec. 13 will be the official opening for the season.
''We had some bizarre weather in February with thunderstorms and heavy rain, and that put a damper on the winter season,'' said Dave Fahrenbach, general manager.
Area resorts have made some improvements for the new season.
At Seven Springs, among the additions is The Alley, a new terrain park that measures more than a half mile in length, Weltz said.
Wagner Slope has been re-graded to alleviate congestion and allow for the creation of a beginner's skiing area.
The Trillium, a 7,000-square-foot spa, will open this winter, along with a sweets shop, Gingerbread Dreams, and a new cafe, Timbers.
Hidden Valley, now in its second year under the ownership of the Buncher Co., has improved its snow-making capabilities.
Last winter, the resort installed 30 TechnoAlpin snowmaking guns, Duppstadt said, and 50 more of the snowmakers are now in place for this season.
He said the new guns are fully automated and equipped with weather instrumentation that allow them to adjust to changing weather conditions with no manual assistance.
Hidden Valley also has added a ski services building at the bottom of the slopes, along with new skis, boots and snowboards at the rental shop.
Tussey Mountain increased its snow-making capacity by adding more snow guns and has doubled the size of its snow tubing park, Fahrenbach said.
Blue Knob's improvements were primarily infrastructure work, Himes said.
Area ski resorts should begin and end the season in good shape.
''It looks like it will be a bookend type season - cold at the beginning, moderating in the middle and cold at the end. It is likely to be cold and stormy in March,'' Smerbeck said.
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 946-7467.
