SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — For most businesses, seeing a snowstorm forecast means likely shutting doors for the day and hoping that roads are clear by the next morning. However, there are a few businesses that look at the forecast and hope for snow, and those are the ski hills just outside of Syracuse.
Labrador Mountain is a resort located a half hour south of Syracuse, and since the pandemic, it has seen a sharp increase in business. Combining this with well-above-average snow totals for this time of year means the hill is seeing serious increases in season pass holders and people new to the sport who are looking to learn.
Sheila Larkin, the hill’s manager, said the past two years have looked different than most.
“Our uptick (in business) really started during COVID,” said Larkin. “No one had anything to do, and it snowed like crazy. The next two or three years, the weather wasn’t as good.”
In the years following the pandemic, the snow wasn’t nearly as good. In winter 2023, total snowfall was 40 inches below average, and the two years prior were below as well.
This means Syracuse has been due, and the last year and a half have more than made up for the low snow totals. Last year, the city got 121 inches, the most snow since 2006. This winter has already dumped 97 inches with plenty more on the way.
Labrador’s head snowmaker Keith Smith was able to get conditions good enough to open on Dec. 1, the ideal opening date for most ski hills in the area.
“The season started nice and early,” said Smith. “Some years we get rain every week, so this year has been a good year. Everything has stayed beautiful with the cold.”
As long as the snow continues falling in Syracuse, the hills will continue to benefit from great coverage and layers of powder. This ski season is already looking like a longer one, and there are talks of keeping the hill open through Easter.
While entirely weather dependent, the crew at Labrador is certainly feeling optimistic about the coming months, and keeping their fingers crossed for more snow.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
NCC news reporter Matt Streicher: This winter in central New York has been like living inside of a snow globe, especially after last week’s storm which shut down most schools and businesses in the area. One of those that stayed open was labrador mountain, a ski resort thirty minutes south of Syracuse. Sheila Larkin, labrador’s manager, spoke about how the extra snow has affected the mountain.
Sheila Larkin, Hill manager : Last year, a great year, definitely. And this year, another great year.
Streicher: a great year is almost an understatement. At ninety-seven inches on the year Syracuse is approaching the most seasonal snowfall it has seen in twenty years. Head snowmaker Keith Smith said that it’s been pretty smooth on his part thus far.
Keith Smith, Head snowmaker : The season started off nice and early, right around the first of december. The cold air stayed with us.
Streicher: And stay with us it did, as almost none of the snow from last week’s storm has melted yet. Even though it’s been more than a week since the snow fell here at labrador, there are still several inches of powder sitting all over the mountain, a testament both to how cold it is, and to the skill of the maintenance crew. This year has been such a good one for snow that at labrador, there are talks of extending the ski season well into the month of April.
Larkin: Easter is very early this year, and we could go past easter.
Streicher: As flakes will continue to cover syracuse for the next two months, the ski hills of the area are content to kick back and enjoy the snow. Matt Streicher, NCC news.