As many embrace spring and all the things that come with it, such as rain, warmer temperatures, and the melting snow, skiers and snowboarders on the East Coast prepare to say goodbye to their season. However, this has been one of the worst snowfall years on record. For Mad River Glen, it was “the worst in 35 years,” according to a letter that the mountain put out to its skiers.

Mountains in Vermont will be shutting down earlier than normal this year, if they haven’t already.
Smugglers’ Notch set its close date for Sunday, April 3, compared to last year’s closing date of April 24.

Mountains in Vermont that have received less snow have closed earlier, including snowmaking-free Mad River Glen. “We officially closed March 13, and only were open for 46 days,” Virginia Farris, a receptionist at Mad River said.

Even mountains with snowmaking haven’t had as many opportunities to blow snow, due to all-around warmer temperatures.

In southern Vermont, the mountains are faring no better from the dreadful season. Mount Snow and Okemo closed for the season on April 2 and April 9, respectively.

Other mountains in southern Vermont, such as Magic Mountain and Bromley, closed earlier.

Closer to home, Stowe Mountain Resort has a projected close date of April 20, making it one of the last mountains in Vermont likely to close this season.

Jay has been one of the most consistent as far as snowfall is concerned, and currently has no official projected close date.

Overall, this season has been a miserable one for many skiers and snowboarders, with an accurately predicted mild winter because of the effects of El Niño.

Ski communities all over the state have been financially impacted by the terrible season, and many mountain employees were subject to early layoffs. All that skiers can do now is credit Mother Nature with a bad season, and look forward to a better season next year.