Snow Business: Mount Southington In Good Shape, Despite Weather

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Considering all the rain in North-Central Connecticut over the past three or so weeks, the product Mount Southington presented over the weekend was downright remarkable.

Yeah, it was a steady drizzle thbroughout the day Saturday, but with three 9-year-olds clamoring to go, well, we just went. The drive from the Greater Hartford Area is only about a half-hour anyway, so what the heck.

In typical Connecticut fashion, most overreacted to a little bit of weather and stayed home. It was their loss. The snow was soft, manageable, and, quite frankly, pleasant to ski. And it's all in time for the all-important scholastic club season.

One of the 9-year-olds has about three trips under his belt, so the key was to start at the magic carpet. The learning area was in great shape and he quickly became re-acclimated. After about an hour, it was time for the bigger bunny hill — the Northstar double chair and trail — and that, too, was in good condition.

(Chris Dehnel)

That led to the three 9-year-olds frolicking there most of the morning with the two more experienced skiers coaxing the beginner to start using his poles.

Spending time at the learning area led to an onservation not new to Mount Southington — the quality of the ski and snowboard school. The revelation really came about three seasons ago when, in the midst of a blizzard, a high school-aged instructor had to take on a class of 21 with mixed ages because so many employees were absent.

She handled it flawlessly while making it fun and instructional.

Saturday was the opposite with so many skiers and snowboarders not there. Thet paved the way for plenty of small group lessons and even one-on-one lessons. The instructors are professional, pleasant and seem to always emphasize the most helpfull points.

(Chris Dehnel)

So ... about the the rest of the hill ...

Dom's Way, a meandering green cruising trail, had very good snow. The beginner 9-year-old progressed up there by the end of the day and found the terrain very comfortable, something imperative for a family trail.

The other eye-opener was the condition of the terrain park features under the Stardust triple chair. There were plenty of boxes and rails and jumps — both small and mid-sized.

Thy key to it was was an early season cold snap that led to base depths of 14 to 20 inches, something Mount Southington has been able to maintain. Two days of snowmaking between the rain periods in December and January kept conditions relatively soft.

The scholastic club season began last Thursday and it looks like snowmaking crews will have a couple of opprtunities this week in an effort to give the groomers more to work with.

In all, Mount Southington has not only survived the rainy doldrums but persevered and it a real option right now for those who just don't want to make a long drive.

For a look at ticket prices and hours, click here.

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Chris Dehnel is a Patch editor who has been writing about skiing and snowboarding for two decades. He is a past-president of the Eastern Ski Writers Association. The Snow Business column runs periodically during the snow sports season.