It’s only mid-November on the calendar, but for skiers and snowboarders, winter is now!

Big Boulder Park opened this past weekend to nearly 3,000 snowsporters from Northeast Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.

Boulder and its sister park Jack Frost were purchased last summer by Vail Resorts of Colorado, and that excites Pat Morgan, the Director of Free Style Terrain at the Lake Harmony ski park.

“Vail Resorts has a very successful global network,” Morgan said. “They have purchased all 17 parks from Peak Resorts, our former owner. These include Hunter Mountain in New York and Mount Snow in Vermont.”

Plans for the resort that was built in 1949 include modernizing its infrastructure.

Morgan said that skiers and snowboarders at Boulder and Frost can now purchase an Epic Pass that is good for 34 resorts owned by Vail all over the world.

“We have quite a few guests here who ski and snowboard in the U.S. and globally.”

Opportunities knock

Sebastian Diaz is a snowboarder from Sussex County, New Jersey. He visits Boulder every weekend unless he’s in Colorado, where he recently won a regional title in boarding.

“I love it here at Boulder,” Diaz said. “The atmosphere is always very friendly, and there is an opportunity to teach what I know.”

That opportunity for Diaz became available. He is a member of the “Hoods to Woods,” a nonprofit program that brings inner-city kids from New York to Boulder to learn snowboarding. “Hoods to Woods” will begin again in January 2020.

Jonathan Male from Reeders has been snowboarding for nine years and comes to Boulder “almost every weekend.”

“I coach the Pocono Peak Team,” said Male. “I teach the younger kids how to do tricks, and if they get good, they then can enter competitions.”

Male loves the freedom and creativity that snowboarding affords, but the experience has provided him with other benefits.

“I know just about everybody here,” he said. “I’ve made good friends, too.”

Like Diaz and many other snowboarders, Male has made the transition from skateboarding to snowboarding.

Lisa Ronca, who also snowboards and owns a mountain bicycle shop in Bethlehem, brings Abby, her 14-year-old daughter, to Boulder as many as four days a week.

“I love coming here,” she said. “I don’t do the jumps or tricks like my daughter does. I just like to cruise. I find it very relaxing and good exercise in the cold months.”

Ronca’s daughter has competed in Big Bear, Colorado. Lisa believes snowboarding helps her daughter get exercise and “become more well-rounded.”

“Although girls snowboard, there aren’t many who compete, so there are good opportunities to attain sponsorship into local and national competitions.”

The white time

The opportunity for Boulder to open this early in the season has to with November’s cooperation. Morgan explained that snow-making began a week ago and the base now is about 3 feet. In the past, the resort has had to wait until January based upon climate factors.

“Of course we rely heavily on weather reports,” he said. “The science of snow-making is based upon low humidity, not just lower temperatures. Humidity creates water and slush, and when it refreezes, the slopes get icy and these are not ideal conditions for skiing or boarding.

“We are definitely weather disciples here, “ he added, “but we don’t depend on natural snow. We make winter happen.”

According to research and Morgan’s personal experience of over 20 years in the business, the demographics of the two sports reveal that most participants are in the 18-29 age group.

“Our success and profit line is very unpredictable,” he said. “Skiing and snowboarding are cultures and grow into groups of ‘families.’ We usually see a spike during Winter Olympic years.”

Morgan said that Boulder will be open on weekends until after Black Friday, when they will operate daily. Jack Frost’s opening is to be determined, but the hope is it will be in business before the holidays.

Ski Blue

Blue Mountain opened Saturday for its earliest opening ever, with five runs and two lifts.

The ski resort is closed during the week, with hopes to reopen for this weekend.