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WHITE STUFF IS SPICING UP HOLIDAY MENU

AN abundance of natural snow in the Sierra and Rockies and cold weather in the Northeast are helping to create great ski and snowboard conditions for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

The Canyons, near Park City, Utah, and Heavenly, which straddles the California/Nevada state line on the southern end of Lake Tahoe, both opened last week. Steamboat, Colo., opened Saturday.

So far this month, more than five feet of snow has fallen at The Canyons – nearly triple the November average. “I haven’t seen this much snow so early in the eight years I’ve skied Utah,” said Jake Hutchinson, Snow Safety Director at the resort.

Steamboat has also received more than five feet of snow, and Heavenly has coupled above average snowfall with the West Coast’s largest snowmaking system to create base depths averaging a foot deeper than last year at this time. “We’re off to a remarkable start,” said Dennis Harmon, Heavenly’s president. “It’s a good sign for a great season of skiing and snowboarding ahead.”

New England ski areas are taking full advantage of the cold weather that returned to the Northeast last week. On Thursday, Vermont’s Killington reopened, and Sunday River in Maine opened for the season.

“We’ve got so much confidence in our snowmaking that we’re guaranteeing top-to-bottom skiing and terrain for all abilities for the Thanksgiving weekend,” said Sunday River marketing vice president George Driscoll. “We expect to be skiing and riding from at least three of our eight mountain peaks.”

Sugarloaf, also in Maine, opened Saturday. Sugarbush and Mount Snow, both in Vermont, opened Monday and Attitash Bear Peak, in New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Valley, plans to open today.

In the Catskills, both Hunter Mountain and Ski Windham plan to have top to bottom skiing on at least two trails for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Meteorologists predict continued cold in New York and New England, allowing snowmaking to continue through the foreseeable future, and that some natural snow may add to the holiday fun.