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Anyone can curl, even a Times Leader sports reporter

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Winter weather advisory in effect until 10 a.m. in the Wyoming Valley

<p>Welcome to the year after the winter to forget.</p><p>With most ski resorts within about an hour&#8217;s drive of Wilkes-Barre opening last week, a renewed sense of hope has arrived with the recent snowfalls.</p><p>After last winter, when snow-sport visits in the Southeast region totaled 4 million &#8212; down from 5.7 million in the previous winter, according to the National Ski Areas Association &#8212; nearby resort operators, skiers and snowboarders are optimistic about the new season.</p><p>The Southeast region comprises Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland and North Carolina.</p><p>At Montage Mountain in Scranton, Dan Wies, a 23-year-old skier from the borough of Moscow, said it was &#8220;awesome to be out here earlier than last season, for sure.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s fun to be out with friends. Fresh snow, and actually good snow and not ice, which is awesome. It&#8217;s a blast,&#8221; said Wies, who already had skied Montage Mountain and Big Boulder this season.</p><p>Montage Mountain opened Dec. 14, three days earlier than the resort&#8217;s average opening day, and saw its best first day since the mountain reopened as Montage Mountain three years ago, according to Marketing Director Jeff Slivinski.</p><p>The resort originally opened as Montage in 1983, became Sn&#246; Mountain in 2006 under Philadelphia-based ownership, and then was sold to Montage Mountain Resorts LP in 2013.</p><p>&#8220;It was really exciting to see a lot of folks getting out there, enjoying what we have to offer,&#8221; Slivinski said. &#8220;They missed all of last season, and I think they&#8217;re looking to enjoy this season as much as they can.&#8221;</p><p>Montage Mountain recorded just 17 inches of snowfall between November 2015 and March 2016, according to OnTheSnow.com. The total was a significant drop from the previous two seasons, which combined for 118 inches.</p><p>Slivinski said the snow-sports industry was down 30 percent nationwide last season, while the Scranton mountain fell 28 percent. Visits dropped 30.3 percent across the Southeast region, according to the National Ski Areas Association.</p><p>Like Montage, Camelback Mountain in Tannersville is looking to rebound from last year, Marketing Director Drew Brooks said.</p><p>&#8220;The best thing is you see the smiles,&#8221; Brooks said. &#8220;It&#8217;s awesome because we know our place in the community. We know that we drive 1.5 million people to the Poconos. We know that affects all the businesses in the area, gas stations, restaurants, and we feel like we definitely have a civic responsibility that we take seriously.&#8221;</p><p>After a season that saw just 24 inches of snowfall, compared with a combined 87 over the previous two years, the ski area is back on track. Camelback opened Jan. 9 last season, compared with Dec. 15 this season.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not January 9th, so we&#8217;re really happy,&#8221; Brooks said. &#8220;The cold temps have allowed us to really crank up the snow guns. We&#8217;ve been running them 24-7 for a while. Everything&#8217;s kind of falling into place. This is actually a typical winter. We couldn&#8217;t be happier with a typical, average winter.&#8221;</p><p>Heather Schiffbauer, marketing director for Jack Frost in White Haven and Big Boulder in Lake Harmony, said she believes last season&#8217;s struggles can be attributed partly to poor weather in markets aside from those two resorts.</p><p>She cited not only the lack of snow, but warm temperatures as well.</p><p>&#8220;I think, like we&#8217;ve always said, when it doesn&#8217;t snow in the outer markets, Philadelphia being one of our bigger markets, it&#8217;s sort of out of sight, out of mind,&#8221; Schiffbauer said. &#8220;Like, already Philadelphia has had snow and the colder weather, so I think that puts it in people&#8217;s minds, like, &#8216;Hey, let&#8217;s go skiing.&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>After opening on Dec. 26 last year &#8212; the earliest opening day for any Pennsylvania ski resort in 2015, according to Schiffbauer &#8212; Jack Frost opened Dec. 15 this year, just in time for the holiday season, and Big Boulder opened in November.</p><p>&#8220;The goal is that we should be 100 percent open in the near future,&#8221; Schiffbauer said. &#8220;Last year it was touch-and-go because the weather was so iffy. We&#8217;re hoping for a great season.&#8221;</p><p>After seeing an increase in season passes last season, Montage Mountain saw a 30 percent rise this year &#8212; its largest membership base ever,&#8221; Slivinski said.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s really important to capitalize on this season,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Hopefully the weather pattern stays what they&#8217;re predicting it to stay &#8212; cold, snowy.&#8221;</p><p>To capitalize on the fast start, Montage has revamped some of its prices. For example, skiers and boarders can visit the mountain Mondays through Wednesdays for just $30 for an all-day pass, with free rentals before 3 p.m.</p><p>Montage also is delving into the first-time skier and snowboarder population, offering a First Timer Friday program.</p><p>&#8220;If you&#8217;re a first-timer, never skied, never snowboarded before, you can come out (on Fridays), get a free lift ticket, a free group lesson and a free rental,&#8221; Slivinski said.</p><p>For 29-year-old snowboarder Mike Belardi &#8212; who grew up working at the original Montage Mountain and then Sn&#246; Mountain in lift management and snow tubing &#8212; the mountain is special, and he said he&#8217;s excited about this season.</p><p>&#8220;The mountain has gone through a lot of changes,&#8221; said Belardi, who now lives in New York. &#8220;They (the staff) are approaching the season positively, with a lot of inertia, and that&#8217;s a good thing.&#8221;</p><p>At Camelback, opening before Christmas enables that resort to take advantage of the holiday season.</p><p>&#8220;We hope to be fully open for the holidays, and if we can hit that, that&#8217;s a good season,&#8221; Brooks said.</p><p>Lousy weather kept Caitlyn Custer, of Hershey, off the slopes last year.</p><p>&#8220;After a year of nothing, it&#8217;s really nice to get out,&#8221; the 24-year-old skier said at Montage Mountain last week. &#8220;We&#8217;re able to start on the opening day, which is nice, and first chair, so that&#8217;s nice. For the rest of the season it looks really good. We just want to have all the runs open.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Skier John Shebby of Tunkhannock heads for the lift at Montage Mountain in Scranton.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Skier John Shebby of Tunkhannock heads for the lift at Montage Mountain in Scranton.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ski instructor Katie Sherman of Nanticoke, right, walks with Ashley-Mae Longacre, 6, of Vienna, Md., to the lift at Montage Mountain in Scranton.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Ski instructor Katie Sherman of Nanticoke, right, walks with Ashley-Mae Longacre, 6, of Vienna, Md., to the lift at Montage Mountain in Scranton.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Six-year-old Ashley-Mae Longacre of Vienna, Md., left, skis on the buddy slope as instructor Katie Sherman of Nanticoke trails at Montage Mountain Ski Resort.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Six-year-old Ashley-Mae Longacre of Vienna, Md., left, skis on the buddy slope as instructor Katie Sherman of Nanticoke trails at Montage Mountain Ski Resort.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Six-year-old Ashley-Mae Longacre of Vienna, Md., left, skis with instructor Katie Sherman of Nanticoke at Montage Mountain Ski Resort.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature4-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Six-year-old Ashley-Mae Longacre of Vienna, Md., left, skis with instructor Katie Sherman of Nanticoke at Montage Mountain Ski Resort.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature5-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">First-time snowboarder Mike Cappucci of Mehoopany shows his form at Montage Mountain Ski Resort in Scranton.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature5-1.jpg</photo4><caption4>First-time snowboarder Mike Cappucci of Mehoopany shows his form at Montage Mountain Ski Resort in Scranton.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature6-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">First-time snowboarder Elizabeth Finnegan, right, finds her legs as friend Anh Le, both of Hanover Township, watches from behind at Montage Mountain Ski Resort in Scranton.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature6-1.jpg</photo5><caption5>First-time snowboarder Elizabeth Finnegan, right, finds her legs as friend Anh Le, both of Hanover Township, watches from behind at Montage Mountain Ski Resort in Scranton.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</caption5><photoCredit5></photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature7-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Snowboarder Kristen Ruskuski of Shamokin reacts to a fall at Montage Mounatin Ski Resort in Scranton.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature7-1.jpg</photo6><caption6>Snowboarder Kristen Ruskuski of Shamokin reacts to a fall at Montage Mounatin Ski Resort in Scranton.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</caption6><photoCredit6></photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature8-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Two groomers start up a slope at Montage Mountain Ski Resort in Scranton.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature8-1.jpg</photo7><caption7>Two groomers start up a slope at Montage Mountain Ski Resort in Scranton.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</caption7><photoCredit7></photoCredit7></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature9-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Snowboarders ignore the warmth of the fire pit as they make their way back to the lift for another run at Montage Mountain Ski Resort in Scranton.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo8>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_SkiFeature9-1.jpg</photo8><caption8>Snowboarders ignore the warmth of the fire pit as they make their way back to the lift for another run at Montage Mountain Ski Resort in Scranton.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</caption8><photoCredit8></photoCredit8></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Local skiers, boarders, resort operators ready for rebound</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By DJ Eberle</p><p>djeberle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>STATS FOR SOUTHEASTERN SLOPES</strong></p><p><strong>Category`2015-16`2014-15`2013-14</strong></p><p>Visits`3,956,577`5,673,328`5,769,158</p><p>Snowfall`49&#8221;`66&#8221;`83&#8221;`</p><p>Days Open`73`110`116</p><p>&#8212; National Ski Areas Association</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach DJ Eberle at 570-991-6398 or on Twitter @ByDJEberle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Skiers, boarders, resort operators ready for rebound in NEPA