Skift Take
Ski resorts can turn out fake powder all day on the slopes, but they have little control over what really drives visitors from major cities to book long, expensive ski weekends.
The record storm that dumped 2½ feet of snow on the streets and suburbs of southern New England and New York last week has primed the ski resorts of northern New England for the President's Day holiday that could help erase memories of last year's dismal season.
In the ski industry, it's a truism that the weather events that drive skiers to the mountains, isn't heavy snow on the slopes but snow on city streets and suburban backyards that gets potential customers thinking about heading north, where they'll buy lift tickets, stay in lodges and inns, rent skis and eat in restaurants.
"When everything is bare down country, it's hard to persuade people that the skiing is good. That'll always be the case. It's a psychological thing," said Don Fowler, an avid skier and lawyer in Kingfield, Maine, not far from the Sugarloaf resort.
"Intellectually, people might know that there's s
