Connecticut ski area investing in snowmaking in warmer winters
December 15, 2025
Connecticut ski area investing in snowmaking in warmer winters
Mount Southington Ski Area in Connecticut has ten new snowmaking machines to get the slopes open, when Mother Nature isn’t producing as much snow as in previous winters.
This year, Mount Southington began making snow on December 1 and was able to open the slopes 12 days later.
On a cold, dry December day, Brian McCloskey, with Mount Southington, points out the new, upgraded snow machines.
“We can operate because of our snowmaking,” McCloskey said.
WATCH HEREThis year, Mount Southington began making snow on December 1 and was able to open the slopes 12 days later.
“We’re usually able to hit that mid-December opening date because of our snowmaking,” McCloskey said.
The ski and ride season at Mount Southington would be a lot shorter without snow guns. McCloskey says the mountain is usually open from mid-December until mid-March, but that would be a lot shorter without snowmaking.
Warmer winters, due to climate change, mean more ice and sleet, even rain, instead of snow, something McCloskey has seen.
“It (a recent storm) started out, we were all excited to see the snowflakes, and then it pretty much immediately changed like 20 minutes later to freezing rain.”
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Climate Central, an independent organization, says the trend of more rain in winter storms will likely continue for Connecticut, with a northward shift in the snow-rain transition zone.
“We are very well aware of the changes in climate, and we do what we can to counteract that,” explained McCloskey.
As Mount Southington feels the effects of climate change, the ski area is monitoring its water and electric use, while promoting its recycling and composting programs, to decrease its own carbon footprint.
“We do anything that we can to minimize our impact on the climate,” McCloskey said.
The new snow guns on Mount Southington are more energy efficient than their previous machines. The best snowmaking conditions are temperatures below 28 degrees for several hours. While Connecticut hasn’t had much natural snow, the cold weather has allowed for good snowmaking.
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