Today's weather is clear and relatively warm for late December. But the cold weather and snow in mid-December helped get the ski season off to a good start, resort operators said.
A skier at Shawnee Mountain in East Stroudsburg, Pa., enjoys the Christmas weather. (Courtesy of Kevin Furst) VERNON -- The weather gods may not have been exactly in tune with the holiday this year, but there were a few New Jersey areas that did indeed have a White Christmas.
Clear, sunny weather with temperatures in the 40s made for good skiing on Christmas Day, said the operators of area resorts. Mountain Creek in Vernon Township was open, with skiing and riding on 29 trails. Also operating on Christmas Day was Shawnee Mountain Ski Area in East Stroudsburg, Pa.
At Campgaw Mountain in Mahwah, the mid-December snow enabled the resort to get off to "a very good start. We opened three weeks earlier than we did last year," said general manager Kristin Orozovich.
The cold weather was a big help, according to Orozovich.
"It needs to be 28 degrees and low humidity to make snow," she said in an interview Friday.
The single-digit temperatures earlier this moth were especially helpful, and Campgaw now has more than 3 feet of snow on the ground, Orozovich said.
Campgaw was closed on Christmas Day, but will be open on Monday from 8:30 a.m to 8 p.m.
Shawnee Mountain now has 16 trails open and the season "has been going good" following the snowfall on the weekend of Dec. 17, reported managing partner Jim Tust.
"We had a couple cold snaps so we were able to make quite a bit of snow. Business has picked up in the last couple days," he said.
With some schools closing, business picked up late last week. "We're seeing a nice influx of young families with kids" and the resort has been making snow "at every opportunity," Tust said, adding that "snow in the backyard helps" attract customers.
It's an improvement over last year, when Shawnee Mountain was open for just one day before Christmas. Shawnee Mountain will be open from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Monday.
On Mountain Creek's website, the resort said it opened Al's Alley and Wacky Way on Bear Peak, and there will be 10 lifts running on Monday, which is observed as a federal and state holiday which will feature the opening of the Sojourn Double, "connecting us via South and Granite Peaks."
For those looking for other things to do, the National Weather Service is predicting sunny weather throughout New Jersey on Christmas Day.
Temperatures throughout the state are expected to reach into the high 40s, with north winds at 7 mph or higher.
The forecast for Monday is not as rosy, with a chance of rain in the afternoon, according to the weather service.
Ben Horowitz may be reached at bhorowitz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @HorowitzBen. Find NJ.com on Facebook.