In the East and Southeast, ski areas without the water or the capital have mostly just faded away. Man-made snow is better than no snow at all. In the West, periodic drought and late-arriving winters have persuaded all but a few major ski areas, and even most local hills, to install the guns 'n' hoses. Snowmaking guarantees cover, ensures a December opening during the most lucrative time of the season, and lays down a bulletproof surface that will withstand the heavy traffic generated by today's super-fast lifts. The trouble is, a whole generation of skiers and snowboarders has grown up thinking this is what skiing is all about.
Natural snow is to man-made snow as butter is to lard.
To be sure, real snow can be as difficult as a gifted child. On this stuff, you can soar. It might also assume a shade of orange or pink, depending on the biological additive selected to enhance snowmaking in marginal temperatures, at and above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Most days, the bowls are never completely tracked out on Fred's Mountain, where three chairlifts serve 1,500 acres of nearly treeless, mostly intermediate terrain. Only 300 of those acres are groomed.