It's all about the snow

New management team gets Blue Hills ready for skiers

During unseasonably frigid temperatures last month, snowmaking machines lay down a coating of snow at the Blue Hills Ski Area in Canton. (Evan Richman/Globe Staff)

CANTON - The chairlift at Blue Hills Ski Area is up and running, and new lights have been installed for nighttime skiing.

The beginner hill has been regraded, and a Magic Carpet lift - a 300-foot-long conveyor belt that transports skiers - has been installed. Additional snowmaking equipment has increased output by 40 percent, so all nine trails are slated to be open to skiers and snowboarders this year.

After surviving a few rough seasons, the rejuvenated mountain - the closest downhill skiing area to Boston - is ready for what could be a very busy winter.

The Lenko snowguns - large blue cylinders that dot the west side of Great Blue Hill - were turned on for the first time Nov. 19. Despite warming temperatures and a bout of rain, the ski area was able to open two trails last weekend. For now, until the weather gets colder and there is more snow, the trails will be open on weekends only.

Located on Route 138 in Canton, the ski area is on land owned by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the slopes are operated by Ski Blue Hills Management LLC. The company also runs Campgaw Mountain in northern New Jersey - the closest ski area to New York City and, like Blue Hills, located on public property.

When the new management team arrived at Blue Hills late last year, the ski area's future looked bleak. Business had suffered several setbacks and the previous owners had to shut down the slopes in January 2007 when their liability insurance was canceled. (It later reopened with a new insurance policy.) That fall, the lease to operate Blue Hills was up for grabs, and the operators of Campgaw Mountain signed a five-year lease with the state.

At first, Bay State natives were wary of the new management team, who had New York accents, and occasionally wore Yankees caps and joked that the main slope at Blue Hills shared the same nickname as the New York Giants: "Big Blue."

"The Massachusetts people didn't warm up to us right away," said Richard Alley, the facilities services manager, who splits his time between Canton and Mahwah, N.J.

Because the previous ski season had been cut short, the new managers of Blue Hills had to repair some relationships with former vendors and employees, according to Alley.

"We had lot of uphill climbing to do," said Alley. "You said the name 'Blue Hills' last year and people cringed."

The company was able to keep the slopes at Blue Hills open from December until late March. Now, the operators are hoping for a second successful winter.

They have spent weeks getting ready to open the slopes to the public. "Now hiring" is emblazoned in capital letters on a sign at the driveway entrance, and people have been filling out applications for jobs as lift attendants, ski instructors, mechanics, and cashiers. Workers have been swinging hammers and pounding nails into the roof of the main lodge.

Under the lease agreement with the state, the management company is responsible for all operating costs, including utilities, salaries, and maintenance costs, and must spend 20-25 percent of any revenues over $1.4 million each year for capital improvements. Last year, it spent $100,000 on improvements to the ski area.

Kristin Orozovich, the general manager, said Blue Hills employed 230 people last year, but they have hired many more this year. This season's workforce is roughly 320; wages start at $8 to $10 per hour and go up to about $15, she said.

Ski Blue Hills has added new programs as well, like a five-week ski and snowboard camp for children between the ages of 4 and 6. They have also introduced a rental program that allows customers to rent skis and snowboards for the whole season. Customers have the option of leaving the equipment at the mountain or taking it home with them, so they can use it at other places.

"The biggest problem we found at Blue Hills is the parking," said Alley. And so, starting this season, a shuttle bus will now escort skiers from the parking lots to the main lodge.

Patrons can sign up for classes, buy passes, or rent skis and snowboards online through the Ski Blue Hills website (www.ski-bluehills.com). Daily skiing and snowboarding tickets cost $18 to $36, depending on the day and time, and as of Dec. 1, season passes cost $170 for seniors, $275 for evenings, and $349 for unlimited use.

In comparison, at Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, daily lift tickets cost between $36 and $49; $27 to $35 for seniors and children 6-12. Nashoba Valley Ski Area in Westford charges $30 to $44, depending on the day and time; children 6-12 pay $30 to $42; a daily pass for the beginners' area is $20.

Blue Hills Ski Area sold 190 lift tickets during its opening weekend. Orozovich said the operators don't have specific attendance goals, but hope to sell at least 400 season tickets this year.

With more people choosing "staycations" over traveling long distances, ski resort operators all over New England are anticipating bigger crowds this year, if the weather holds up.

"Between the economy and the hassles of air travel, we think more people will be staying in New England instead of traveling out west to Colorado or Utah," said Alice Pearce, president of Ski New Hampshire Inc., a statewide trade association of ski resorts.

"The question is, where is the good snow," said Pearce. "It's all about the snow."

The folks at Blue Hills hope the extra snowmaking capabilities and other improvements will lure more skiers and boarders to the Canton slopes.

"People weren't going here," said Orozovich. "We're hoping to rebuild the name, and people will come back."

Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com.