Storm helps some NW ski resorts open early

Good news, bad news. The bad news is some passes and roads that generally close for the winter in Oregon and Washington are closed already (one of the entrances to Crater Lake National Park, for instance). The further bad news is that driving conditions are a bit dicey in much of the U.S. Northwest right now. The good news is that ski hills are opening one right after another right now, some for their earliest opening ever. News report from kgw.com.

I don't ski anymore, and haven't for years and years. But I love watching the faces of skiers light up this time of year.

We don't have a ski hill right around here, but we have hundreds of miles of snowmobile trails that volunteers keep groomed. Out-of-town snowmobile enthusiasts generally spend enough money at retail stores, repair shops, motels and restaurants to prevent the massive winter layoffs we used to have around here. Last year we didn't get enough snow at the right times and the economic impact was really impressive, in a very bad way.

Think snow!