There’s a saying about weather in St. Louis: “If you don’t like it, wait a day.” Missouri’s unpredictable climate has never been known for the amount of snow it produces, but this year has proved disappointing not only for snow-day fanatics but especially for winter sports enthusiasts in the area.

Packed on top of a golf course sits the manmade snow of Hidden Valley Ski Resort, where skiing and snowboarding has taken root in the Midwest. Not many states in this region of the country offer sites like Hidden Valley, but snowboarders like Evan Morris, freshman, make use of its presence as frequently as possible.

“I just try to take advantage of being able to snowboard in a place like Missouri,” Morris said. “Not many towns in the Midwest get this kind of opportunity.”

Only there has been a disruption in Hidden Valley’s snow production because of the warm temperatures this winter. Missi Boyd, director of Inside Operations at Hidden Valley, said.

Hidden Valley had to postpone its opening day until Wednesday, Jan. 4, as opposed to mid-December last season, which has been detrimental to business, Boyd said.

“Obviously our numbers are down we missed all of Christmas,” Boyd said. “MLK was a good weekend and we hope that we are able to have a great Presidents Day weekend weather permitting.”

Skier Dylan Anderson, freshman, said the warm spell this winter was a big setback for him and his fellow skiers.

“The warm weather has made skiing difficult because it made Hidden Valley opened extremely late, therefore cutting our season in half almost,” Anderson said. “Also, it’s never fun to ski in slushy snow.”

Even after creating enough of a snow base to open, it only had one side of the mountain open with minimal terrain park features.

The terrain parks, runs packed with assorted jumps and rails for performing tricks, weren’t fully open until Tuesday, Jan. 17. Some discontent arose among season pass holders who began to think they weren’t going to get their money’s worth.

“I was debating whether or not to return [my season pass], but Hidden Valley did eventually open,” Anderson said. “I figured I can still go enough times to break even.”

However the terrain park conditions have quickly turned around, Boyd said.

“We have created the best terrain parks we have every had at Hidden Valley this season,” Boyd said. “We have flown in two of the best park builders in the country to create the parks. The response to the parks has been great.”

As he waited for the elements to change in his favor, Anderson said he and his friends took advantage of the warm weather and filmed each other skateboarding and rollerblading.

Anderson said the best thing to do when waiting for the weather to change is to stay positive and keep up his interest in the sport without getting too anxious.

“I love to watch other people [ski] on the internet, but after watching too much of it without actually doing it, it clouds your head and distracts you from other things,” Anderson said. “I just had to keep telling myself ‘Hidden Valley is going to open eventually’.”

Morris said he doesn’t see the warm weather as entirely bad, rather it’s a bittersweet situation.

“Surprisingly enough, the snow out at Hidden Valley isn’t that bad and the warm weather makes it more fun to ride,” Morris said. “But the snow won’t last forever in this warm weather so it’s bad at the same time.

Boyd said that aside from a few angry patrons, most customers have been very understanding about this dilemma. She said the only thing she can do about the snow is sit and wait for everything to fall into place.

“[We’ve got to keep] a positive attitude,” Boyd said. “We have no control over the weather and we are just ready to make snow whenever the temperatures get cold enough to turn on the guns.”