Snow is a peculiar commodity. Last year New England had enough for two winters, and so far this year, it hasn't enough for a chilly April.

Frankly, the local ski salesmen are somewhere this side of desperate. North Conway, N. H., considered by many as the mecca of New England skiing circles, boasted four to six inches of snow all Christmas vacation, and sweltered under 45 degree temperatures. Pinkham Notch had "intermitent skiing" although the notch is usually drifted full of snow by New Year's.

Graylock Bare

Mt. Graylock in the Berkshires not only didn't have any snow, but the flash floods of the past week washed out most of the roads. As a matter of fact there was better skiing fifty miles from New York City than in most of New England at Christmastime.

But some schussers can't be stopped. They were lured by the press notices from Aspen, Colorado, which boasted a 20 to 80 inch base and six to eight inches of powder, or north to the Laurentians which always seem to have snow. Others stayed in New England and slid at high speed down the mottled local slopes to give this area the highest Christmas accident percentage in years.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

The members of the Pinkham Notch ski patrol spent New Year's drying out their clothes--they were caught in the rain the previous afternoon.

But skiing enthusiasts in the Eastern states have something to look forward to. The New York City weather man retired as of January 1 and both the new man and the Farmer's Almanac predict snow before the end of the month.