Winter is upon us – or is it? The past few weeks have shown little evidence that this is the Vermont we all know.

The most prolific season for the state — although you could put up an argument for autumn — is in no way prolific this year.

“New Jersey and Washington D.C. are getting record breaking amounts of snow this year while Vermont gets almost zero, said sophomore Chris North, a fan of winter.

Jared Carlson, a senior, says the winter has “all but come and gone,” and he’s not happy. Carlson enjoys the fresh powder as much as anyone else and dislikes the idea of an early spring.

“A lot of kids are asking the same question: ‘Where was the winter?’ It just hasn’t happened this year,” he said.

The mild winter has caused some like North to believe that global warming is moving a little faster than expected with all of the “multiple weird climate changes nationwide.”

So much of Vermont’s economy relies on Mother Nature and her everlasting snowstorms. Mountain resorts across the state are hurting financially due to the lack of snowfall, which hurts skier visits and makes then spend more to make snow.

Okemo Mountain Resort is having a rough time with this winter and it’s affecting their bottom line.

Shannon Diehl, Okemo’s Jackson Gore Resort Services Manager, calls this a “dry winter” and says that we just “haven’t had any precipitation.” In addition, it’s been windy, she said.

When the wind is bad, they can’t produce snow simply because it doesn’t reach the ground and, instead, gets into the trees.

“At this point in the season, we don’t want to be blowing as much snow as we are,” she said.

Winter enthusiasts like North also wish they didn’t have to be making snow and that Mother Nature would cooperate.

“It just doesn’t seem right not having any snow in Vermont during winter,” he said.

But some on campus, like sophomore Andrew Lezzer, don’t mind the snoeless winter at all. Since he hasn’t gone snowboarding in two years, winter can drag. But this winter has been pretty easy to take, he said.

“I’d enjoy a lot of snow if I was up on the mountain,” Lezzer said, “but spring sounds good to me!