After "pathetically slow start," East Coast skiers hit the slopes

December's record warmth in the Northeast wasn't welcomed by everyone, especially if you like to do anything in the snow.

But a colder January is finally helping the East Coat ski season get underway. That's because snow has finally arrived on the Poconos' Shawnee Mountain -- not real snow, but a machine-made blend of water and compressed air that's now covering a third of the slopes thanks to the new frigid temperatures, reports CBS News correspondent Don Dahler.

"We've been anxious to get the season started," said Jim Tust, a managing partner of Shawnee Mountain Ski Area. "It's been a little tough this year. Tourism is the most important in the Poconos."

In his 35-year career here, Tust says he hasn't seen a season like this before. But from a cabin named "Hope," he looked toward the brighter and colder future this winter -- and his machines -- could deliver.

"It's terrific. And I live close by, so I can hear them at night and I know when it's l really making some good snow," Tust said. "We are optimistic. Three-quarters of the season lies ahead so were are looking forward to a really good January and February."

But December disappointed just about every ski resort in the Northeast, where the number of usable trails is still only 43 percent, compared to the 99 percent that's skiable out West.

You can blame this boom or bust season on the El Niño weather pattern, which kept temperatures high and dry in the East.

Douglass Otte and his kids have been coming to the slopes in Shawnee for 40 years, since it first opened in 1975. He said he's never waited so long to get on the mountain.

"It's been a pathetically slow start," Otte said. "I expected to get 15 days in already."

This late season freeze hasn't only held up those eager to hit the slopes, but nearly every local business connected to the ski economy.

"Right now it's not close to what it was last year," said Nicolette Laboy, who works at the Poconos' Starting Gate Action Sports. Sales have not only stalled, but have dropped 75 percent compared to a year ago.

And for those resort employees as seasonal as the snow, it's been no vacation.

"The past two years we've opened on Black Friday so to open this late took a toll on us," said Nicole Fox, one of Shawnee Mountain's over 450 seasonal employees who went more than a month without pay.

"I'm not used to starting this late, it's hard," Fox said. "There's bills to be paid."

"That's the one that hurt the most, having to tell people, 'Gee, we just don't have work yet,'" Tust said.

But in winter's long-awaited arrival, Tust sees an opportunity for crowds looking to make up for lost time.