WEST DOVER, Vt. — There were far too many skis on hand this week at High Altitude, a rental shop on the road to Mount Snow here, and Andrew Glover, the manager, was far too lonely.

The problem was the weather. Week after maddening week of unusually balmy temperatures have made snowfall scant in New England, and, worse, wreaked havoc on snowmaking at ski resorts that like to have a healthy base of, at the least, manmade snow by Christmas.

Many ski areas opened late this year, and the slow start is threatening the fragile economy of towns that rely heavily on the ski traffic that usually starts in earnest over the holidays. Hundreds of seasonal workers have been unable to start their jobs, while some innkeepers report far more empty rooms than is customary during the holidays.

“We opened two weeks before Thanksgiving, and to this point we haven’t even done $2,500 worth of sales,” said Mr. Glover, whose shop also sells ski and snowboarding gear. “It’s been wacky weather, and it’s been really tough.”