When Killington Resort posted on Twitter claiming 10 inches of fresh snow ahead of MLK Day weekend, it raised a few eyebrows.

Sugarbush Resort was first. "Can we borrow your yardstick?!?" they replied.

"Need some pepper to go with that salt?" Killington replied, adding "We still love you."

A re-post of the exchange to the Ski The East Facebook group on Jan. 17 opened the floodgates. Thousands liked the Twitter post exchange and hundreds more liked the re-post to the Facebook group.

Whether you believe in what ski resorts advertise for snow totals or not, one thing is a cold -- well, maybe not so cold this season -- hard fact: this year's natural snow accumulation is way down, and resorts are taking any opportunity they can to draw attention when it snows.

The National Weather Service Burlington tweeted out a comparison of snowfall on top of Vermont's highest peak, Mt. Mansfield, and the data is pretty grim. They measured 40 inches of snow up to Jan. 21 this season. That's way down from last year's nearly 100 inches and is even nearly a foot off the normal inch count of about 50 inches.

All that said, most ski resorts in Vermont haven't had to rely on natural snowfall for a long time. Killington Resort boasts the largest snow-making infrastructure in the northeast and, temperature permitting, can make lots of it. But big swings in temperatures this year have made making snow a challenge, even if that challenge is just convincing people that conditions aren't as bad as they might think when they look out their window and see rain and high temperatures for days on end.

So when a big snow storm shows up, resorts bang the drum to attract skiers and riders, not to mention that a dump of snow is just really great, especially in you are heading into the glades and backcountry.

Despite the lack of snow this season in Vermont, there has been hope. Two big storms dumped snow across the state at opportune moments. Big snow accumulations on both New Year's Eve and on MLK Day weekend made for happy vacationers and locals alike. On MLK Day weekend, so many people showed up at Stowe that the Route 108 Mountain Road was at a standstill at times.

With more potential snow expected this weekend around the state, Vermont's snow season seems to be in recovery mode for now.

Contact Ryan Mercer at rmercer@freepressmedia.com or at 802-343-4169. Follow him on Twitter @ryanmercer1 and facebook.com/ryan.mercer1. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription.