A roller coaster weather pattern seems to have affected ski businesses around the area — in a positive manner.
Most ski hill operators in Simcoe County said they were able to open in mid-November, about a month early, with the ground being covered in snow throughout the month.
“It’s been a good start to the winter,” said Gareth Houben, president and general manager of Hardwood Ski and Bike on Old Barrie Road. “We had enough snow in November and it stuck around for us to have managed to stay open until now.”
At his establishment, he said, they pride themselves on being able to deal with low snow situations.
“Things could change every day,” said Houben. “You just have to manage it well.”
After Friday's temperature fluctuations, he said, they had to close their fat bike trails, but everything else was available for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and abilities.
And if that does happen, said Houben, staff at Hardwood find another way to keep visitors busy.
“We’re constantly trying to find things for people to do if there’s no snow — like dryland training, part of our ski programs,” he said.
Despite the lack of snow in their backyards, dedicated skiers and snowshoe enthusiasts came out to take advantage of a clear, yet chilly weekend.
“It’s good exercise,” said Catherine Pasarich. “You can go on your own, you’re in the forest and it’s quiet and peaceful and idyllic.”
The Shanty Bay resident said she is usually able to go skiing on Lake Simcoe or closer to where she lives, but when it’s time to get together with friends, Pasarich and her partner, Ian Woods, go to one of the nearby resorts.
“I think the season is going to pick up still,” said Woods. “A lot of people would have been busy spending money on Christmas shopping so now they can spend money on this.”
Toronto resident Nicole Montpetit said she and her family had been waiting for snow in the GTA so they could go skiing or snowshoeing.
Finally, they decided to make it a day trip out to Hardwood.
“It’s been a bit of a hit and miss this year,” she said of the weather. “Last year, we had a ton of snow.
“We do this together as a family, because it’s good for the kids to be outside,” added Montpetit. “They can see nature and trees and even animal tracks.”
Where Hardwood has to rely on snowfall and immaculate grooming practices for their trails to stay open, other resorts are able to capitalize on low temperatures.
“We had more snow earlier and colder temperatures earlier so we were able to make snow,” said Val Hamilton, director of marketing at Horseshoe Resort.
With the help of technology and machinery that improves each year, she said the resort has been able to accumulate a 55-centimetre snow base (for downhill skiing) since the beginning of the season this year.
Because of the early snowfall, said Hamilton, people planned their trips early on.
“Our condos and inn rooms have been sold out for weeks,” she noted.
The resort offers tubing, snowboarding, downhill skiing on their artificially created snow beds, but other activities, such as snowshoeing and cross country skiing have to rely on the weather, said Hamilton.
“We also have a lot of activities to offer people if we have to close one of our attractions,” she said. “We’re used to having to adapt to too much cold or no snow.”
The resort offers crafts, movie nights and interactive family entertainment for those staying at the resort or for residents in the area looking for a quick outing, said Hamilton.
Other resorts, such as Mount St. Louis Moonstone and Ski Snow Valley, have also been able to open earlier and keep a steady flow of skiers, owing to early snow and low temperatures.
“It's been fantastic season for us,” said John Ball, general manager at Ski Snow Valley. “We've been able to make snow and we had enough to open the weekend of Nov. 24th and 25th.”
And despite the roller coaster weather, most skiers were confident the resorts would have the situation under control, said Nish Kapuria of Kingston.
He and his family, visiting from the United Kingdom, ventured out to Horseshoe Resort for a Canadian experience.
“I figured they make snow, so I wasn’t too concerned with it,” said Kapuria.
His relative, Ash Sharma, who was trying out skiing for the first time, said this was exactly how he had imagined a Canadian winter would be.
“I find Canadians are very active,” he said, looking at the buzz of activity around him at the resort’s ski hills, where dozens of people were taking lessons or waiting in line to get to the top of the ski hill. “They love their outdoors and enjoy all their seasons.”
