Glory be to the snow gods; the mountains are open.
After a dismal ski season last year that saw the local mountains close up shop months earlier than normal, all three local ski hills are open for the winter this weekend, weeks ahead of schedule thanks to cool temperatures and fresh snow.
Cypress Mountain opened today (Friday) with more snow at its base than at any point last season. Close to half a metre of fresh powder fell this week, with cold temperatures allowing the local hill to run it snowmakers around the clock.
At Grouse Mountain, the Paradise Bowl and Greenway Chairlift both opened at 2pm on Friday, as did Grouse’s new Snowshoe Grind trail. The 4.3-km trail has an elevation gain of more than 200 metres and is being billed as the winter version of the popular Grouse Grind hiking trail.
Over at Mount Seymour, the ski runs are still a few days away from opening, but the toboggan hill is fully operational. While Seymour doesn’t have snowmaking capabilities, the forecast looks good and the runs should be open any day now.
“Temperatures are nice and cold and we have some snow in the forecast for next week,” said Simon Whitehead, Mount Seymour’s marketing manager, on Friday afternoon. “We’re pretty excited. Last year was pretty disappointing, so this is great to see.”
Whistler Blackcomb kicked off its 50th anniversary season one week ahead of schedule, as it opened to the public on Thursday (Nov. 19). Blackcomb Mountain and the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will open as scheduled on Nov. 26.
