Blue Mountain opens for ski season
Blue Mountain Ski Resort officially opened for the ski season on Saturday, seeing more than a hundred skiers lining up early in the morning for the ceremonial first chair.
“People were lining up as early as 6:30 this morning to make sure they could get on that first chair,” said Marie-Eve Dolan, the resort’s director of marketing. “It was definitely a vibe and a celebration to welcome back winter.”
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Two out of eleven lifts, seven out of 43 trails and one out of four open terrain parks were in operation for opening day. The resort’s conditions report stated that it began the season with a snow base of 25 centimetres.
After last ski season’s unfavourable weather conditions, resort staff say the persistent snowfall across central Ontario allowed the resort to open almost a week before its originally scheduled opening date.
“We were scheduled to open on December 12, so being able to open on December 7 is something to celebrate,” said Dolan. “We’re definitely thrilled to see so much natural snowfall, but also prime snowmaking opportunities to be able to open as much terrain as we can today.”
Skiers at Blue Mountain Ski Resort in The Blue Mountains, Ont. on Sat., Dec. 7, 2024 (CTV News/Chris Garry)An early start to ski season also means a lot more foot traffic for businesses on the resort.
“You have the early risers that are here for first tracks and then they’re going to go for breakfast and a coffee,” added Dolan. “Then you have the midday crew that’s going to show up for lunch and then you have everybody that rallies around ‘après’ which is around 3 o’clock.”
According to resort staff, their operations team is prepared to open the rest of the terrain as quickly as possible if favorable snow conditions continue.
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