Ski resorts aim for early openings with help from Mother Nature

Operators are putting the final touches on ski slopes across Simcoe County, with excitement building for a busy season ahead.

Interest in skiing and snowboarding grew through the pandemic as one of the few activities that were still available.

"Everybody is really stoked for the season," said Jonathan Palmer, marketing director at Snow Valley Ski Resort. "We had a fantastic summer past sale. Our bookings are really solid."

Snow Valley began blowing snow on Tuesday for its slopes and started testing the chairlifts Friday.

"We're getting real close, weather permitting," Palmer added. "We can't put an opening date on it yet because of it, but it should be soon."

The warmer weather earlier in November at Mount St. Louis Moonstone in Coldwater has made it challenging to prepare its hills.

"It's a bit too warm right now to open," said Robert Huter, owner of Mount St. Louis. "Mother Nature, if she could give us a little bit colder temperatures at night and even during the day, that would be fantastic."

For cross-country skiers, some local trails are now open.

Hardwood Ski and Bike celebrated an early opening Friday, bested only by its 2018 record opening of Nov. 11.

"Any time you open in November, it's a good sign for our cross-country ski resort," said Gareth Houben, Hardwood Ski and Bike president and general manager. "Summer is great here. We love mountain biking, but we're also big fans of cross-country skiing."

Horseshoe Resort said it's aiming to open the skiing season on Nov. 25, weather permitting.

Blue Mountain said it would begin blowing snow this weekend to open as soon as possible.