Ski resorts prepared to welcome thousands this March Break
Ski hills across the region are open for business and anticipating tens of thousands of skiers to hit the slopes as March Break officially begins.
Despite the warmer-than-typical weather, some people got an early start to March Break, including Pierce Warner, who checked out the slopes at Snow Valley Ski Resort in Barrie.
"They started off a bit chunky and solid, but then they kind of turned a little softer, and it turned out pretty good."
- Download the CTV News app free to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
The hills at Snow Valley weren't busy with skiers on Friday, but that is expected to change with students off next week, so staff are making preparations.
"We finished our snowmaking. We have about a 75 to 80-centimetre base average everywhere right across the resort. We have 20 for 20 runs open, and a dozen runs at the tube park are fully open," said John Ball, Snow Valley Resort general manager.
Officials with Snow Valley and Blue Mountain said they would be moving snow around over the next several days to prolong the life of the season.
"The plan is to keep people outside, keep people on the slopes. We are going to have top to bottom runs throughout the entire March Break and will keep them busy with tons of activities for the whole family," said Blue Mountain Resort's Tara Lovell.
March Break is typically one of the busiest weeks of the season at the Collingwood resort, which has 28 of 43 trails open and ready for skiers.
"You are seeing those bare spots but that's just because we are moving the snow into areas so that it's safer for our skiers and riders" said Lovell.
Blue Mountain said it would consider making more snow if the cooler weather returns, which is in the forecast.
John Ball at Snow Valley said they typically see about 30,000 skiers over March Break.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
Weight-loss drug Wegovy available in Canada starting May 6
The makers of Ozempic say their weight-loss drug Wegovy will be available to patients in Canada starting Monday.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
NEW A mother's hopes to free her son from a Syrian prison is revitalized by a new human rights report
Just days before the seventh anniversary of the day Jack Letts was thrown in prison with thousands of suspected ISIS fighters, his mother, Sally Lane, delivered a small stack of envelopes to the headquarters of Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa.
NEW Companies letting customers opt out of Mother's Day ads
In an effort to balance the profitability of Mother's Day with the pain it causes some people, some brands are offering customers the choice to opt out of Mother's Day email advertising.
DEVELOPING Police begin removing barricades at a pro-Palestinian demonstrators' encampment at UCLA
Police removed barricades and began dismantling a pro-Palestinian demonstrators’ fortified encampment early Thursday at the UCLA campus after hundreds of protesters defied police orders to leave, about 24 hours after counter-protesters attacked a tent encampment on the campus.
Dental care program accepting claims for 1 million seniors
Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech says 1,200 seniors have already visited a dentist and had their claims processed by the federal government's new dental care plan.
Concerns about Plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglass barriers.
NEW Facial reconstruction reveals what a 40-something Neanderthal woman may have looked like
Scientists studying a Neanderthal woman's remains have painstakingly pieced together her skull from 200 bone fragments to understand what she may have looked like.