Ski resorts set sights on upcoming season
Even without the snow, the autumnal view at Mount St. Louis Moonstone is stunning and it has certainly caught the attention of people taking in this weekend's ski swap.
The ski resort held its annual ski swap after missing it last year due to COVID-19.
"Really excited, and I want to see some nice powder coming down," says Elan Zusman, who visited the ski resort with his family. "I can see that they have the snow blowers out, so definitely, I'm getting excited for ski season."
This week's first snowfall of the season in Muskoka has also helped get people ready.
"Once we get the equipment set, we will get it all tuned up and then have it ready to load it into the car. We're all excited to get going," says Curtis Columbus, who attended the event with his daughter.
Ski resort operators across the province are just as excited. However, Friday's announcement from the Premier to loosen restrictions in many sectors has left Robert Huter at Mount St. Louis Moonstone with a number of questions.
"What will capacities be and how many people can we put on the chair lift?" Huter wonders. "If we are double vaxxed can we load the chair lift 100 per cent? Are we going to be required to wear masks if everyone is double vaxxed? We just need the clarification of what's going on outside," Huter adds.
The issue of staffing is, once again, a concern, this time on the hills. Huter says he just held a job fair Friday and typically sees more applicants.
"We're still looking for about 30 per cent of our staff," Huter says. "It's going to be a challenging winter, but we're up for it and we're going to make the most of it."
Huter says the ski industry will continue its dialogue with the government in hopes of getting specific details in the coming weeks. He says one thing is for certain is that his resort will start making snow as soon as the temperature hits below -3 C.
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