An unusually warm winter has taken a bite out of profits for local ski resorts — but a drop in temperature means both Grouse and Cypress can reopen.
Grouse Mountain, Cypress Mountain and Mount Seymour all closed their ski hills in early February because the weather was too warm to make artificial snow.
“We had snow through November and December and periodically through January,” Jacqueline Blackwell, manager of public relations for Grouse, told Business in Vancouver.
“Until that last system came through, we were making the best of what nature had given us.”
Mount Seymour is still on standby because unlike Grouse and Cypress, that ski hill has not installed a system to make artificial snow.
“It’s a lot more complicated than just the plumbing, it would be putting a lined lake into a provincial park,” said Simon Whitehead, manager of communications for Seymour.
Seymour promises its seasons passholders a 100-days-of skiing guarantee. This year however, the ski hill could only offer 12 days of skiing. That means it’s looking more likely that pass holders will be eligible for a hefty 88% discount next year.
The ski hill has temporarily laid off staff and is running a “bare-bones” operation.
“We don’t plan on every year being a great year, we financially plan for one in four years being bad,” Whitehead said.
“Given that, they’re not normally as bad as this.”
Artificial snowmaking has become increasingly common as “insurance” for ski hills, Canada West Ski Areas Association president David Lynn told BIV for a recent story on the long-term effect of climate change on B.C. ski hills.
Lynn estimated that around half of ski resorts in B.C. and Alberta have the ability to make snow. The systems can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to install.
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