“One of the weirdest seasons” for Canadian ski resorts

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The ski season has been difficult across the country, from coast to coast. (Archive photo)

The Canadian Press

After an unusual winter and weather, many Canadian ski resorts want to cover grassy areas of some of their slopes so that they can be used by skiers during spring break.

Among these, Mont-Tremblant, in the Laurentians. Jean-François Gour, director of communications at Station Mont-Tremblant, mentions that the weather conditions have varied since the start of the season. The week that has just passed clearly illustrates the vagaries of the weather: the temperature reached 9°C on Wednesday before plummeting to -14°C the next day.

We were entitled to a real cocktail, he says.

In Ontario and Quebec, some golf courses have even opened while ski resorts ceased their activities.

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In Sherbrooke, a golf club golf opened its practice range on February 27, shattering the old record set on March 15.

Daniel Scott, a University of Waterloo professor who studies climate change and tourism, says winter 2024 was one of the most bizarre ski seasons in recent years across the country.

It is not common for resorts to have difficulty offering good skiing conditions during the March break week, he notes.

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Ski resorts, particularly in Quebec and Ontario, sometimes struggle to open during the holiday season, but they can make enough snow in January and February to stay in place. activity throughout the month of March, adds Mr. Scott.

And if one region goes through a difficult season, the others usually do better, but that's not the case this year, he mentions.

He adds that it's winter has been weird, from coast to coast throughout' x27;North America, United States and Canada.

It was an anomaly the likes of which I don't remember seeing in the 20 years I've been studying ski seasons.

A quote from Daniel Scott, professor at the University of Waterloo

Mr. Scott cites the example of the ski mountain he frequents in Ontario which remained closed this week despite the drop in temperatures. Thunderstorms and high temperatures had reduced its ability to make enough snow.

A golf course, located in nearby, announced that it would be open during this weekend.

This will not happen x27;was never seen before, he notes. Maybe it's a publicity stunt, but just the fact that it's open and operating during the March break, that young people are playing golf in March rather than skiing, it's not a winter like we usually know.

However, some resorts were lucky, like Whistler-Blackcomb, British Columbia, which received 110 centimeters of snow. This fresh snow covered the dusty tracks located in the lower parts of the station.

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Normally, snow cannons stop operating at the end of January in Whistler-Blackcomb. Due to rain at 2500 meters altitude last month, they are still operating at full capacity.

Mother Nature has been capricious this season. Even today, despite all the new snow, the number of open slopes is lower than usual, admits a spokesperson for the Whistler-Blackcomb resort, Dane Gergovich. Usually, all slopes are open at this time of year.

Another unusual fact , the resort continues to make artificial snow. We continue to do this in order to be able to make up for the losses we suffered due to high temperatures and rains, underlines Mr. Gergovich.