B.C. ski resorts sidestep El Nino knockout, celebrate remarkable seasons

By The Canadian Press

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Predictions of slushy, El Nino-dampened ski seasons were snowed under across British Columbia this winter as many resorts celebrated one of their most successful years.

At Sun Peaks, north of Kamloops, director of marketing Aiden Kelly said the resort municipality is elated by the latest statistics.

“For the first time in the history of the resort, we have broken the plateau of 350,000 skier visits,” he said.

Kelly credited the low Canadian dollar, strong demand following last year’s dismal season, and outstanding snow conditions for the record.

Sunday marks the final day of operations at Sun Peaks.

“Not ready to let goooo,” tweeted one skier from the slopes above Sun Peaks on Wednesday.

“It’s snowing like hell,” commented another, in a post on the resort’s Twitter page.

The Big White Resort outside Kelowna also closes Sunday, but was still enjoying fresh powder on Wednesday. Silver Star Mountain near Vernon closed last weekend despite 20 centimetres of new snow before the lifts shut down.

Whistler Blackcomb also received an above-average snow load this season and logged a record 1.14 million visitors in the first two months of the season alone.

The added snow prompted the resort to extend its season by a week. Skiing and boarding will continue on Blackcomb until May 30, while the last day of winter operations will be April 17 at Whistler.

Last winter’s warm and wet conditions forced many B.C. ski resorts to close early, and concerns were raised last fall that a strong El Nino system this year, especially in January and February, could spell disaster for some operations. (CHNL)

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