Warm weather and minimal snow create challenges for B.C. ski hills

Abnormally warm weather in B.C. has created less than ideal conditions on ski hills as a lack of snow is making it tough for resorts to operate.

In at least one case, operations have had to cease altogether as the hill awaits a fresh snowfall. 

The El Niño climate phenomenon has pushed temperatures to record highs in regions, including Metro Vancouver, Greater Victoria, the Sunshine Coast and the Okanagan.

Mount Seymour, about 25 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, closed on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday pending more snow.

“We had a bit of a weak start but the rain last week washed us out,” Mount Seymour marketing and communications manager Simon Whitehead told The Early Edition host Stephen Quinn on Thursday. 

“Luckily the forecast is looking much stronger for next week so we’ll hopefully be back in business pretty soon.”

He suggested that unseasonably warm weather impacts the hill once every eight years or so, so while it’s not ideal, it’s something staff are prepared for. 

In Whistler, 120 kilometres north of Vancouver, Environment Canada reported no snow on the ground on Christmas Day, compared to 40 centimetres last Christmas.

Skier John Bell frequents the hill, and said this year appears to have very little snow compared to others. 

“You do have to be careful. It gets a little rocky, there are some obstacles out there for sure.”

On Thursday, the Whistler Blackcomb resort reported 117 of its 275 trails were open, and only 42 per cent of its terrain.

Anything that could be open was thanks to the resort’s grooming team, said mountain operations director Adam Francis.

“They go down and they’ll cut and fell and push through the the thick spots to the thin spots, patch it up on a nightly basis and try to stave off the melt down there,” he said. 

Despite current conditions, he remains optimistic about the rest of the season. 

Meanwhile in the Okanagan, Apex Mountain Resort had about a third of its roughly 79 runs open on Thursday — a stark contrast from 2022 when every run was open in the first week of December thanks to heavy snowfalls.

General manager James Shalman says resorts across the province are “definitely behind the 8-ball” because of the warm weather, with visitors lost during the holidays unlikely to return later in the season.

“This is not something where you can make up what you’re down during Christmas break. You won’t make that up later in the season, even if we get amazing snowfall in January, February, March,” he told Canadian Press.

At Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver, management warned skiers of “thin snow coverage” for what little of the hill was open.

Several resorts have been offering discounted passes and tickets to entice skiers to visit.

“Rain’s the star of the show today,” Cypress Mountain’s update on Thursday said, noting that night skiing had been cancelled.

Potential snow on the way for Interior

Environment Canada’s long-term forecast is calling for more seasonal temperatures to return for the first week of January, bringing potential snowfall to higher elevations in the Interior, according to meteorologist Brian Proctor.

But Proctor said snowfall was less certain for coastal areas in coming weeks, adding that skiers and resorts should temper expectations.

“We may see potential for some snowfall,” Proctor said. “But really longer term it does look like an El Niño winter at this point in time, continuing and remaining fairly significant into the early spring.”