Hudson Bay Mountain Resort has new tentative opening day.
The ski hill was hoping to open on Dec. 2 but needs more snow in order to operate safely.
The new date the resort is planning on welcoming skiers and boarders back is now Dec. 9 but still needs mother nature to cooperate a little bit more and it will likely be a limited opening.
“The long-range forecast is looking pretty okay,” said Hudson Bay Mountain Resort’s general manager Lex Rei-Jones. “There have been previous years where we’ve started with a lower than average snowpack, but it has turned into an epic season anyways. A delay is a bummer for everybody, for a staff that’s here and ready and eager to work and we’ve got everything ready to go and people want to ski but the weather’s just not cooperating. But we’re pretty confident that it’s going to be going to be a good year.”
New this season is a carpet conveyor lift for the beginner area. The addition of this lift to the upgraded existing area will effectively double their beginner area and provide more opportunities for all to learn to ski and snowboard plus easier access back to the lodge for guests who are new to the sport.
“It’s the first lift that’s been installed in about 40 years,” added Rei-Jones.
Over the summer, the resort also did more brushing of the runs, reinforced the deck on the Panorama Lodge and moved the season-long term parking to P2 in order to maximize parking in both lots.
Every single staff position this year is also filled, meaning over the Christmas holidays the resort will be able to be opened seven days a week.
Meanwhile, the staff at the resort has wrapped up their training, including their manual chair lift evacuation training. Staff members go through this training twice a year, once at the beginning of the season and again halfway through.
Also, season pass pictures and printing will continue through the resort’s downtown office this week.