Kimberley Alpine Resort (KAR) has announced that they’ve pushed back their opening day, which was slated for December 14, and are now opening for the season on Wednesday, December 18, 2019.
In a post on Facebook, KAR said they are planning to open for winter operations on the 18th, on the North Star Express Quad chair servicing the main run and the Magic Carpet will be open for the owl learning area.
“Snowmaking crews have been taking advantage of recent cooler temperatures and working around the clock to make as much snow as they can to get the Main ready for opening,” reads the post. “Please check out our snow report for ongoing updates in regards to other terrain and lift openings.”
KAR says that Kimberley season pass holders will continue to be able to ski and ride for free at other Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) hills until they open.
Guest Services will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for Sunday, December 15, for season pass processing and any other inquiries. Following that, they will be open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. starting on Monday, December 16, 2019.
Skiers and boarders can also fill out their wavers online and have their seasons passes mailed to them, to avoid lineups at guest services.
Ted Funston, Area Manager for KAR, says that he and the rest of the crew are looking forward to opening for the 2019/20 season.
“It’s an exciting time of year when we get to see all of our valued season pass holders and visitors back up at the resort,” Funston said. “Crews worked hard over the off-season on mowing and alder cutting, a program which allows us to get open earlier and on less snow. Plus crews have been adding extra skiing and riding by glading out certain treed areas. Please check out these areas on the grooming report on our website.”
He adds that KAR also purchased another new snow gun this past fall, to assist with snowmaking efforts. They also purchased a new gun last year, and he says both new additions are helping to make snow efficiently and at warmer temperatures than they used to.
“But the fact remains that we still need freezing temperatures to make snow,” Funston said. “Luckily things appear to be cooling off through the weekend, and we plan on getting upen next Wednesday. We are opening on a Wednesday as we didn’t want to wait until the following Saturday to open. We know people are keen to get up riding and so we wanted to get open on the earliest possible date.”
READ MORE: Summer glading and mowing at Kimberley Alpine Resort improves terrain
According to Fernie Alpine Resort’s web updates, a large majority of the mountain is open to skiers and snowboarders alike.
Their official opening day was on November 30, and since then many runs have been opening up as more snow falls.
Matt Mosteller, Vice President for RCR, says that conditions are Fernie are getting better all the time and the forecast for the rest of the winter is looking ideal.
“At Fernie, it snowed a bunch over the weekend and runs are getting groomed and opening almost by the minute,” said Mosteller. “Even more snow fell last night, and it’s looking really positive for the ski season.
“Looking ahead, the forecast for our region, from many different forecasters, all have great predictions for fantastic ski conditions.”
Nakiska Ski Area, in Alberta, is also open for the season, with their opening day having taken place on November 29. Four out of six lifts are open.
Panorama Mountain Resort, located in Invermere, have nine out of ten lifts open.
To check the status of lifts and the snow report for any of the nearby ski hills, simply go to their website and click on Snow Report.
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