Alberta ski hills plan to open soon despite warm fall

In a race between time, temperatures and the will of Mother Nature, Alberta's ski hills are hoping to pull off their early November opening dates — despite above-average temperatures this fall. 

Employees are getting trained up, painting and repairing lodge buildings, building snow fences and powering up snowmaking machines. 

"It was a beautiful fall, but we're prepping for winter," said Leigha Stankewich, spokesperson for the Lake Louise Ski Resort. 

Ski hills are looking to open in just a few weeks: 

At Sunshine Village near Banff, Kendra Scurfield said they already have about 35 centimetres of snow on the ground — the trees along the access road look like something out of a snow globe. 

"We are very fortunate with our location high on the continental divide," Scurfield said. "That does make us a magnet for snow."

With limited access to water reserves, Sunshine doesn't have a big snowmaking program. Scurfield said they build up snow fences and move the powder around to where it is needed, packing down a solid base.

"It's like that snowman you build in July when you get a freak snowstorm," Scurfield said. "When you put it into a ball, it will last so much longer. So we're working on getting that first base solidified." 

While they wait for more snow, staff get trained and complete safety exercises, and lifts get tuned up. It's a busy time. 

At the Lake Louise Ski Resort, tufts of browning grass are still visible at the base of the hill, with snowmakers blasting. That tentative opening date is looming. 

"Yeah, less than two weeks away," Stankewich said. "But we're now underway with our snowmaking operations, which makes that possible … the temperatures are where we need them to be. Mother Nature is helping us out. So we're on track, for sure."

This year, Stankewich said, they've been able to upgrade their snowmaking machines, with 48 new snow guns that are more energy efficient. 

Up at the higher elevations, there is more snow on the ground, Stankewich added, and visitors can check in when snow reporting boots up for the season.

The rest of their preparations will come down to training staff and finishing some maintenance.