Lack of snow makes for tough go on BC ski slopes heading into holidays

Skiers and snowboarders on Cypress Mountain say they’re making the most of wet and slushy runs, which feature a lot more greenery than usual.

“I think we’ve got off to a rocky start,” one skier said. “It’s been a challenging one this season.”

This rough start to the 2023 ski season on the B.C.’s North Shore Mountains has featured a lot of rain and not enough snow.

Matt Davies, president and general manager at Cypress Mountain, says runs opened the first week of December.

“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster start, for sure,” Davies said.

The rain, slush, and below-average temperatures have made for a messy mix, forcing the closure of many of the runs heading into the holidays.

“It’s been rough,” the skier said. “With not a lot of terrain open, it’s been hard to get some real good training in.”

Snowboarders making their way from the East Coast of the United States say they were hoping they’d find better conditions on the slopes.

“It’s totally muddy and slushy, so I would say that it’s not the best year here,” one snowboarder said.

Meanwhile, Davies says crews are working overtime to get more of their runs open, just days before Christmas.

“Based on what we’re seeing in the forecast, with temperatures cooling off, we have 84 fully automated guns in our snow-making system. We will fire on every single one of those guns to get some more terrain open, and we do expect to get some natural snow.”

In Whistler, it’s a similar scene, where a spokesperson says only around 24 per cent of the terrain was open on Thursday.

They also say the cooler temperatures and inbound snow heading into the weekend bodes well for snowmaking — just in time for what’s typically a very busy few weeks over Christmas and New Year’s.

Those who work on the hills say they’re still optimistic, the ski season has just begun, and history has shown that most snow arrives in the new year.

And despite the conditions, visitors continue to show up – snow – or no snow.

“It’s certainly disappointing,” another skier said. “I can see that some of the hills are closed, but I mean we’re going to make it worth it.”