Snowboarders and skiers finally get to enjoy some powder

The local North Shore mountains got hit with fresh snow on the first weekend of the year, and snowboarders and skiers are finally getting their chance to enjoy some of the white stuff after a long delay.

Matt Davies, Cypress Mountain’s general manager, says he is excited to see the 30 cm of snowfall overnight — and the temperature finally dropping — making Saturday the first strong snow day of the season.

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“What a difference 24 hours makes,” he said. “Last month was a challenge (with) warm temperatures that didn’t allow us to make much snow and a fair bit of rain events over the Christmas period.”

Davies says more runs and chairlifts are now open during the first weekend of January than in December.

Ross MacDonald with Environment and Climate Change Canada says Metro Vancouver is getting its first taste of winter weather this season.

“We are going to see some snow around the Lower Mainland late Sunday night and going into Monday,” he said.

MacDonald says the mountains may also get another big dump.

“It’s going to be a decent storm for the North Shore mountains,” he said. “When it rains here in the city, it will be mostly snow in the mountains.”

Davies says his team at Cypress plans on making snow on top of the natural base they got over the weekend

“We will be firing up our snow machines and we will be making a lot of artificial snow,” he said.

“We will generate thousands of acres of snow.”