Winter arrived early this year with temperatures below seasonal averages, much to the delight of ski resorts, which were able to get a head start on preparing their slopes.
“We were fortunate to have fairly cold temperatures in late November and early December, which was ideal for snowmaking,” explained Isabelle Vallée, spokesperson for Le Massif de Charlevoix ski resort.
“And on top of that, we also had some nice snowfall, which meant that the combination of natural snow and artificial snow on the ground resulted in high-quality skiable slopes,” added Vallée, who believes that these conditions will last until the end of the ski season.
“We’re expecting about 20 centimetres of precipitation early next week, so everything is looking good for a great start to the season.”
As of Dec. 27, “nearly twice as many trails” have been able to open at Le Massif compared to last year, representing 28 out of 53 trails, the spokesperson said.
The harsh winter has not dampened the enthusiasm of ski and snowboard enthusiasts, who have been turning out in force since the slopes opened on December 6. “You can really feel the excitement,” said Vallée.
Maxim Cloutier, owner of the Gai-Luron cross-country ski center, echoes this sentiment. “Our trail network is in the forest, so we can’t make artificial snow. We’re really at the mercy of snowstorms,” he explained.
For the cross-country ski trails to be usable, there needs to be a minimum accumulation of 30 to 40 centimetres of snow, a challenge that was met in the first week of December when the center opened its trails to the public.
“It’s been a truly exceptional year, with snowfall every week,” he said. “We’re lucky, as more snow is forecast for tomorrow, from Sunday to Monday, which will further improve conditions.”
The center, located in Saint-Jérôme, only had to close for two days due to a thaw, something that hasn’t happened in two decades, Cloutier pointed out.
“It must be 20 years since we’ve had a holiday season like this, with good conditions and without losing either of the two Christmas weeks due to the weather,” said Cloutier, who has owned the Gai-Luron center with his father for 50 years.
By way of comparison, he said that last year, after opening for three weekends in December, the center had to close until Jan. 11 due to a lack of snow.
At the end of November, The Weather Network predicted an “old-fashioned winter” for the Quebec region, with below-normal temperatures and heavy snowfall.
This sharp drop in temperature is caused by a combination of two meteorological phenomena: La Niña, an ocean current that cools the waters of the Pacific, and a polar vortex that will be more prevalent in North America.
– With files from Stéphane Blais
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
