Nakiska ski hill to open earlier this year than ever before

The NakiskaSki Area is gearing up to open for the earliest preview weekend ofits 31-year history, beating the previous recordby four days.

The hill will open six runs and roughly 2.5 kilometres of skiing on Oct. 26, said Nakiska general manager Jan Sekerak in an interview with theCalgary Eyeopener.

Sekerak said the Kananaskisfacility has been busy making manmade snowafter Mother Nature gifted the resort with an early cold snap that brought plenty of icy patches and a little fresh powder to the area.

"We have the most modern technology. We can make snow, so why not?" he said.

Downhill enthusiasts can expect a base of 50 to 55 centimetres on preview weekend, he said.

Nakiskais forecast to hit a high of 12 C today, and more above-freezing days are expected heading into next week, but Sekerak saidhe's not worried.

"Manmade snow is now alpha and omega of skiing in this area," Sekerak said. "Manmade snow isquite resilient, and we have lots of it. So it will not melt."

With files from the Calgary Eyeopener.