White Hills opens with limited capacity

Saturday marked the opening of White Hills Resort in Clarenville, even thoughthe skihill was operating at limited capacity.

• No skiing yet: White Hills opening delayed by a week

Only one of the hill's 16 runs was ready for skiers and snowboarders on opening weekend, but general manager Chris Laturney is hopeful for a good season, his first as White Hills'manager.

Laturney said that more natural snow is helpful for the mountain, but even with improved snow-making capabilities, White Hills is still very dependant on the weather.

"As we get colder temperatures, or more snow from Mother Nature, we'll open up more runs," he said.

Laturney said that the ideal temperature for making snow is at -6 C. However,new snow guns purchased by the resort last season allow higher quality snow to be made even at higher temperatures.

"They just allow us to make a little better quality of snow at -6 and a better quality of snow if it gets a little warmer," he said.

Laturney said half the hill has snow-making capabilities, and with some cold temperatures, those runs covered by the snow guns could be open within the next few weeks.