Ski hills in N.S. now open after slow start to season - Action News
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Nova Scotia

Ski hills in N.S. now open after slow start to season

After a damp start to the ski season, all four ski hills in Nova Scotia are open this weekend.

All 4 ski hills in the province are now open

Six skiiers dressed in green snow jackets and wearing skis pose for a photo on a snow covered mountain.
Skiiers celebrate the opening day at Ski Ben Eoin in Cape Breton. (Submitted by Darcy MacDonald)

After a slow start to the season due to mild and wet weather, all four ski hillsin Nova Scotia are open for business this weekend.

In Cape Breton, Cape Smokey has been operating itssurface lift since Dec. 31, and Ski Ben Eoin opened its main chairlift today.

In HantsCounty, Ski Martock opened one run at the beginning of January and is now operating four.

In Cumberland County, Ski Wentworth kicked off its 90th year on Jan. 12. It has four runs open.

"We are probably about six days behind last year," said Darcy MacDonald, director of business operations at Ski Ben Eoin in Cape Breton. "Our target is usually the end of December, but the last couple seasons it's been a mid-January start."

The snow cannons were working hard on Wednesday to add some white to the green hills at Ski Ben Eoin, but by Thursday they had to shut down due to warmer temperatures.
Snow cannons are working hard to add some white to the hills at Ski Ben Eoin. (Tom Ayers/CBC)

Rain and warm temperatures delayed openings across the province, but much of Nova Scotia received snowfall on Friday.

Ski operators tried to make snow, but snow-making machines aren't effective in all conditions.

MacDonald saidthis marks the third year in a row with fairly warm weather in December and more rain than usual.

While natural snow is a great bonus, MacDonald saidthe hill relies on snow cannons to create enough snow to cover the hills.

Last year, Ben Eoin purchased a new snow-making machine that allows it to make more snow in a shorter period of time, and at a warmer temperature.

"We're always looking at new ways to try to improve that process," he said.

Five snowboarders wearing helmets and snow gear sit on a ski hill and wave.
Ski Ben Eoin opened about six days later compared to last year. (Submitted by Darcy MacDonald)

While ski hills are open, some are still facing challenges and have limited the number of skiers or runs until more snow can be made.

Skiing is not yet open from the top of the mountain at Cape Smokey, near Ingonish.

"We make a little bit of progress to open another run, and it seems like it rains the next moment and we lose a lot of what we gained before," said Martin Kejval, CEO of Cape Smokey Holdings.

Smokey has about 15 centimetres of snow from the top to bottom of its surface lift.

The gondola is in operation, but it's not open to skiers or snowboarders yet. Instead, visitors can ride the gondola to the top andusesnowshoes to explore hiking trails.

Kejval said he is optimistic ski season will be in full swing by February.

A snow-covered ski hill is shown with a view of the Atlantic ocean and blue clouds.
Cape Smokey near Ingonish Beach, N.S., opened its surface lift for the season on Dec. 31. (Submitted by Martin Kejval)

At Ben Eoin, the hill is only open tovisitors with season passes.

"With limited terrain, we didn't want to put too many people on the mountain," MacDonald said.

"This gives our members a chance to get out and get some first tracks. They've been waiting a while this year, so we wanted to give something back to them."

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