A recent stretch of hotter than usual weather might have warmed some Montrealers hearts, but it wasn’t nearly as fortuitous for Quebec’s ski hills.
With snow and colder weather on the horizon, those managing the ski hills are hoping for the weather to carry over into the new year.
“It’s a business that relies on weather and it’s a short period,” said Nicolas Fournier of the Mont Habitant Ski School. “Obviously, holidays and March break are peak periods.”
Fournier’s colleague Shane Booth said that the warm weather wasn’t great for business, but the hill has weathered the downturn.
“We have a very solid base, with quite a bit of snow,” he said. “Maybe about two or three feet of snow on each trail.”
“It’s harder packed snow than what it usually is,” added Fourneir. “We’ve got the machines going all night, trying to make the conditions as good as they can.”
While some say artificial snow is just as good as the real thing, getting people to the hill when it’s warm out is a different matter.
“Where hit is for us is people think that at Mont Habitant or the Laurentians, we don’t have that much snow,” said Booth. “We’ve got full coverage.”
At nearby St. Sauveur, it’s a similar case. Officials said recent rain hasn’t had a major impact.
“We get the snow, we have the snow,” said Simon Page. “Ski conditions are amazing but to let people know from downtown Montreal that the ski condition is great, that’s the challenge.”
