Quebec ski resorts gear up for winter
Ski season is just around the corner and ski hill operators say they're getting ready for it and hoping it's better than last year.
West of the island of Montreal, Ski Mont Rigaud is installing a second chair lift just in time for the colder temperatures and the first snow. Luc Elie says “It's a total of $2.4 million investments that we've put in.”
With fluctuations in winter temperatures becoming the norm, Elie says his snow guns have to lay-down a metre-deep base of man-made snow before the natural stuff starts to fall.
“Last year was a bad snow season. it was only a hundred centimetres. But the season before that, there was over 250 centimetres in this region, says Elie.
Meanwhile, Yves Juneau of The Quebec Association of Ski Stations says his members are doing everything to adapt and need help.
“Snowmaking is definitely one of the tools that we have to response to climate change and weather warming up,” says Juneau.
“We would also like to be able to get the support of Hydro-Quebec because starting in January we have to pay a winter penalty so, the fee to produce snow in January and that costs double at that time.”
He adds that the way to bring in more paying costumers is to inform them that conditions in the city aren't the same as in the hills.
“We need to educate the people better because when they see browned grass in their backyard, they don't realize that they're going to be able to ski, you know, around Montreal,” he added.
An effective way to entice clients to make the trip to an area ski hill is giving them a view of what to expect.
Webcams at ski resorts show actual ski conditions in real time, helping clients know before they go.
“They now have really sophisticated webcams so that we can see live images from each of the ski areas. And I think that's going to be a good tool to explain to people that there's actually some really good skiing out there,” says Juneau.
Elie adds, “We have one that's 360 degrees on top of our cell. So, you can look at the parking, how many cars there are in the parking. You can see the line up at the chairlift. You can see the snow conditions.”
Yet, Elie says customers still tend to buy their season passes later, hedging their bets before they set their edges.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former finance minister Bill Morneau questions if it's the 'right time' for emissions cap following Trump re-election
Following the re-election of former U.S. president Donald Trump, former finance minister Bill Morneau says the Canadian government should re-evaluate the timing of some cornerstone Liberal policies.
Candlelight vigil held for Cobalt teen recovering in hospital after being attacked, ex-boyfriend charged with attempted murder
Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.
Kitchener, Ont. teen facing 29 charges after serious threats made against schools, businesses and people
A 15-year-old boy from Kitchener, Ont. is facing a long list of criminal charges as the Waterloo Regional Police Service wraps up a lengthy swatting investigation.
Canada cancels automatic 10-year multiple-entry visas, tightens rules
Canada has announced changes to their visitor visa policies, effectively ending the automatic issuance of 10-year multiple-entry visas, according to new rules outlined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Tornado touched down Sunday in Fergus, Ont., experts confirm
A team of tornado experts are investigating a path of damage through Wellington County.
Man who allegedly staged bear attack arrested for murder in stolen identity scheme
A man accused of killing a person and staging it as a fatal bear attack in Tennessee was taken into custody in South Carolina over the weekend on murder charges, in what authorities described as a plot to steal the victim’s identity.
Alien-like signal from 2023 has been decoded. The next step is to figure out what it means
If Earth's astronomical observatories were to pick up a signal from outer space, it would need an all-hands-on-deck effort to decipher the extraterrestrial message. A father-daughter team of citizen scientists recently deciphered the message. Its meaning, however, remains a mystery.
'I get goosebumps': Canadians across the country mark Remembrance Day
Across Canada, dignitaries marked Remembrance Day by laying wreaths at ceremonies, school children sang in the late fall chill and veterans recalled the horrors of battle.
Biden and Harris appear together for the first time since she lost the election to Trump
U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris on Monday made their first joint appearance since her U.S. selection loss when they observed Veterans Day together by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.