Nakiska ski hill to open earlier this year than ever before
'Manmade snow is now alpha and omega of skiing in this area,' says general manager
The Nakiska Ski Area is gearing up to open for the earliest preview weekend of its 31-year history, beating the previous record by 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 the Calgary Eyeopener.
Sekerak said the Kananaskis facility has been busy making manmade snow after 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.
Nakiska is forecast to hit a high of 12 C today, and more above-freezing days are expected heading into next week, but Sekerak said he's not worried.
"Manmade snow is now alpha and omega of skiing in this area," Sekerak said. "Manmade snow is quite resilient, and we have lots of it. So it will not melt."
With files from the Calgary Eyeopener.