Happy days are here again!
By The Nelson Daily Sports
By Bruce Fuhr,
The Nelson Daily Sports
Generally the unofficial/opening day at Whitewater Ski Resort is a low-key opportunity for the staff to get a dry run of what is to be expected throughout the season.
However, Whitewater staff got more than they bargained for as a parking lot full of riders took advantage of great snow and sunny skies to open the 2010-11 campaign.
“It’s so nice to see people today at Whitewater skiing and boarding and enjoying the beautiful sunshine,” Indoor Operations and Marketing Manager Anne Pigeon told The Nelson Daily from her office at the hill.
The recent dump of snow allowed Whitewater to get a head start on some of the other hills in the province.
Traditionally, staff opens the Silverking Chair for a weekend to work out any kinks that may appear in the operations. The hill now is closed until the official date of the start of full operations Saturday, December 10.
“We did a lot of renovations during the summer but it takes a day to have people here to really test the facility,” Pigeon explained. “So we have a few little things to work out but by next week it will be perfect.”
Conditions were excellent considering the time of the season. Currently Whitewater has a base of 100.1 cm/39.4 inches of base at the top of the Summit Chair.
Of course what staff and riders are most excited about it the opening of the new Glory Ridge Triple Chair. The new lift will more than double the amount of terrain riders will be able to access.
“The energy this season is absolutely fabulous,” said Pigeon. “We’ve had pass holders back that haven’t purchased passes for years. We’ve had staff return that haven’t been with us for years.”
“There’s just so much energy here, and not just from locals but also from people from out of town,” Pigeon add.
The chairs have been loaded onto Glory Ridge. SuMMit Lift Company staff says the chair will be loaded and tested soon and should be ready for opening later this month.
Whitewater begins full operations Saturday with both Silverking and Summit Chairlifts open from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with another dump of snow expected to hit the region mid-week.
sports@thenelsondaily.com
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