The operators of the Marble Mountain resort are looking on with envy as the east coast of the island digs out from about 30 centimetres of snow.
Marble general manager Richard Wells says they’ve been forced to delay opening for the ski season due to a lack of snow on the west coast.
Wells acknowledges weather patterns have been shifting due to climate change in recent years.
He notes that’s one of the key reasons the resort has been working to evolve into a year-round operation, with attractions throughout the spring, summer and fall.
(Photo: @MarbleMountain)
Until then, Wells says it may be necessary to shorten the official ski season to provide more certainty and a better guarantee of good conditions.
“There are discussions with the team here, with management and the board of directors, that maybe we consider shifting our opening target to, for example, February 1, because January is such a crapshoot, if you would, that it’s hard to guarantee early January or even a December opening these days,” he said. “But if we can guarantee February 1, for example, to the end of April, maybe that puts us in a different category. Again, with global warming, it’s something that we have to be concerned about for sure.”
In the meantime, Wells says staff are working their way down the hill, trying to create a base of at least two or three feet to eliminated various hazards such as stumps and ditches.
