Ski shops, resorts in southern Alberta preparing for upcoming ski season
![Alpenland, ski, resorts, Lethbridge Last year was busy for ski shops like Alpenland in Lethbridge and resorts in southern Alberta, and pandemic demand is expected to remain high again this season.](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2021/11/16/alpenland--ski--resorts--lethbridge-1-5669055-1637107269469.jpg)
It's not exactly winter yet, but excitement is building for the upcoming ski season.
Last year was busy for ski shops like Alpenland in Lethbridge and resorts in southern Alberta, and pandemic demand is expected to remain high again this season.
“Today is a little snow, so I think people are going get excited about winter again. Once its heavy snow out there then people really start coming to shop,” said Joe Molina, the marketing and web manager at Alpenland.
Molina said as a result of the increase in people trying out winter activities last year, staff at Alpenland planned ahead and ordered large quantities of stock, which has already begun to run low.
“We’re really heavy on cross country ordering this year, and despite that we are still starting to see low levels of inventory already and we're (only in) mid-November,” said Molina.
The current storms and flooding happening in the B.C. interior are causing a shipping delay of certain products that are coming from the west coast by truck, according to Molina.
“The important thing is going to be getting it while you can to get the gear you want while we have the inventory,” said Molina.
Last year was busy for ski shops like Alpenland in Lethbridge and resorts in southern Alberta, and pandemic demand is expected to remain high again this season.
RESORTS READY TO WELCOME VISITORS
It isn’t just ski shops preparing for the upcoming season. Ski resorts across southern Alberta say they are excited to welcome people back on the slopes soon. Castle Mountain Resort spent the off season injecting in about $1.5 million on upgrades and infrastructure.
“We’ve put in a new water storage reservoir, added a new pump which helps us get water up the hill more quickly and make snow more efficiently and greater quantities. We’ve also put in 1.1 km of underground snow making infrastructure, that’s the pipes, the electrical, up a portion of the north road,” said , Cole Fawcettsales and marketing manager at Castle Mountain Resort.
A second pandemic ski season also comes with a few changes including the limiting of daily ticket sales and the Restriction Exemption Program with vaccine requirements in place for access to the day lodge and T-Bar.
“Guests do not need to be vaccinated to enjoy a day of skiing, but some of the elements may not be available to them,” added Fawcett.
Castle Mountain is scheduled to open on Dec. 3, Fernie alpine resort is set to open on Dec. 4, with Pass Powderkeg in Blairmore still undecided.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6970476.1721410082!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
The CrowdStrike outage is affecting health-care services in Canada. Here's what you need to know
A global technology outage that's grounded flights and delayed border crossings is also challenging health-care services in the country, as issues with Microsoft services persist.
Quebec woman's death warns of dangers of cosmetic surgery abroad
Brian McConnell's daughter, Florence McConnell, died after a liposuction surgery complication in Morocco. Now, he warns others against undergoing cosmetic surgeries abroad.
Interior residents get ready to flee as B.C. fire tally soars past 300
The out-of-control Shetland Creek fire in British Columbia's southern Interior has more than doubled in size due to what the wildfire service describes as "significant overnight growth" and more accurate mapping.
Polar bear 'Baffin' dies at Calgary Zoo after not resurfacing from pool
A polar bear died in its enclosure at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo on Friday.
'I feel cheated': Here are the products hit hardest by shrinkflation
Canadians who feel like they are getting less bang for their buck at the grocery store these days might be right. A new report shows the effects of shrinkflation are real.
Tentative deal to end LCBO strike on hold as province accuses union of introducing new demands
The LCBO strike appears to be back on just hours after a tentative agreement was announced.
Woman guilty of murdering, dismembering boyfriend in Nanaimo, B.C.
A 28-year-old British Columbia woman has been found guilty of killing and dismembering her boyfriend on Vancouver Island nearly four years ago.
opinion Trump's assassination attempt not a political winner
Danger and fear are so pervasive throughout the national political ethos it is now the norm, writes Washington political columnist Eric Ham.
What a Donald Trump presidency means for Canada
The most striking thing about walking the floor of the Republican National Convention (RNC) is seeing just how much this is Donald Trump's party, CTV News' Vassy Kapelos says.