Conditions Report - Slow Start to Ontario Ski Season After Warm Temperatures and Plenty of Rain

*View of Blue Mountain Village and trails around Silver Bullet Chair. | Image: Liam Abbott*

As one of the busiest times of the ski season is underway, Ontario ski resorts, like many other places right now on the East Coast, are seeing above-average temperatures that have left the region feeling more like spring, with winter yet to make a full appearance.

Yet, despite the lack of a winter-filled Christmas time, there are still plenty of turns to be had. I got the opportunity to ski at Craigleith Ski Club (a direct neighboring hill of Blue Mountain), where the warm temperatures and lack of terrain have driven many people to stay home, making a time of year that usually sees awful lift lines now a place with none at all (this was true for Blue Mountain, Alpine Ski Club, and Georgian Peaks Ski Club, as well).

*Empty slopes and no lift lines made for a great first day on the slopes.*

With warm temperatures clocking in as high as 9ºC (49ºF) on December 26th, groomers were soft and completely ice-free, which was perfect for what was many people’s first day of the season (including mine). Although unusual, I was not in the mood to complain about the spring-skiing days this week has provided, and instead just thankful that ski season is upon us and I was able to get some turns in. While it is easy to look at this Holiday Break as a write-off for skiing, it is still early in the season for Ontario ski resorts, with temperatures expected to return to seasonal averages by the weekend.

Related: Private Canadian Ski Resort Craiglieth to Host its First-Ever FIS Snowboard Parallel Giant Slalom World-Cup Event

*View of Blue Mountain looking from north to south. Any natural snowfall is long gone…*

Snow Numbers

Blue Mountain seasonal stats to date.

Although Blue Mountain and the Collingwood area have only seen about 30cm (1ft) of snow this season (with much of that already melted away), they thankfully possess one of the best snowmaking systems in Canada and will be back at work blowing snow as soon as temperatures permit. It will only be a matter of a couple of weeks of consistently cold temperatures to get most mountains in southern Ontario enough time to blow snow to get all of their slopes open!

Weather Outlook

Weather forecast from Environment Canada for Collingwood, ON.

Unfortunately, the worst of the bad weather is still to come – tomorrow will see the Collingwood area see temperatures stay high, hovering around 7ºC (45ºF), while dropping an estimated 10-15mm (0.6″) of rain. Temperatures will continue to stay above freezing for most of the days until the weekend, when temperatures finally drop, during which many ski hills will be eager to get their snow guns up and running again!

Blue Mountain currently has five lifts serving seven trails for day and night skiing, although forecasted rain could jeopardize the status of some of those trails due to thin coverage in the short term.