Heavy snowfall on Mount Washington has closed backside slopes at the ski resort due to avalanche fears. The runs were previously closed due to a lack of snow.
Mount Washington, which opened Thursday after consecutive days of snowfalls, experienced blizzard conditions over the weekend that left the resort with a high accumulation of snow and happy patrons.
The resort had “blue bird” conditions Monday with blue skies, a thick carpet of overnight powder and “ecstatic snowboarders and skiers,” said Mount Washington spokesman Brent Curtain.
“It’s really set us up for the rest of the season,” said Curtain. “The phones are ringing off the hook for spring bookings and accommodations.”
Statistics from Monday morning show an accumulation of 210 centimetres over the past week with 100 centimetres during the past two days, Curtain said.
Several weather patterns lined up over the weekend to dump snow on Mount Washington and several more areas in central and northern Vancouver Island. Snow caused hazardous conditions for motorists in Courtenay, Campbell River and the Highway 4 Sutton Pass.
The 18-kilometre stretch of the Strathcona Parkway, which leads to Mount Washington Alpine Resort, is plowed and cleared today.
“It’s in great shape,” Curtain said.
That was not the story Sunday when plows couldn’t make their way through the maze of cars that were off-road, across the road and abandoned, Curtain said.
There were reports that the road to Mount Washington was closed for several hours but Curtain had no knowledge of that.
Curtain advises skiers, boarders and tubers to check weather reports and advisories before travelling to the mountain and prepare for those conditions.
“It’s a mountainous road with the highest elevations on the Island,” Curtain said. “We always suggest motorists carry backup chains with them on any mountain roads and that all four tires on their vehicles be winter tires.”
All of the mountain is opening with the exception of the backside. Due to the avalanche risk there, the snow is being left to “settle out naturally,” Curtain said.
Avalanche experts will test the backside of the mountain for risk in the days ahead and decide on whether to open the back slopes for expert skiers.
The Mount Washington ski resort closed in late January due to lack of snow after just 14 days of operations.
It was reopened Thursday and expects to remain open into at least April.
The ski resort has hired back 400 to 500 people and continues to hire more, Curtain said.
Already the business of retail shops in the surrounding area have picked up also, he said.
“It’s a huge gain for the economy,” Curtain said.
