There will be no end of snow to play in this long weekend.
As much as five centimetres was expected to have fallen on the city by this morning, Environment Canada meteorologist Jim Steele said yesterday, and with the daytime highs remaining in the -9 C range through to New Year's Day, it won't be going away anytime soon.
Add on the snow that's already fallen and it means excellent conditions at area hills and trails.
"We're constantly getting fresh snow," said Tabor Mountain Ski Resort's Conrad Jaye. "We got probably three inches of new powder last night on top of old probably foot of powder that we had before."
It's an improvement over conditions at the same time last year.
"We have way better snow coverage, way nicer snow as well," Jaye said. "Due to the cold weather, it dried it out a bit more. We're surprised, actually, at how nice it is."
Instructors will be available throughout the long weekend to get beginners going in the right direction and help veterans shake off the rust if they haven't yet been out this winter.
Updates for Tabor, located 15 minutes east of Prince George, can be found at tabormountain.com.
Within the city's limits, the Hart Highlands Winter Club ski hill at 3740 Winslow Drive, is in full swing.
"We're in fantastic shape," said manager Gene Doucette. "The weather's cooperating, we're getting the snow we want and need."
It's open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and tomorrow, from noon to 4 p.m. on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, then from noon to 4 p.m. and 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. through to Friday and then back to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. next weekend. For more, visit the club's Facebook page.
Website postings painted similar pictures for Purden Ski Village, 60 kilometres east of Prince George (purden.com), Powder King in the Pine Pass (powderking.com), Hudson Bay Mountain in Smithers (hudsonbaymountain.com), Murray Ridge in Fort St. James (murrayridge.com), Troll Mountain near Quesnel (trollskiresort.com) and Marmot Basin in Jasper (skimarmot.com).
Of course, downhill isn't the only pastime.
In preparation for the 2015 Canada Winter Games, many of the cross country ski trails at the Otway Ski Centre have been rebuilt and extended.
"They're all open and skiable and they're wonderfully fun trails," said general manager Gillian Recknell. "Some of them are black diamond but some of them are also intermediate."
The dog-friendly area, just west of the main parking lot, is now a five-kilometre loop, twice last winter's length. And the snowshoe trails are also in good shape, Recknell said.
A "chocolate race" is set for 12:30 p.m. today. The entry fee is $2 and you must register by noon but everyone who crosses the finish line gets a chocolate bar.
"It's a nice, fun, recreational-style race," Recknell said.
The bigger event is next Sunday when Skifest, the annual day of admission-free skiing and introductory lessons, is held. Rentals will also be available for two-hour time slots although those interested will need to pre-book and prepay. Details can be found at caledonianordic.com.
Snowshoers, both beginner and experienced, are welcome to join the Caledonia Ramblers tomorrow for an easy trip through the Greenway Trails area to "the cliff," a rock climbing area in the summer.
"It's actually perfect for people with their first pair of snowshoes," said trip leader Nowell Senior. "If you want to see something a little bit different and you want to go with a group, it's perfect."
Meet at the city hall parking lot before 10 a.m. For more information, call Senior at 250-562-7485.
As for snowmobilers and backcountry skiers, Canadian Avalanche Centre forecaster Mark Bender is rating the risk in the North Columbia-Cariboo mountains as moderate in the alpine and low at treeline and below. But that doesn't mean sledders shouldn't exercise caution.
"Folks should always take reasonable precautions when out in the backcountry, regardless," Bender said. "As a general rule, people should always be taking avalanche equipment with them - an avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe at the very minimum - and they should know how to use them, for sure."
Updates can be found at avalanche.ca.
