With all this white, local ski resorts are no longer crying the blues.
Snow finally arrived in great abundance this past week, a much needed blessing for downhill ski hot-doggers, snowboarding surfers, and cross-country fanatics.
At Tabor Mountain, a 15-minute drive east of downtown, owner Fern Thibault has been clicking his heels in glee now that winter has finally arrived. Tabor has been operating every day since the Christmas break on a thin layer of hard-packed snow but conditions now are exceptionally good.
"We've had over 40 centimetres of new snow, the skiing is going to be unbelievable," said Thibault. "If you miss it, you're probably going to miss one of the best weekends of the year."
Tabor will be offering course for ski and snowboarding instructors later this month. The Canadian Ski Instructor Association (CSIA) Level 1 ski course is on for Jan. 17-20 and Feb. 24-27. A Level 2 ski course will be offered Feb. 24-28, and a Level 3 instruction is set for Jan. 17-21.
A three-day CSIA snowboard instructor course is scheduled for Jan. 21-23. Register at www.casi-acms.com or at Tabor Mountain.
Purden Mountain, 60 kilometres east of the city off Highway 16, has finally chased out the snow snakes with a covering this week of 35cm of new snow and will have all three lifts operating over the weekend. Light snow snow was falling on the mountain Friday evening. Purden will be open Friday-Sunday for the month of January, from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Purden offers 1,100 vertical feet (335 metres) from the lodge to the top.
Purden offers a daycare for parents who want to ski or snowboard. Cost is $8 per hour for kids three-and-under and $5 per hour for kids older than three.
In the city, Hart Highlands Ski Hill at 3740 Winslow Dr., got buried in flakes and is open every day. The weekday opening hours are from 6:30-9:30 and weekend hours of operation are from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Hart Highlands offers ski and snowboard instruction in four-lesson packages for $99 per person, which includes lift passes. Ski lessons are open to everybody six and older, while snowboarders signing up for lessons must be at least seven years old. To book lessons, call 250-962-6784.
Otway Nordic Centre, just west of the city, offers cross-country and snowshoeing trails. The Caledonia Nordic Ski Club is waiving trail fees on Sunday at its annual Ski Fest. Cross-country trails are also open at Tabor Mountain.
Powder King Mountain Resort near Mackenzie is living up to its name with 20cm of new snow in the past three days, with 19 of 37 runs now open. The top section is buried under 199cm of snow, with 161cm at mid-mountain and a 134cm base at the lodge.
Powder King is open four days a week. Thursday and Friday the lifts operate from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday they run from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. A bus shuttle service -- the Powder King Express -- operates every day the mountain is open. The bus leaves from Pine Centre Mall at 6:20 a.m. and takes off from the The Hart Mall at 6:40 a.m. It leaves for the return trip to Prince George a half-hour after the lifts close for the day.
Cost is $30 each or two passengers for $40, if an advance booking is made by calling 1-866-769-5464. All walk-on passengers pay $35 for the two-way trip.
Troll Ski Resort, 45 kilometres east of Quesnel, received 3cm of new snow overnight and has a 71cm base at mid-mountain, with 22 runs now open. Troll is now open every day except Tuesdays.
Murray Ridge Ski Area near Fort St. James has all 23 runs now open on mostly packed powder with snow depths of between 30cm and 93 cm.
