Even if Mother Nature isn’t quite ready for winter, Blue Mountain Resort
certainly is. The Resort had initially been targeting November 27 as the start
to their ski season but recently announced a delay to their opening date due to
the warmer temperatures forecasted this week. “Our systems are ready to get
running as soon as the weather and conditions are favourable,” says Steve
Spiessman, Director of Slope and Grounds Operations. “We are taking advantage
of temperatures as warm as -2.2 Celsius and snowmaking windows as short as 4
hours to get the hills open as soon as possible.”
As the official opening day gets closer, the Resort is still preparing for
the busy season and looking for seasonal staff to help serve the thousands of
guests Blue Mountain draws each season. To attract student talent, Blue has
launched a new Tuition Assistance Program which provides eligible employees
with an opportunity to receive $500 toward their post-secondary education for
each consecutive season of employment. “This is a brand new program that is
pretty unique to this area,” says Janet Hammond, Manager, Human Resources. “We
know we will need more team members once the season kicks off and we want to do
what we can to make working at Blue as great an opportunity as possible.”
Off-hill, the events in the Blue Mountain Village are also lined up and
ready including Jingles and Joy, a festive welcome to winter that includes free
activities for families from horse-drawn wagon rides and carolers, to fireworks
and visits with Santa Claus. “The Blue Mountain Village has become a hub of
activity every weekend of the season,” notes Claire Woodhouse, Events
Coordinator for the Blue Mountain Village Association. “People know that if
they are looking for something to do on- or off-hill in the winter, they can
always find something fun to do at Blue.”
Blue Mountain Resort's earliest opening day was on November 25 in 1989 and a
typical season starts around mid-December. The updated opening day for the
season is yet to be confirmed but Blue Mountain will be providing updates on
their social media accounts and on their website. Those anxiously waiting to
find out when the lifts will be running can check www.bluemountain.ca or phone
1-877-445-0231 for updates.
