Good news for skiiers and snowboarders in southern Alberta.
The long summer wait is over, and thanks to lots of help from Mother Nature, some ski resorts have opened in the mountains west of Calgary.
Sunshine Village opened this past weekend, and Lake Louise officially opened on Tuesday, an earlier-than-normal start to the season for both resorts.
Kendra Scurfield, vice-president of Sunshine Village, calls it the earliest opening in the resort’s history.
“This is the earliest in our corporate memory bank that we have ever opened. Our previous earliest opening, I think it was 2016 or 2015, when we opened on November 3rd,” said Scurfield.
“Mother Nature was magnanimous. She turned on the taps and we got enough snow.”
Story continues below advertisement
With a snowier-than-normal winter so far, Sunshine Village vice-president, Kendra Scurfield, says Saturday’s opening was the earliest in the ski hill’s history.
Courtesy: Sunshine Village
With some meteorologists predicting a return of the weather phenomenon known as La Nina this winter, the early start to the season could be a sign we’re in for a colder and snowier winter in Alberta.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
“La Nina usually shifts the storm track north, so the Rockies see more moisture and cooler air early in the season,” said Global News weather specialist, Joelle Tomlinson.
“It’s the perfect setup for mountain snow. It doesn’t promise a record winter, but it does help explain why the ski hills like Sunshine and Lake Louise, at their higher elevation, are opening ahead of schedule,” added Tomlinson.
Reports from both Lake Louise and Sunshine say that more than 70 centimetres of snow has fallen so far this season, including 37 cm at Louise and 38 cm at Sunshine in just the past week.
Story continues below advertisement
Nakiska which already has a 40 cm base, including 2 cm in the past 24 hours, plans to open for a preview weekend on Saturday and Sunday.
2:08
Legendary Banff skier is honored by the ski hill he calls home
Mount Norquay, which is celebrating its 100th year of operations this year, has also set a tentative opening date for this coming Saturday with plans to open on a daily basis starting Nov. 15.
“Our snow guns have been working now 24-7 to get things open. The season is off to a really great start. Good snow of the weekend and nice cold teamperatures and we are excited,” said Norquay general manager Andre Quennville.
“On La Nina years, we’ve always had longer, snowier seasons, so I think you can be ready for a good ski season.”
The latest weather forecast is for another 4 to 12 centimetres of snow in the mountains by Saturday.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
