The Pine Valley Snow Resort in Tawatinaw opened to the public Jan. 4 and has already averaged 45 people daily on the slopes.
“It’s such a gem,” said Pauline Plaschuk, a second-generation skier who was introducing her grandchildren to the sport Jan. 5. “Such a great place to be.”
With the hill under the maintenance of DK Consulting, owner Dom Kriangkum said that the cold snap at the end of December was quite beneficial for the hill, as it produced a lot of snow.
He said he wanted to open a day earlier, but the sudden thrust of warm weather caused delays. He was only able to open one hill for skiers because it warmed up before he could finish making enough snow.
“It’s so unpredictable, with the weather,” said Kriangkum. “We need about three to four more days of around -15C then we can open the other hill.”
The resort will be open every weekend from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will keep staff on hand for school trips.
Kriangkum said he would like to have the resort open during the week as well, but needs more traffic at the hill to justify paying staff. He estimated he could keep the hill open all week if he was getting around 50 to 60 skiers a day.
However, he said he wants to have the hill open on special events. Interested people should keep an eye on the Pine Valley Resort Facebook page and web page.
“I want to keep the hill open as many days as I can,” he said. “We have tried to keep it open over the week in the past, but it takes the same amount of labour regardless of how many people come out.”
Admission to the lift is $32 and the ski hill will remain open as long as the snowpack holds.
“We are open,” said Kriangkum. “Please come check it out.”
