Castle Mountain Resort eyes 60th season
Snowmaking to start with cold snap as WOW Card and food bank drive anchor early season
Castle Mountain Resort said it is on track for an early December start as crews prepare for snowmaking and the debut of a new quad chair alongside several hundred acres of lift accessed terrain.
“Snow coverage is variable, at this point in time, ranging from completely bare in the base area to areas that would have multiple feet of snow, in the alpine,” said Cole Fawcett, sales and marketing manager. “Given that we’re still a little more than 4 weeks away from opening day, we’re not concerned. Snowmaking has yet to commence due to a lack of consistently below freezing temperatures. Snowguns are in position and ready to be fired up as soon as temperatures allow.”
Opening day terrain will depend on natural snowfall and what the team can produce.
“Generally speaking, we focus our snowmaking efforts on terrain accessible via Green and Huckleberry Chairs first and then turn our attention to making snow on the lower slopes of Gravenstafel Peak,” Fawcett said. “It’s not uncommon that we open terrain in stages, which I suspect will be the case again this year.”
Work is advancing on the new Stagecoach Express Quad Chair, part of the largest capital investment in the resort’s history.
“An exact date for the opening of our new Stagecoach Express Quad Chair has yet to be set, as our team and contractors work towards the completion of the installation,” Fawcett said.
Guests should expect standard early season hazards and a focus on safety.
“It is unfortunately all too early to predict what guests should expect on day one, outside of a well-trained, enthusiastic staff,” he said. “Information on opening day operations isn’t usually available until 2 to 3 days prior to opening. One thing that always exists early season is an early season snowpack. Guests should keep in mind that natural and man-made obstacles that may be fully buried by mid-season, are often a greater risk to equipment and or guest safety in the early season. Translation slow down and ease into the season, to avoid damage to equipment or personal injury.”
For deals, Fawcett pointed to Castle’s Wonders of Winter Card. Priced at $129.95 plus GST down, the WOW Card gives holders 50 per cent off full day full mountain lift tickets every day all season with no blackouts. Cards are available directly from Castle online, on site or by phone, and at partner resellers including Alpenland in Blairmore, Co-op Gas Bar in Coleman and Pincher Creek, and Tamarack Outdoor Outlet in Pincher Creek. Sales are slated to run until December 24.
The resort will again run its opening weekend food bank fundraiser from Dec. 5 to 7 with Co-op Pincher Creek.
“Castle Mountain Resort will donate $1 per visit, from Dec. 5 to 7, to be matched 1:1 by the Co-op Pincher Creek. Monies raised will be split evenly between the Crowsnest Pass Food Bank and the Pincher Creek & District Community Food Centre,” Fawcett said.
Snow reporting will ramp up later this month.
“While we’ve not yet started offering daily snow report updates, we will by late November. Our snow report (skicastle.ca/snowreport) is our most comprehensive source of information for would be visitors and includes a discussion on conditions, weather, lift and run status, current weather, and current web cam imagery,” Fawcett said.
He added that they are all very excited about this coming season, especially given that it’s the 60th anniversary season.
“Several hundred acres of new, lift accessed terrain are poised to come online this season, representing the first new chairlift install at Castle in some 19 years, and the single largest capital investment in our history,” said Fawcett
For live updates on conditions and openings, check the resort’s snow report in late November and watch for an operations notice two to three days before opening.