Early OPENING this Sat. Nov. 14! Great deals to be had this wkd so come on up and shred! Deets coming soon! #OpeningDayRules

Source

Nothing confirmed as at 3:10PM November 9th, but Twitter seems to be buzzing with “heard it from a good source”, “a little birdy told me” etc. that they’re going to kick things into high gear this Saturday!

Search Twitter for whistler early and see for yourself.

Judging by the alpine webcams things are looking exceptional and the snow is in the forecast for the rest of the week… Anti jinx, fingers crossed!

Sun Peaks is already planning an early November 14th opening as well, though things haven’t much improved in the snow department since they announced it, should still be pretty good!

Early reports say even though only one chair was open (due to upcoming World Cup), the conditions were exceptional and look to improve as the week goes on.

That said though, for us here in British Columbia, Whistler is looking prime so far on the upper half and may reschedule for an early opening as well depending on how things go this week.

Rock on!

Lake Louise, Alberta: Lake Louise, Canada’s Favourite Ski Area, will officially open for the season on Friday, November 6 thanks to Mother Nature and one of the most sophisticated snowmaking systems in the world.Skiers and snowboarders will be able to experience those first delightful turns of the season from the top of Glacier Express Chair down three runs: Bald Eagle, Wiwaxy, and Easy Street. These runs descend 1,450 vertical feet over their 3 kilometer length. More runs and lifts should be open by the following weekend, and most of the mountain following one or two more good snowfalls.

All amenities at the full-service base area will be open, including food and beverage facilities, retail, rental and repair shops, the daycare and ski school.

“We’re extremely excited about being the first major ski area in Canada to open” says Lake Louise Marketing Director John Ross. “Because we are one of the few ski areas in the world that can offer superior early season snow, the World Cup circuit will once again start at Lake Louise on the weekend of November 28th prior to moving to the U.S. and Europe. This winter will also be jam packed with various other exciting events such as the Canadian Powder 8 Championships, The Olympic Torch relay, and various other races, festivals, and snowboard events”.

Lake Louise is reaffirming its commitment to offering a superior terrain park and is pleased to welcome back Jeff Patterson, who is world-famous for his designs. Offering a unique and exceptional variety of rails, boxes, jumps and other special features, small portions of the park will be ready, already, by Friday.

Reduced lift ticket prices will be in effect for opening weekend. Adults can ski or ride for $38, seniors (>65) and youths (13-17) for $26.40 and children (6-12) $12.50. Louise Card holders will receive a $10 discount and do not have to use their first day free.

Check our the Lake Louise website here!

In a nutshell:

• Limited parking all season long, with Lodge Lot and Lot 1 closed all year
• Eagle Chair will be completely closed or highly impacted all season long
• Rainbow run off Lions’ Express will be closed or highly impacted all season long
• Ski area completely closed to skiing from February 1 through March 8

Not really complaining as it’s hard to go wrong with a $269 season’s pass, but the big question remains is where does that leave Raven Ridge? If we can’t access via Panorama from the top of Eagle Express and Lot 1 is also closed, does that mean Raven Ridge will also be closed or will we still be able to walk around Lot 1?

Plus, not sure why Rainbow on the Lions’ Express side of the mountain will be highly impacted or closed all year long. Perhaps they’re using that run for snow farming in the event they don’t have enough snow? Can’t really see any other reason why they’d have that closed but maybe we’ll get some answers soon. I’ve emailed Guest Services for clarification on these points and will post back with my findings.

Hopefully they have a plan in place to maintain access to some of the best new terrain on the mountain!

Click here for the complete report.

Check their webcam page for updates, winter’s coming!