It may have felt like a balmy fall day in Calgary on Friday, but to the west, it was a winter wonderland. The weather caused some icy roads in and around Banff, but there were ideal conditions at ski hills set to open for the season.
The snow started overnight, leaving streets snow-covered and icy. While motorists were having a difficult time, skiers and snowboarders were celebrating.
“We only opened in December last year,” said Mt. Norquay ski resort general manager Andre Quenneville. “So a snowfall like this–everyone is excited to ski.”
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Starting Saturday, skiers and snowboarders will be loading in and out of the gondola at Sunshine Village–one of the last resorts to open in the Bow Valley.
“We are so happy; we’ve gotten about 30 centimetres just since Wednesday out of this storm, and the forecast is for more snow,” said Sunshine Village CEO Dave Riley. “I think we could end up with 40 to 50 centimetres by the end of the weekend.”
511 Alberta had been issuing snowfall warnings throughout Friday for Banff and surrounding areas. The warning ended for Banff National Park, Kananaskis and surrounding areas as of 3:47 p.m.
With files from Erika Tucker
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