Castle Mountain Resort closed out its 2022 season with one last snowy day on Sunday.
“It always snows on closing day, always,” said Cole Fawcett, sales and marketing manager.
Skiers and snowboarders took in every last minute of the snow until the very last ski lift chair went up at 4 p.m.
“I was going up the red chair for my last lap and I was actually on chair number two,” said Russel Orcutt, a season pass holder. “I could see the last chair ahead of me, it was kind of neat; serendipitous for the day.”
Tim Luke, the snow host at Castle Mountain Resort, has been skiing there since 1987.
“Came out for a business trip and fell in love with this place,” he said.
Luke said the community is what makes the resort so special.
“We all share the same passion for one thing, and that’s the mountain. It shines right through everybody’s attitude,” said Luke. “It’s a really positive vibe.”
Fawcett said it’s been another difficult year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s well documented that there are clear labour shortages across the country. So, challenging in those regards but also another rewarding season,” said Fawcett. “(We had) really good visitation, and Castle was on great footing as we exit this season.”
The last day of the season was able to be postponed a few extra weeks this year after Castle Mountain Resort invested more than $3 million toward snow-making equipment.
“The staff have done an incredible job to keep us going all year, no slowdowns in the lifts, it’s been great,” said Luke.
The countdown is on for next season as Castle Mountain Resort has already announced a tentative opening day for Dec. 2.
Fawcett said announcing the opening date this early “gives us something to look forward to because there’s a lot of friendly faces that, to be honest, we’ll miss over the summer and fall.”