By Sam Borsato (@BorsatoSam on Twitter)

Unseasonably warm weather putting pressure on ski resorts to diversify

Nov 28, 2016 | 7:22 AM

PINCHER CREEK – An unusually warm fall in southern Alberta doesn’t seem to have Castle Mountain Resort on high alert quite yet.
 
But record high temperatures through parts of October and November have drawn some attention to the need for ski resorts to diversify program delivery, in an effort to combat any financial strain in the face of possibly shorter ski and snowboard seasons.
 
“I think any business that doesn’t look at trying to grow and diversify, no matter what type of business you’re in, would be foolish of them to think that,” said Jason Crawford, Castle’s Sales and Marketing Manager.
 
While the Pincher Creek-area resort is limited to what it can do on the mountain according to its land lease, it does offer weddings in the summer, a Huckleberry Festival and keeps its restaurants open year round. It’s also working with a number of government departments to be able to expand the kinds of programs it can offer.
 
However, Crawford says the Castle team will continue to work on plans to prepare for on-going climate change.
 
“There’s always concern. I mean, it’s a scientific fact that the world is getting warmer.
 
“I think with any business if you have a shorter than planned window, obviously you’re going to have a financial strain with that,” Crawford continued. “We suffered from that a couple years ago where we just didn’t have enough snow at the bottom of the mountain to remain open. It’s definitely something we’re very much aware of and we monitor very carefully, and we make our plans accordingly.”
 
He even pointed to times in the past when Castle couldn’t open at all due to a lack of snowfall.
 
According to The Weather Network’s 2016-2017 winter forecast, near seasonal temperatures are expected for most of Alberta, with snow patterns favourable for ski areas in the Rockies.
 
Crawford added that there’s a typical snow pack so far on the mountain, and some manmade snow operations have already begun. He is hoping for some more to fall before opening day on December 16.