Kimberley Alpine Resort announced Wednesday they are extending their ski season by a week in order to give locals more opportunity to hit the slopes.
The new closing date for the resort’s 2020-21 season is Sunday, Apr. 11, with the originally scheduled closing date being Apr. 4.
READ MORE: Weekend cold front to interrupt unseasonably warm spring
A social media post from KAR indicated that the extended dates are dependent upon weather and conditions at the hill.
”We’ve had excellent snow conditions for most of the winter, and this winter has proven that skiing and riding is one of the most fun things people can in a Covid-19 world, so we wanted to add in an additional week for people to get up there and enjoy themselves,” KAR’s ski area manager Ted Funston said.
“There are perfect warm and sunny spring conditions out there right now, and history shows that things could get wintery and snowy again at any point in March or early April, so hopefully we will be able to maintain or even add to our current snow pack.”
This increased season length is bolstered by the fact that KAR opened for operations one day earlier this season as well, certainly welcomed news to local skiers and riders whose season was cut short last year by the onset of COVID-19.
READ MORE: KAR to begin season one day early
This season also saw KAR not only having to adapt to operating within the safety guidelines necessitated to keep people safe during the pandemic but also having to deal with repairing their main chairlift.
READ MORE: Kimberley Alpine Resort’s main chairlift down for at least a week
“There have certainly been some obstacles to overcome this winter,” Funston said, “but thankfully the skiing/riding has been great, and we’re really happy to see lots of locals coming out to enjoy the mountain and getting fresh air and exercise and having fun with their families. We had good powder days earlier on and the perfect spring weather and conditions recently have been a bonus for everyone.”
Funston said that the resort staff is extremely appreciative of the efforts of everyone who came to ski and snowboard to be conscientious of following the COVID-19 safety protocols they implemented and they ask that everyone remains diligent throughout the remainder of the season.
For example, make sure to wear your mask in the base area and the line-ups, but there are places where you can take your mask off and get some sun, such as while skiing and riding or while sitting in the plaza at the Stemwinder up at the Easter chair barbecue.
“We feel that the challenges we’ve faced have helped us to improve our offering in a number of ways, including running the barbecue area at the top of the Easter Chair,” Funston said. “This has proven to be very successful, and I would expect to see us continue this in some form in future years.”
KAR has already received plenty of positive feedback from its season pass holders and locals regarding this added week of skiing and they hope to see people take advantage of it.
Funston said he is grateful to all the staff and volunteers for their endless hard work they’ve done this year to provide a safe environment for their guests to enjoy.
“COVID-19 has been an added challenge and stress on our team, and it is a difficult and thankless job to ask people to comply to rules and protocols, but they have stepped up and really succeeded,” Funston said. “If you see a frontline employee, or a Mountain Host or other volunteer, out there working to keep people safe then please feel free to give them a thumbs up and a thanks.”
paul.rodgers@kimberleybulletin
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