Temporary problems in the mountains
Rob Gibson – January 13, 2023 / 4:09 pm | History: 406205
Photo: Big White Ski Resort
The weather has been chaos with the ski hills in the countryside for the last month or so.
Ski hills like Big White deal with variable weather conditions, everything from freezing temperatures to snow, fog and rain plus high winds.
On Friday, Big White was forced to close the Gem Lake Express due to high winds, while the slide had to be closed due to high temperatures.
The Bullet Chair and TELUS Park are also not open for night skiing Friday night, but the Plaza Chair will continue to operate.
Another post on Big White’s Facebook page warned of potential falling trees on the mountain.
“You know, it was a hard winter. The weather wasn’t 100% great, meaning it was snowing, but it was also cloudy. People think that when they come, it is snowing at night and sunny during the day. But there are many people who have come and gone who have never seen the sun and had trouble traveling. So, you know, we certainly have our work cut out for next year,” says Big White Vice President Michael Jay Ballingall.
The freezing level hovers around 1,400 meters during the day and Big White Ski Resort Village is at 1,755 meters, so the weather can change from snow to sleet to rain during daylight hours.
Environment Canada’s forecast for Kelowna calls for clouds with a 60 percent chance of precipitation Friday night, with a snow level at 1,500 meters and a low of plus 3. The rest of the weekend calls for mostly cloudy skies with a 40 percent chance of precipitation and a snowpack of 1500 meters with a maximum of 6 degrees and a minimum of 2 degrees on Saturday. Sunday is very similar, a 40 percent chance of precipitation with a high of plus 5 and a low of plus 1.
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