White Hills ski resort hoping for a January opening, despite the weather

There's snow on the trails at White Hills in Clarenville, but it's not enough to ski on, and not enough for the resort to open.

However, the hill's new general manager is optimistic Mother Nature will help turn things around later this month.

"There's more snow to be made, and on the top of the mountain, the last couple of weeks have been really windy. So the natural stuff that fell blew away," said general manager Marke Dickson.

"Now we're working to build that back … and we'll open the resort when it's safe to do so."

Originally from New Zealand, Dickson has been working in the ski industry for more than 30 years. He started in his home country before moving to the U.S., and then into western Canada, where he's worked at several large resorts.

There's snow the top of White Hills, but it's not deep enough yet for skiing and snowboarding. (Troy Turner/CBC)

His move to Newfoundland was an unexpected one, and came last month after a visit in the spring to see some icebergs.

"It was a day traveling through Newfoundland in May where I drove through Clarenville, saw some ribbons of white down a hillside and thought, there's a ski area here," he said.

"I didn't know that, and drove up the road [to] White Hills Resort, met some of the people and kept on talking. And here we are a few months later."

The unusually mild winter has meant a late start for many resorts in Atlantic Canada. It's also a stark contrast to the beginning of ski seasons in western Canada.

Dickson says many resort in the interior of British Columbia start making snow in mid-October and skiers and snowboarders are taking to the hill before the end of November.

"Here in Newfoundland, you're used to being a little more flexible and you just have to roll with the weather as it comes," he said.

"I asked the team on arrival, 'when are we going to be open? Is it Boxing Day? Is it Boxing Day? Is it Boxing Day?' And they said, 'You know, we'll be ready when Mother Nature allows us to open.' And that's probably been the biggest adjustment."

Guns have been busy producing snow at the base of the White Hills in preparation for the opening of the season. (Troy Turner/CBC)

Provided the weather co-operates, Dickson said he and the staff are getting excited about the season ahead. They've purchased a lot of new gear and equipment thanks to a $100,000 win in last season's Mackenzie Top Peak competition, and are constantly making improvements to the hill.

Dickson said there are already several hundred passes sold for this year.

"We're now in a mode where we look forward and we're starting to build back the business and everything now is about the future and how do we get [our feet] back on the gas," he said. "It's really encouraging to see that strong base back in place."

And, once conditions are adequate, he figures the skiing will be top notch.

"For a small hill, it actually, I think, will ski like a big mountain," he said. "It's got really good mix of terrain for novice skiers, and then there's some tough stuff too."

"The team works around the clock to make sure we put a really nice layer of machine-made snow down. So when the natural snow comes later this month and to February and March, there's a really solid base."

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