“We were open last year, [but] closed the year before. For about the last 10 years or so, it’s been an every-other-year thing if we’re lucky, but we haven’t had two consecutive years [of lift operations] for a while now.”– Aaron Murray, Vice president of Clearwater Ski Hill.
The fastest t-bar in Western Canada won’t operate this season. The CBC reports that a lack of snow has caused Clearwater Ski Hill in British Columbia to announce that they likely won’t operate their lifts this season. Clearwater aimed to open in January but hasn’t been able to achieve the threshold of a 40 c.m. ski base, which is needed to open the trails and lifts. They hosted a ski-themed party in their lodge last weekend, but no lifts operated.
This isn’t the first time the mountain has been closed, as natural snowfall is needed for it to be operational. The summit elevation at Clearwater is 1,250 meters (4101 feet), which is significantly lower than the major British Columbia ski resorts. For example, Big White has a summit elevation of 2,319 meters (7608 feet).
Hopefully, the mountain can keep going for future generations, but seasons like this don’t help.
Ski Hill Stats:
Trails: 10
Lifts: 2
Lift Ticket Price: $25
Location: 566 Dunn Lake Rd, Clearwater, British Columbia
Closest City: Kamloops (125 meters/77.67 Miles)
Image Credits: Clearwater Ski Hill