After stormy weekend, more snow on the way for B.C. ski hills
Over 100 centimetres expected for Grouse, Seymour and Mount Washington by Thursday
The storm that wreaked havoc across B.C. and shut down an entire ski hill has passed — but another weather system on the way means the heavy snowfall is far from over.
Over a metre of snow is expected to land on Grouse, Seymour, and Mount Washington over the next three days, according to the British Columbia snow report.
"Freezing levels will start out around 800 to 900 metres," said Lisa West, an operational meteorologist with Environment Canada.
"As this system moves, it's going to start out as snow in the mountains — so great news for skiers," she added,
- Heavy snowfall shuts Mount Washington ski resort
- Wind wreaks havoc, leaves thousands without power in B.C.
Mount Washington recovers
On Sunday, Vancouver Island's Mount Washington ski resort was abruptly shut down due to avalanche risk after one metre of snow dumped on the resort in less than 24 hours.
Over 125 centimetres landed on the hill through the weekend.
"It's been a huge operational challenge, but we made it through" said marketing manager Sheila Rivers. "It's been one of the three biggest snow events that we've had."
As of Monday, the resort reopened two of its four lifts. Another metre is expected to land on the hill through the week, but Rivers doesn't anticipate it will cause as much trouble as the storm.
"It's like a never-ending system of snow — which is great for us," she said. "It's not as condensed as it was for us on the weekend, which is kind of nice. It makes it easier to manage for us."
Fresh snow hits North Shore
The North Shore mountains weren't hit as hard as Mount Washington during the previous system, but precautions are still being taken on the ski hills to maintain visitor safety.
Grouse Mountain's snowshoe park is currently closed due to snow instability.
According to marketing director Jodi Westbury, the ski hill expects another 50 centimetres of snow by the end of Wednesday, when a new weather system will roll in carrying even more precipitation and snow.
Up to 75 centimetres of snow is expected to land on Cypress by Thursday.
Hills at Whistler Blackcomb are on track for over 90 centimetres through the week.