'Not enough snow to really do anything': Business owners say warm weather taking toll on winter offerings
'Just hours and hours of bush-bashing until you finally hit the snow': business owner on backcountry trails
Some owners of winter activity businesses in B.C. say the warm weather and lack of snowfall is taking a toll, bringing poor, even dangerous, conditions on ski hills and backcountry trails.
Judy Kasiama, founder of Colour the Trails, says the disappointing season has delayed her organization's ski and snowboarding lessons.
Colour the Trails is a Black women-owned business working to increase access to outdoor activities for Black, Indigenous and people of colour.
"A lot of our programs are at a standstill … People are excited to learn to ski or snowboard, but we're unable to fulfil that just because there's not enough snow," she said on CBC's The Early Edition.
"I can look out my window and look at the local resort and see absolutely, just brown [on the ground]."
Kasiama and other business owners say while they're desperate for better conditions to resume operations, they hope B.C.'s abnormally warm weather prompts people to learn more about climate change.
"We're asking people to be patient and … do a lot of snow dances and hopefully we will get some snow," said Kasiama.
"And also to start taking initiative, reading up and studying about climate change and the impact."
Sandy Ward with Indigenous Women Outdoors says while their team has been able to operate in the Whistler Blackcomb backcountry, they've avoided other backcountry areas due to dangerous conditions. The company helps Indigenous women engage in outdoor activities.
"It's just so much more empowering for me to be out on our traditional territory as Indigenous people and experiencing it in its raw form, rather than being in a resort," she said.
Ward says she hasn't done many backcountry tours this season due to the less-than-ideal situation.
"There's not enough snow to really do anything … I've been seeing posts of other people that have attempted [backcountry tours] and it's just hours and hours of bush-bashing until you finally hit the snow."
Jamie Manie, co-owner of Alpha Adventures on the Sunshine Coast, says the unusual season has led to a decline in demand.
He says while last year's early season was "beyond exceptional," this year Dakota Ridge, a mountain operated by the Sunshine Coast Regional District, has yet to open.
"We provide tours and lessons up to Dakota Ridge. So [the lack of snow has] basically wiped out demand for those services," he said.
"Our staff are trained, they're eager and waiting, we're just waiting for the snow to return."
In the meantime, Kasiama and Manie say their organizations are pivoting their focus to mountain biking and winter kayaking until conditions improve.
A mild winter ahead
Environment Canada is forecasting some snowfall and cooler temperatures through parts of B.C. in the coming days.
But associate professor Michael Pidwirny from the University of British Columbia Okanagan says, the cold snap is temporary and not likely to last more than two to three weeks.
"December was abnormally warm, very dry. January is going to cool off a bit and then we're going to return back to a very warm February and March," he said.
Pidwirny adds this season is likely to be one of the mildest winters ever seen in B.C.'s history due to two ongoing climate events: the Pacific Decadal Oscillation — a naturally occurring shift in warm and cool phases that last about 20 to 30 years — and El Niño.
"We're in the cold phase luckily, if we move into the warm phase with [the current] El Niño, things could be worse and that's possibly what could happen next winter," he said.
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With files from Courtney Dickson, The Early Edition, On The Coast